Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia . The city lies on the Tallinn Bay, part of the Gulf of Finland . On the other side of the Gulf of Finland is the much younger Helsinki . Tallinn has more than 400,000 inhabitants, a third of all inhabitants of Estonia. Until 1918 this city was called Reval.

Content

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Connection USSR
 * 1.2 Independence 1991
 * 2 City Districts
 * 3 Tourism
 * 3.1 Sights
 * 4 Business center
 * 5 Traffic and transport
 * 5.1 Port of Tallinn
 * 6 Twin cities
 * 7 Birth
 * 8 Deceased
 * 9 External links

History [ edit ]
View of Tallinn in 1884

Tallinn was mentioned for the first time in an Arab source, in 1154 . The settlement was called Rävala later Reval, a name that the city by the Germans and the Russians, but also with the Dutch, would hold up in the twentieth century. In 1219 the city fell into the possession of the Danish king Waldemar II, who built a castle on the Domberg ( Estonian : Toompea ). Already in 1227 he had the Sword Brothers, akin to the German Order transferring the power because he was unable to hold off the Estonians. In 1230 became a town - called Reval - originally founded by merchants from the North German Hanseatic cities and later populated by citizens from Westphalia and the Rhineland . In 1236 the brothers were defeated by the Danes and now came with Reval northern Estonia permanently under the Danish king. The city was finally the city right of Lubeck in 1252 and became a member of theHanseatic League . In 1346 the Estonians to new rebellion, but the cost of pacification were so high that the royal city and land sold to the Teutonic Order. The city council was furnished to supposedly German town law, in particular that of Lübeck, to the new time the highest judicial body was located. The socio-ethnic group identity determined the legal status of residents and prohibited the mixing of populations. The top layer consisted exclusively of Germans. The middle layer of artisans and merchants for more than half of Germans and for each one fourth of Sweden (Danes included) and Estonians. The virtually disenfranchised layer of workers and service staff was mostly Estonians. The city grew by an exclusive monopoly of trade with Novgorod, Russian trade city was conquered in 1478 by Moscow. Since then, Moscow also tried to gain a foothold in Estonia that a period of raids and devastation heralded. In 1558 a lasting peace was concluded with the backdrop of the Swedish king who was invited in 1561 to take the sovereignty itself. The city had more than 6 to 7,000 people. Social and ethnic relations are precisely defined; they determined the legal status of citizens greatly. Meanwhile was Lutheran reform implemented in 1525, which was the official religion. The political tension shifted to a struggle between Russia and Sweden for the entrances to the Baltic Sea and in theGreat Northern War proved Russia final victor in this conflict. Meanwhile, the population was plundered by the war-related epidemics back to 2,000 people. To promote recovery granted Tsar Peter the Great, the city autonomy. A slow bloom came into where the old social relations were perpetuated. The German Baltic bourgeoisie certain cultural life, formed a small majority and formed the city government until the 1880s, when began a period of Russification, which was elevated to the Russian government and some teaching language. Besides a century earlier built Kadriorg Palace of Peter the Great, new pretentious buildings, including the Orthodox Cathedral and a new lock on the Domberg as the seat of the Governor-General (the present parliament building) visually reinforce the Russian character. After the First World Warhad played the role of the German-Baltic upper layer and a fight broke out between nationalist and communist Estonians for the former eventually won. On 24 February1918, they proclaimed the republic of Estonia. For now, this was only a paper decision. The effective independence was fought between 1918 and 1920. With the Treaty of Tartu in 1920 recognized the Soviet Union, the independence of Estonia. In 1920, Estonia was the League of Nations accepted as a national state and then broke a short period of national independence and blooms.

Connection USSR [ edit ]
After the decision to annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in 1940, according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, fled many nationalist Estonians and the German inhabitants were evacuated to Germany. A political purge meant deportation of Estonians to other civil Soviet camps. Tallinn became the capital of the Estonian SSR . In 1941 the German occupied Wehrmacht town and nationalist Estonians came back. They were given a role in the governance and formed troops for the German army.This German-Estonian alliance to date is controversial, and falls under the theme of 'historical taboo. In March 1944 the Germans were driven back and the Soviets. A sharp repression began in which at least one third of the population was arrested and deported. Their places were occupied by Russians and new residents belonging to other Soviet peoples which the city gradually became Russified. Only half of the inhabitants were Est when on August 20, 1990 collapsed the Sovjetrégime. In 1980 were the Olympics Moscow partly held in Tallinn, when the sailing part was finished here.

Independence in 1991 [ edit ]
Since 1991, Estonia is a sovereign nation-state and its capital Tallinn. Russia's share of population in the city has declined significantly and is a third. Because Russian is no longer recognized as an official language - education in Russian is allowed and in fact, we could relate in Russian with the government - there are tensions sometimes erupt as in the removal of the Soviet liberation monument.

City Districts [ edit ]
Tallinn is divided into eight urban districts (linnaosad, singular linnaosa). Each district is in turn divided into sub-districts or neighborhoods (asumid, singular asum). In total there are 84. So is the old town in the subdistrict Vanalinn of the city district Kesklinn . The eight city districts (figures from November 1, 2014): [1]

Districts of Tallinn Each city district has its own board; The president holds the title linnaosavanem.

