Tidbits about Tallinn, Estonia

Thursday August 28, 2025

Tallinn, Estonia

The Old and the New.: The current flag of Estonia flying on a tower built in the 1400s, right next to the current Parliament Building

Fun Facts about Tallinn and Estonia:

• Estonia has five seasons.  Each year, Estonia experiences the “the fifth season” phenomenon between winter and spring. Created by a temporary rise in the water levels after the winter snow thaws, the season is characterized by annual flooding.

• More than one-fifth of Estonian farmland is certified organic.

• Snowshoes can be used year-round in Estonia — in winter, you can tromp through snow-covered forests and fields, and in summer, you can use them to walk over waterlogged bogs. Bogs cover one-fifth of the Estonian landscape, the oldest dating back over 10,000 years.

• Estonian children learn to identify mushrooms in school.  Foraging is a large part of Estonia’s food culture.

• Tallinn was a key port city for the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval trading alliance, and its wealth is reflected in its architecture. 

• Tallinn is home to the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in Europe, dating back to the 15th century. 

• Folklore - Chimney Sweeps in Tallinn continue to wear 19th-century uniforms. If you come across a statue representing one, be sure to touch its brass buttons. Myth has it that this brings good luck.

Today began with some confusion. First, over the time change - my phone did not update automatically, but Karen's did. Once we got that figured out then we started getting ready for our morning tour by checking the weather forecast. Rain! So we grabbed our big red Viking umbrella. It was raining when we left the ship for our transportation into town. But fortunately, once we began our walking tour the rain stopped. Yay!

The tour guide walked us around the Upper Old Town and shared the history of this area, starting back in the 11th century. One of the most influential aspects of the long history of this area has been all the changes in ownership/leadership/governance it has gone through.

Here is the condensed version:

• 1000-1200- Independent area on an important trade route; built a small fortress for defense

• 1219 - Denmark Conquered the area

• 1285 - Denmark sold it to the Teutonic Knights (German)

• 1561 - Became a dominion of Sweden

• 1700-1721 - Taken over by Russia

• 1918 - Declared their independence from Russia and became the country of Estonia

• 1919 - German occupation during WWI

• 1940 - Russian occupation, followed by Nazi takeover during WWII

• 1991 - Independent democratic Estonian nation was restored, with a tricolor flag

This monument honors winning the fight for independence in 1991. The granite boulders were put across the entrances to the city to stop the Russian tanks from entering. These boulders are now symbols of their independence and decorated for Independence Day, which is August 20th.

Estonia is now an independent country, but with a lot of different political and cultural influences from the past that carry forward to today. Only 53% of the population are natives of the region of Estonia, with 34% having Russian ethnicity. The Russian Orthodox Church is still a strong influence. And the fact that Estonia shares a border with Russia causes concerns over the future and a lot of sympathy for Ukraine. Below are pictures of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn.

More Pictures from Tallinn:

The oldest church in the city:

The Russian Orthodox Church:

A Quaint and Pretty Town Square

Looking down the Longest Street:

The city skyline from the harbor, showing the mix of old and new buildings:

Danish Kings Garden - there are three, slightly different, monk statues in the garden, which is said to be haunted. Each statue is approximately 8 feet tall. This one is the Observing Monk.

Good bye to Tallinn ,Estonia. Tomorrow is a Sea Day. Remember to check back with us on Saturday when we visit Gdansk, Poland. Shhhhh....Saturday is also Nancy's birthday! (Karen wrote that)