Tallinn is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and its old part is a storehouse of interesting sights. The center of the Estonian capital is surrounded by a fortress wall, which today is extremely rare. The architectural and historical ensemble of Tallinn is so unique that UNESCO put it on the World Heritage List as a whole. The sights of the city are not limited to the old part alone: there are beautiful parks, interesting modern buildings, picturesque beaches and much more. Today we will find out what to see in Tallinn so that a trip to this city turns out to be bright and memorable.
Viru Gate
In the western part of old Tallinn, at the intersection of Vana-Viru and Viru streets, there are gates on the site of which in the Middle Ages was one of the main entrances to the city. Today, it is through these gates that most of the guests enter the city: to the west of the gates is the business district of Tallinn, where many modern hotels are concentrated.
Viru Street
The busiest street in Old Tallinn is Viru Street. It connects Town Hall Square with the same business district. Despite the fact that the street was actively built up in the 19th century and most of its buildings are not historical sights, both locals and tourists like to walk on it.
Town Hall Square
Answering the question: “What to see in Tallinn?”, The first thing they usually remember is Town Hall Square, which is considered the heart of the city. Neatly restored facades, tiled roofs, old paving stones - all this creates an atmosphere of a cozy and calm Northern Europe. In one of the corners of the square is another attraction of the old part of the city - the town hall pharmacy. To make the visit to the square even more memorable, it is recommended to climb the Town Hall tower, which offers fabulous views of the old and modern streets of the city. Climbing the tower is quite difficult, so it is better to carry it out not after walking around the city, but in front of them.
Not far from Town Hall Square, at the intersection of Kullagsepa and Niguliste streets, there is a tourist information center in which each guest of the city can take a map of the city and various information booklets in their own language for free.
Streets of Lühike jalg and Pikk Jalg
Not far from the town hall square begins the narrow and winding street-staircase Lühike jalg. In Russian, its name sounds like “short leg”. This is one of the two streets that lead to Upper Tallinn (the so-called part of the city located on Toompea Hill). The second street is called the "long leg" - Pikk Jalg - and is located a little north. Both “legs” pass under the gate towers. In the Lühike jalg tower, a large oak door with metal rivets, whose hats look at the Upper Town, has been preserved. Local residents joke that Tallinn will always be limp, because it stands on its feet of different lengths.
Garden of the Danish King
According to one of the two “legs”, tourists get to Upper Tallinn - the center of the secular and ecclesiastical authority of the city. There are many attractions. Let's start with the garden of the Danish king.
In addition to the indisputable aesthetic merits, this place also boasts that the Danish flag day is celebrated here annually. According to legend, it was in Tallinn in 1219, after one of the battles, that Denmark received its national flag. The battle was not the best for the Danes, but inspired by the red banner that fell from the sky with a white cross, they defeated the enemy. This banner later became not only the flag of Denmark, but also the emblem of Tallinn.
In the Garden of the Danish King, tourists are met by two interesting towers. The first of them is Konyushennaya. In the recent past, there was a prison on its floors. Today, on the upper tier of the tower there is a colorful bar, which can be reached only by no less colorful spiral staircase. The second tower is called more romantic - Maiden. It attracts tourists with its interesting museum, a cozy cafe and a ghost that supposedly appears here at midnight and flies through the halls.
The Dome Cathedral
The main Lutheran church in the old part of Tallinn is the Dome Cathedral. It is also considered one of the main attractions of the Upper City. In the dungeons of the Tallinn Dome Cathedral lie the families of noble Swedes and Baltic Germans, who donated substantial sums for its construction and development. On the walls of the cathedral you can find the coats of arms of these families.
Observation Decks
Not far from the Dome Cathedral is one of the two viewing platforms of Upper Tallinn - Kohtuotsa. It offers beautiful views of the lower part of the city. In addition, from this viewing platform you can see the weather vane "Old Thomas", which rotates on the tower of the Town Hall. The second observation deck is called Patkuli. It is less popular among tourists than Kohtuotsa, as it looks a bit away from the old part of Tallinn.
Tv tower
The Tallinn TV Tower, which is located in the Pirita region, is the tallest building not only in Tallinn, but throughout Estonia. Its height is 314 meters. In the tower building you can enjoy views of the city from a height of 170 meters, dine in the restaurant located on the 22nd floor, buy local souvenirs, visit a mini-television studio, admire the quaint interior and take children to the attractions. Thus, the Tallinn TV Tower is a center of tourism and active pastime.
Tower "Long Herman"
This landmark of Tallinn is two hundred meters from Falgi tee street. Long Herman is the tallest tower in Toompea Castle and the entire Upper Town, with a height of 45.6 meters. The tower has 10 floors that were once divided into barns, living quarters, and weapons depots. It is crowned by an open area, over which the flag of Estonia is hoisted every morning.