[Tourism edit ]
The tower Kiek in the Kök

Most visitors to come to Tallinn's Old Town Vanalinn, part of the city district Kesklinn . The whole area is UNESCO World Heritage .

The Hanseatic League has the history and the appearance of Tallinn very specific: Vanalinn has many merchant houses and warehouses from this time. The town is completely walled, and this city wall includes a large number of picturesque towers. As in some Dutch cities have towers and gates nicknames: one of the towers calledKiek in the Kök ("Look in the Kitchen 'in Low German, the language of the Hanseatic League). Then there are the tower Long Herman (Pikk Hermann) and the cannon tower Fat Margaret (Paks Margareeta).

The old town consists of two parts: the Domberg ( Toompea ), where the nobility and the clergy lived, and the lower town. These parts are separated by a wall and connected by two lanes: Luhike jalg (the 'short leg') and Pikk jalg (the "long leg"). Originally, the two towns, each with its own board, on the Domberg attended the German-Baltic elite aristocracy and bourgeoisie.

[Sights edit ]
The old city hall of Tallinn

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

On the Domberg: In the lower town: On the south side of the old downtown is the Freedom Square with it the War of Independence Victory Column and the St. John's Church .
 * the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
 * the cathedral
 * the Estonian Knighthood House (Eestimaa rüütelkonna hoone)
 * the Toompea Castle (Toompea loss) with the Riigikogu (parliament) and the corner tower Long Herman
 * from the Domberg one has a beautiful view over the city and sea. The most famous viewpoint is busy Toompea vaateplatvormid in the north.
 * buildings of various guilds
 * the Holy Spirit Church (Püha Vaimu kirik)
 * several gates and towers of the city wall, including the Fat Margaret and Kiek in the Kök
 * Lutheran Church of St Nicholas (Niguliste kirik)
 * the Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas (Nikolai kirik)
 * the St. Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik)
 * the old town hall in the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats)
 * streets as Lai Tänav (Breestraat) and Pikk Tänav (Langestraat) house many old merchant houses.

[Business center edit ]
Building of the bank Nordea in the districtMaakri

The rapidly modernizing business center is located south and east of the old town, around the Finns in the Soviet era built Sokos Hotel Viru . In neighborhoods likeTõnismägi (where the National Library of Estonia (Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu) and the new city hall are located) Maakri and Kompassi finds many office buildings, hotels and bank branches, often of very recent date. Still further east follow the Kadriorgpark the Kadriorg Palace and the Presidential Palace, the singing stage, the monastery ruins of Pirita , the Olympic sailing center and finally Lasnamäe , the large flat area in Soviet style, where many of the Russian-speaking residents live in Tallinn. In the western city district Haabersti lie Tallinn Zoo and the open-air museum Rocca al Mare .

Traffic and transport [ edit ]
Tallinn has frequent and fast ferry connections to Helsinki (and is therefore visited by many Finns, who in addition to the attractive town on the (alcoholic) bargains coming). The airport Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is located at the Ülemiste, so close to the city that a traveler with little luggage easily walk downtown can achieve.

[Port of Tallinn edit ]
The Port of Tallinn is the largest in Estonia. In the years 1999 to 2012, an average of 34 million tonnes of cargo being processed 65% of oil and oil products. The port consists of five parts, the port of Muuga processed by far the most cargo. The old port, which is close to the center of Tallinn is important for passenger and ferry services to other countries in the Baltic Sea.

In the port has Vopak a major oil terminal. The site houses 78 tanks with a total capacity of over 1 million cubic meters. [2] In the tanks of crude oil and petroleum products stored. There are seven berths for ships with a maximum depth of 18 meters. In 2008 the terminal processed almost 16 million tons of products. The terminal was opened in 1993 when had a capacity of 57,000 m³ and has since gradually expanded. Half of the shares of the terminal are held by a local partner, Estonian Oil Service (EOS). About half of the total throughput at the Port of Tallinn is processed by the Vopak EOS joint venture .

Twinned [ edit ]
There is a cooperation agreement with:
 * Ghent (Belgium)
 * Groningen (Netherlands)
 * Turku (Finland)

Deceased [ edit ]

 * Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846), German explorer in Russian service
 * Login Geiden (1773-1850), Dutch-Russian naval hero
 * Peeter Süda (1883-1920), Estonian composer and organist
 * Evald Aav (1900-1939), Estonian opera composer
 * Artur Lemba (1885-1963), composer and pianist
 * Mart Saar (1882-1963), Estonian composer and organist
 * Heino Eller (1887-1970), Estonian composer and music educator
 * Els Aarne (1917-1995), Estonian composer and pianist
 * Lembit Oll (1966-1999), Estonian chess
 * Joey Dunlop (1952-2000), British motorcycle racer
 * Lepo Sumera (1950-2000), composer and politician
 * Vladimir Beekman (1929-2009), Estonian writer and translator
 * Arnold Meri (1919-2009), Estonian war hero
 * Eino Tamberg (1930-2010), Estonian composer
 * Mart Port (1922-2012), Estonian architect
 * Hardo Aasmäe (1951-2014), Estonian politician, former mayor of Tallinn