Tallinn English College English Sergo Vainumäe 9A TALLINN Report Supervisor: Inge Välja Tallinn 2006 Order of contents: 1.Introduction 2.Toompea 3.Lower Town 4.Kadriorg and Pirita 5.Museums 1. Introduction Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, lies on the Baltic Sea. It is on almost the same latitude east St. Petersburg in Russia, Stockholm in Sweden and Stavanger in Norway, and covers 158 sq km. Tallinn was first marked on a map of the world by the Arab geographer al-Idrisi in 1154, its name then being Kolyvan (probably derived from the name Kalev). In the 13th-century Chronicle of
Introduction Tallinn, the capital city of the Republic of Estonia and of the Harju county, is a town in North Estonia on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. It has nearly half a million inhabitants and covers an area of almost 160 sqkm. It is also an important economic and cultural centre and one of the main ports in the Baltic States. Tallinn is one of the oldest cities on the Baltic Sea. It is unique for its well-preserved architecture from the 13-15 centuries. In contrast to the ancient town-walls and towers, Tallinn of today offers modern hotels, restaurants, sport and cultural centres
2 Towns (Upper & Lower Town) Tallinn used to be divided into 2 parts - Upper Town where lived the aristocracy, gentry and the clergy; and Lower Town with traders, craftsmen and merchants. Legend says the Toompea Hill is actually the tumulus mound of the great Kalev. Linda carried rocks to his grave. It is a naturally- formed limestone hill. Lower Town was a merchantile centre, Tallinn also belonged to the Hansaetic League (1285). It is often referred to as the town of citizens. Any grown-up, married and economically independent person, born in a legal marriage between two free people and having lived in the town for at least 3 months, could apply to the Magistracy for citizenship. Serfs could escape from serdom after having successfully hidden in town for a year and a day. Two parts remained separated until the end of the 19th century. Four Names Lyndanise - mentioned by Henricus de Lettis in his Chronicle; derives from the name Linda -
glass. ● The statue of Liberty, 2009; represents freedom, Estonia has been under many foreign powers, starting with Danes, Sweden, German and Russia. The clock of liberty, 2004. Kiek in de Kök ● The cannon tower, founded in 1475-1483. Kiika kööki, peek into the kitchen, from up there it was possible to peek into the enemy’s kitchen. The walls are 4 m thick, can see the cannons stuck in there. Tallinn City Museum. ● Town Wall (Unesco) - one of the greatest towers of Tallinn’s Town Wall, Old Town declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 Toompea ● Toompea is a limestone hill in the central of Tallinn. It towers about 30-40 metres above the surrounding areas. According to the legend, its the tumulus moundn over the grave of the national hero Kalev, erected stone by stone by his grieving wife Linda
Until the 20th century there was no way down from the western side of Toompea except for a foot-path. The stairs were built in 1903 and called Patkul Stairs after Dietrich Friedrich von Patkuli who had been the deputy Governor in Tallinn during the Great Northern War. Pikk Jalg (Long Leg) - the original road leading to the ancient Estonian stronghold (therefore the oldest street in Tallinn) and the only public road connecting the upper and lower town. It was paved with cobblestones already in the 14th century and was considered quite a dangerous place in the old times. It was certainly not recommended to walk along it after dark and it was not an easy road to be taken on a carriage, as the steep rise often proved too difficult for the horses and going down usually required excellent coachman´s skills. The present day 5-storeyed gate tower dates from 1380. Lühike Jalg (Short Leg) was first mentioned in 1353. This street belonged to the
Estonian SSR. Tallinn's population is registered 400,200 (as of May 2007). Since independence, improving air and sea transport links with Western Europe and Estonia's accession to the European Union have made Tallinn easily accessible to tourists. Estonia has made rapid economic progress since independence and this is reflected in local prices. Although not extortionate, neither are prices as cheap as in other former Eastern Bloc countries. The main attractions are in the two old towns (Lower Town and Toompea) which are both easily explored on foot. Eastern districts around Pirita and Kadriorg are also worth visiting and the Estonian Open Air Museum near Rocca al Mare, west of the city, showes aspects of Estonian culture and architecture Toompea. This area was once a separate town (Dom zu Reval), the residence of the Chivalry of Estonia, Roman Catholic bishops of Tallinn (until 1561) and Lutheran superintendents of Estonia, occupying an easily
like Saaremaa yellow rattlebox. NORTH ESTONIA It consists of 5 counties Harjumaa, Raplamaa, Järvemaa, Lääne Virumaa and IdaVirumaa. The land is arable and the soil is fertile. On the northern coast is the Baltic Glint and Ontika is the highest point of it. Harjumaa is a densely populated region with large areas of summer cottages and gardens, children's camps and picnic spots. Estonia's biggest waterfalls are found there. In Harjumaa there is a little town Paldiski which was an important military port. The area surrounding Aegviidu boasts a scenic landscape: the "Estonian Switzerland" is the bestknown skiing centre in North Estonia. Eastern Virumaa is an important industrial area which has many mines and ash hills. The county also has virgin forests, pre glacial valleys, beautiful lakes, bogs and attractive beaches. There is also Narva, the town on the border of Estonia and Russia, it is the easternmost and third largest town in Estonia
providing accommodation, caterers and organisers of active holidays. Many tourism maps have been put beside the road as well as many hiking trails have been built and marked. History of Estonia Human settlement in Estonia became possible 11,00013,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted away. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, which was located on the banks of the river Pärnu, near the town of Sindi, in southern Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating, it was settled around 11,000 years ago, at the beginning of the 9th millennium BC. Evidence has been found of hunting and fishing communities existing around 6500 BC near the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. Bone and stone artifacts similar to those found at Kunda have been discovered elsewhere in Estonia, as well as in Latvia, northern Lithuania and in southern Finland.
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