Tallinn City Tour
There I was sitting in a park, knitting and minding my own business when a crowd gathers and a young woman begins to talk. She's starting a free tour of Old Town, and has a sense of humour that I can relate to.
Naturally, I join in. The first stop has subterranean fountains covered with glass tiles about 18 inches square. The land was terraced and pods were separated by short boxwood hedges. Sunbathing lounge chairs were scattered about in pairs. Overall, a nice relaxing spot on the edge of Old Town.
She talked about the long history of occupation. Most East European nations had taken over at one point or another, often Germany or Russia.
We moved on to Freedom Square and the national monument. There are many official independence days. The first day of independence, August 20,1918, lasted about twelve hours, so technically not a full day of independence. The one that stuck happened in November of that year.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, the Germans and Russians each had their turn at occupation, with the Soviet state being created in 1944. It lasted until 1991/92.
Eventually, the Estonians built a monument to freedom, and wanted it to be glass to help symbolize the fragility of independence. It's a tower, maybe four storeys tall, with a square base and a Maltese cross at the top. A curved capital E and an armoured arm holding a sword are depicted in the centre of the top. The tower is likely concrete and fronted with sheets of glass.
Well guess what, in addition to independence, is fragile? Yup. Czech glass was not made to withstand the winter temperature swings of this Baltic City. Some panels cracked and fell off others shattered.
The Estonians sued the Czechs, saying this glass designed to withstand a nuclear blast could not stand up to winter conditions. The Czechs argued that Tallinn was too far north to be reasonable.
Next stop was one of the towers in the city wall. One of the things that makes Tallinn special is the surviving medieval wall. It's one of the most intact in Eastern Europe. And the towers are impressive. This one is round, and supports a number of stone cannonballs from Ivan the Terrible’s army. They are dotted half way up the current tore and are rather decorative.
The guards at the top of the tower could look into the homes of the people inside the walled city, and could see what they were cooking for dinner. So the name of the tower loosely translates as “Looking Into Kitchens Tower”.
Here is one of the two stretches where you can walk along the town walls, although because there are museums, it's quite expensive. We learned that Estonians were exposed to Christianity in the 12 and 13 centuries during the Eastern Crusades. One crusading faction were Danish, the other papal, and known as the Knights of the Sword. This is important later.
Next stop was in front of Parliament and a Russian Orthodox Church. Plenty of people. A prime tourist spot. Here we learned that after independence, Parliament voted to not dismantle the Russian orthodox cathedral on the other side of the square because it is pretty.
On to the Church of the Virgin Mary, which people call the Dom Church because it is godly. It's the site of a major massacre during the crusades. The pope sent someone from Rome to reconsecrate the church after this unfortunate incident.
Next was a wonderful view of the city, and a chat about the KGB hotel, where guests were assigned rooms according to language. The listeners had pre assigned rooms, depending on their language skills, and people were assigned rooms where the appropriate person could listen in.
The KGB Hotel was built outside of Old Town, in the former Lower Town.
Over the years, the Lower Town outside the city walls was routinely burned as invaders advanced. It gave them less to covet and a nice battleground.
As we wound down, our tour guide asked how you tell an extroverted Estonian from an introverted one. An introvert will look at their own shoes when talking to you while an extrovert will look at your shoes.
The tour was funny, informative and entertaining. I spent much of my time walking with a young South Korean woman who had spent much of her youth in Edmonton. She's currently an undergrad, struggling to find a major. It's hard. She took the trans Siberian railway across Asia, in third class. It was often an uncomfortable experience, since she was often stared at. She was as delightful as the tour guide, and it was a great way to spend two hours.
I made sure to tip the guide well.
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral across the square from Parliament
Naturally, I join in. The first stop has subterranean fountains covered with glass tiles about 18 inches square. The land was terraced and pods were separated by short boxwood hedges. Sunbathing lounge chairs were scattered about in pairs. Overall, a nice relaxing spot on the edge of Old Town.
She talked about the long history of occupation. Most East European nations had taken over at one point or another, often Germany or Russia.
We moved on to Freedom Square and the national monument. There are many official independence days. The first day of independence, August 20,1918, lasted about twelve hours, so technically not a full day of independence. The one that stuck happened in November of that year.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, the Germans and Russians each had their turn at occupation, with the Soviet state being created in 1944. It lasted until 1991/92.
Eventually, the Estonians built a monument to freedom, and wanted it to be glass to help symbolize the fragility of independence. It's a tower, maybe four storeys tall, with a square base and a Maltese cross at the top. A curved capital E and an armoured arm holding a sword are depicted in the centre of the top. The tower is likely concrete and fronted with sheets of glass.
Well guess what, in addition to independence, is fragile? Yup. Czech glass was not made to withstand the winter temperature swings of this Baltic City. Some panels cracked and fell off others shattered.
The Estonians sued the Czechs, saying this glass designed to withstand a nuclear blast could not stand up to winter conditions. The Czechs argued that Tallinn was too far north to be reasonable.
Next stop was one of the towers in the city wall. One of the things that makes Tallinn special is the surviving medieval wall. It's one of the most intact in Eastern Europe. And the towers are impressive. This one is round, and supports a number of stone cannonballs from Ivan the Terrible’s army. They are dotted half way up the current tore and are rather decorative.
The guards at the top of the tower could look into the homes of the people inside the walled city, and could see what they were cooking for dinner. So the name of the tower loosely translates as “Looking Into Kitchens Tower”.
Here is one of the two stretches where you can walk along the town walls, although because there are museums, it's quite expensive. We learned that Estonians were exposed to Christianity in the 12 and 13 centuries during the Eastern Crusades. One crusading faction were Danish, the other papal, and known as the Knights of the Sword. This is important later.
Next stop was in front of Parliament and a Russian Orthodox Church. Plenty of people. A prime tourist spot. Here we learned that after independence, Parliament voted to not dismantle the Russian orthodox cathedral on the other side of the square because it is pretty.
On to the Church of the Virgin Mary, which people call the Dom Church because it is godly. It's the site of a major massacre during the crusades. The pope sent someone from Rome to reconsecrate the church after this unfortunate incident.
Next was a wonderful view of the city, and a chat about the KGB hotel, where guests were assigned rooms according to language. The listeners had pre assigned rooms, depending on their language skills, and people were assigned rooms where the appropriate person could listen in.
The KGB Hotel was built outside of Old Town, in the former Lower Town.
Over the years, the Lower Town outside the city walls was routinely burned as invaders advanced. It gave them less to covet and a nice battleground.
As we wound down, our tour guide asked how you tell an extroverted Estonian from an introverted one. An introvert will look at their own shoes when talking to you while an extrovert will look at your shoes.
The tour was funny, informative and entertaining. I spent much of my time walking with a young South Korean woman who had spent much of her youth in Edmonton. She's currently an undergrad, struggling to find a major. It's hard. She took the trans Siberian railway across Asia, in third class. It was often an uncomfortable experience, since she was often stared at. She was as delightful as the tour guide, and it was a great way to spend two hours.
I made sure to tip the guide well.
National Monument
Looking in the Kitchen Tower.
The dimples (especially visible in the lower photo) are Ivan the Terrible's cannon balls.
Parliament
Beyond Old Town, Tallinn is a very green city.
Comments
Post a Comment