Kiek in de Kök Tower
This tower was built in 1475 as the main defensive bastion of the Toompea fortress. There was a time when it was rightfully considered the most powerful gun turret on the entire Baltic coast. An important role was played by Kiek in de Kök during the siege of Tallinn by the army of Ivan the Terrible, who during the Livonian War intended to gain access to the Baltic Sea. The Russian artillery managed to make a breach in the tower, however, a high earthen ramp piled in front of it prevented them from using it. By the way, the 7-ton gun that pierced that hole is today stored in one of the St. Petersburg museums. Nowadays, the Kiek in de Kök tower is used as an exhibition hall, and the museum of the history of Tallinn fortifications is located on its artillery floors.
Dominican monastery
In most tours of the city of Tallinn, this attraction is positioned as one of the main. The Dominican monastery was erected in the 13th century and named after St. Dominic Guzman. In 1216, Dominic suggested that local Catholics create something like the institution of wandering theologians who carry the "word of God" to the most remote corners of Europe. The church hierarchs liked this idea, and soon it was realized. Over the next several centuries, the monastery flourished - wealthy citizens sponsored it in return for the right to be buried in the local tomb.
A little north of the Dominican monastery is the Tallinn City Museum. Near it is the “Stone Sack”, in which in the Middle Ages for three days they closed the spouses, intending to break their marriage ties. During this time, the couple either changed their decision or finally became convinced of its correctness.
Church of the Holy Spirit
The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit is located near the Town Hall Square. Despite the fair height of the bell tower, it is the smallest church in the old part of Tallinn. Once it played the role of a chapel at the City Hall, but now it attracts tourists with a large tower clock in 1684.
Tower "Fat Margarita"
The northern tip of the old city is the gun tower "Thick" Margarita ". It got its present name about one and a half centuries ago due to its dimensions: 25 meters in diameter at 20 meters in height. Today, in the complex consisting of this tower and the Great Sea Gate, there is the Naval Museum of Tallinn and a cafe. From the observation deck of the tower offers a beautiful view of the sea.
Monument to the battleship "Mermaid"
This monument is one of the few monuments to the warship that died in peacetime, established within the former Russian Empire. He is a bronze angel standing on tiptoe and holding an Orthodox cross above his head.
Botanical Garden
Only ten kilometers from the bustling city is the Tallinn Botanical Garden, in which everyone can enjoy the beautifully designed landscapes. In addition to the usual species native to Estonia, there are many rare specimens from various distant corners of the Earth.
Lynnahall
One of the most unusual modern sights of Tallinn is the cyclopean building of the Lynnahall Concert Hall, built for the 1980 Olympics. In addition to the humanitarian, the building has a pronounced defensive function, which for some reason the architects decided not to mask. Linnahall was to become a huge long-term defensive point and a stronghold of the defense of the city in the event of an attack by capitalist Finland. For this reason, the building was built on the territory of the seaport. Such placement allowed him to cover almost the whole of Old Tallinn. Lynnahall is perfect for those tourists who are interested in the question: "What to see in Tallinn from Soviet architecture?"
Kadriorg
Two kilometers north of the old part of the city is the baroque palace and park ensemble Kadriorg. Many call it Tallinn Peterhof. Initially, the complex was called Yekaterinental, in honor of Catherine the First. The modern name is translated from the Estonian language as "the valley of Catherine." The main attraction of the park is the palace of Peter the Great, built in the style of the Italian palazzo.
Theatre of Drama
The oldest theater building in Estonia, preserved in its original form, is the building of the Drama Theater, located in Tallinn. It was erected in 1910 according to the project of St. Petersburg architects Nikolai Vasiliev and Alexey Bubyr. For this work, architects were awarded first place at one of the largest international architectural competitions. The Estonian Drama Theater in Tallinn is located right in the city center. From the moment of its foundation to this day, the repertoire consists mainly of productions of world classics, as well as contemporary drama of different countries.
Zoo
The Veskimets forest park, rich in scenic views, houses the Tallinn Zoo. It was created in 1939. Currently, the zoo covers an area of 89 hectares, 26 of which are occupied by cages and aviaries. It contains almost 8 thousand species and about 6 hundred subspecies of animals from various parts of our planet. Among other things, the Tallinn Zoo boasts the largest exposition of rams and mountain goats in the world. Various tourist equipment can be rented at the zoo. There are special places for camping and picnics.
Conclusion
Today you and I learned what to see in Tallinn so that a trip to the Estonian capital is truly memorable. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the above were considered far from all the sights of the city, but only the main ones, which are considered obligatory to visit.