Tallinn Old Town (1)

Kunda Ühisgümnaasium
Tallin Old Town
Report
Student : Kristin Karu
Teacher: Kristi Aron
Kunda 2012
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in the Tallinn Old Town,Estonia. It was built to a design by  Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical  Russian Revivalstyle between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of theRussian Empire . The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who in 1242 won the  Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, in the territorial waters of present -day Estonia. The late Russian patriarch, Alexis II, started his priestly ministry in the church .
Interior of the Cathedral.
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral crowns the hill of Toompea where the Estonian folk hero Kalevipoeg is said to have been buried according to a legend. ( There are many such legendary burial places of him in Estonia.) The cathedral was built during the period of late 19th century  Russification and was so disliked by many  Estonians  as a symbol of oppression that the Estonian authorities scheduled the cathedral for demolition in 1924, but the decision was never implemented due to lack of funds and the building 's massive construction . As the USSR was officially non- religious , many churches including this cathedral were left to decline. The church has been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the  Soviet Union in 1991.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky_Cathedral,_Tallinn
The church's towers hold Tallinn's most powerful church bell ensemble, consisting of 11 bells , including the largest in Tallinn, weighing 15 tonnes. You can hear the entire ensemble playing before each service .
http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/explore/churches#!p_307
Old Town
 
Twisting cobblestone lanes and iron street lamps. Gothic spires and medieval markets. Cappuccino and Wi-Fi. This is the city's famous Old Town. If you're looking for that mix of historic ambience and cutting-edge culture that defines Tallinn, you'll find it here .
Built up from the 13th to 16th centuries , when Tallinn – or Reval as it was known then – was a thriving member of the Hanseatic trade league , this enclosed neighbourhood of colourful, gabled houses , half- hidden courtyards and grandiose churches is, quite rightly, the city's biggest tourist draw. And the fact that it's all neatly packaged within a mostly- intact city wall and dotted with guard towers gives it an extra dose of fairytale charm . 
http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town

Kiek in de Kök

Those interested in walls, towers, cannons and the like should drop into this museum of the town’s defences. Visitors of this museum will see examples of Medieval fire power, displays detailing how the city's system of fortification walls and towers developed through the centuries and an exhibit on crime and punishment in old Tallinn. 
The name of this massive, 38m-high cannon tower literally means “Peek into the Kitchen .” It was so high that Medieval guards joked they could see right down the chimneys and into the kitchens of the houses below. 
Kiek in de Kök is also the starting place for visitors interested in the fascinating system of hidden tunnels ( Bastion tunnels) that run underneath the old bastions of Toompea hill. Make sure to pay a visit to the top floor café for beautiful Old Town views.  
Kiek in de Kök was originally built in the 1470s, but quickly expanded and strengthened, now the walls are four metres thick. The investment paid off: During the Livonian war in the late 1500s, Ivan the Terrible's forces managed to blow a huge hole through the top storey , but the tower held . During post-war repairs, a row of four cannon balls was placed in the newly patched stone wall as a memorial . You can still see them on the tower's south east side.
http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town#!p_174740
Tallinn Town Hall
Nothing says power like the impressive, Gothic Town Hall that dominates Medieval Tallinn's main square. It was built in 1402-1404 as a meeting place for the ruling burgermeisters and has been a show piece of the city ever since. 
Nowadays the Town Hall is the only intact Gothic town hall in Northern Europe . It's used mainly for concerts or for entertaining visiting kings or presidents. In July and August it's open to visitors as a museum. The structure's interior is truly impressive, featuring colourful meeting halls, vaulted ceilings, intricate wood carvings and some of the city's most prized art treasures . Head down to the cellars for exhibitions during the summer season.
Look closely at the top of the spire to spot the Old Thomas (in Estonian Vana Toomas) weather vane, a symbol of Tallinn who has been standing at attention here since 1530 . From June to August climb up the 64-metre tower to get some amazing Old Town views.
http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town#!p_174683

Great Coastal Gate and Fat Margaret tower

Standing guard at the north end of Pikk street are two of Tallinn's most impressive defensive structures , the Great Coastal Gate (Suur Rannavärav) and Fat Margaret tower (Paks Margareeta). They were built not only to defend the city from the seaward side of town, but also to impress any visitors arriving via the harbour.
The Great Coastal Gate, along with the Viru Gates , are the last of six gates that controlled access to the town in Medieval times . The gate system here on Pikk street originated in the 1300s, but it was during reconstruction in the early 16th century that the Fat Margaret cannon tower was added. Built from 1511 to 1530, this hefty, round tower has a diameter of 25 metres, a height of about 20 metres, and walls up to 5 metres thick.
The origins of Fat Margaret's name are a mystery . Some theories insist it was named for one of its larger cannons, while others hint at a cook called Margaret who once worked here.
In any case , the tower has served a number of different functions throughout its history. It has been used a storehouse for gunpowder and weapons, and as a prison .
Now it's home to the Estonian Maritime Museum, which provides a detailed look at the nation 's seafaring past. Visitors should be sure to climb up to its rooftop viewing platform to get a lovely view of Old Town and the bay.
http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town#!p_174824
Song Celebrations and Song Festival traditions
Song Celebrations and Song Festival traditions are among the best known trademarks of Estonia. No wonder, as the scale of our Song festivals is unique in the world.
Once every five years , the Estonian song festival grounds (Lauluväljak in Tallinn) are filled with folk costumes and smiling people. Imagine tens of thousands of singers forming one huge choir and hundreds of thousands of people sitting on the grass to hear traditional choir music – no wonder it shocks, surprises and mesmerises overseas visitors!
What makes it even more special is that, due to the small population of Estonia, there are less than million Estonian speakers and yet, a tenth of them attend the event. Long established song festival traditions are most likely the reason why Estonians – not known for our pop-music or global musical prowess – are still referred to as the “ singing nation”.
Singing and songs have played a very important role in Estonian history. Songs were sung when cottagers tilled the manor land, singing sparked the “ awakening ” era in Estonia, our troops sang national songs fighting through the world wars and during the end of eighties, the Singing Revolution (which started right here on the Song Festival grounds) enabled us to regain our independence from the Soviet Union.  The Estonian national collection of folk songs comes second only to Ireland . 2007, the first -ever  punk -song-choir festival was organised in Estonia. In 2010 the first ever  digital song festivalwas held in Estonia. Our Night Song Festivals (Öölaulupidu) and (M)Ärkamisaeg (Awakening Time/Noticing Time), are events held to honour our independence, and are the world’s largest music events in the world in terms of the percentage of population (over 25%) participating! The joint choir on General Song Celebrations (consisting over 20 000 singers) also owns the title of being the world’s largest permanent choir.
Tallinn’s song festival grounds, Lauluväljak (the Song Festival Grounds), have been visited by  virtually every single Estonian. The stage under the “song arch ” accommodates nearly 30 000 singers at once and there is room for almost 200 000 spectators. It is difficult to imagine Song festivals taking place anywhere else but here. But the tradition itself was born in Southern Estonia, in the second city Tartu and the first joint Song Celebration, held in Tartu in 1869, is considered to be the beginning of the Song Festivals as we know it.
The Song Festival moved to its current location, Lauluväljak, in between the wars in 1928. The stage was a lot smaller then and the hill surrounding it accommodated far fewer people, so during major renovations a new stage was constructed to take double the number of singers and a higher tower for the “Song Festival live Fire” was built. Our song festival stage – the Song Arch – has a very unique architectural structure and the arch actually lifts higher when the sound is loud enough!
http://www.visitestonia.com/en/things-to-see-and-do-in-estonia/cultural-holiday-in-estonia/song-celebrations-and-song-festival-traditions
Conclusion
I wrote a report about Tallinn. I brought out some attractions, activities and places. Like Old Tallin, Town wall and towers, Town Hall, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Song Festival Grounds. Usually I go in Tallinn when I want to visit my friends or relatives. Sometimes I just walk around at the Old Town in Tallinn with my friends or family, because it is very beautiful. After that we usually go and eat at some fancey restaraunt.