The history of Estonia from its being invaded by the Danes to
its joining the European Union 785 years later
Holiday on the Baltic - visit Estonia and Tallinn
Tallinn, Estonia. A Great Place To Visit For
Business Or Vacation! by:
Michael Z. Johnson
Tallinn
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is well known for her fully preserved medieval
Old Town and a pulsating nightlife. Recently many stylish places for eating and
drinking have sprung up in Tallinn, many of them offering decent quality food,
and it is not hard to find a place for dancing. Those who travel out of the city
will get acquainted with our beautiful countryside (for instance, Estonia is
known as the land of 1000 islands), the long seashore, the picturesque Baltic
German manor houses etc.
And there are not many cities whose face is designed by the 21st century rather
than the 18th or 19th.
Situation
Tallinn is situated in Northern Europe in the northeastern part of the Baltic
Sea region. Its unique position between the high-tech Nordic countries and
Russia, which her huge natural resources as well as an enormous market, has made
the city an attractive place for investors from all over the world. Foreign
investments into Estonia amounted to 189.7 billion kroons as of June 2004,
making Estonia the most successful country in Eastern Europe in this respect.
Distances from some European cities (by plane):
• Helsinki 82km
• Riga 280km
• St Petersburg 315km
• Stockholm 380km
• Copenhagen and Moscow 860km
• Berlin 1030km.
Tallinn Top Culture Events
The top summer event in Tallinn is the Old Town Days in the first week of June;
in December the Black Nights Film Festival brings the best of the year's
European films to Tallinn, and there are a lot of other annual cultural events
like Jazzkaar, Orient, NYYD, and more,
Economic Life
About half of the GDP of Estonia is produced in Tallinn (and its Suburbs) and
more than half of the foreign-owned companies reside here. The economy is
boosted by close relations with Finland and Sweden and a liberal economy that is
favorable to foreign investments. Rapid development of the communications
infrastructure has created a situation where mobile technologies and the
Internet are used more widely than in some larger and wealthier EU countries
(e.g. Internet banking is used by more than 10% of the population, active users
of the Internet are more than 50% of the whole population, every second Estonian
has a mobile phone etc, e-government and e-tax system are working etc). The
projected economic growth for this year is 5.9% The GNP per capita Estonia in
2004 was 40% of the EU average (39% in Lithuania, 34% in Latvia)
Inhabitants
Tallinn has about 400,000 inhabitants, half of whom are Estonians 40% Russians
and 10% other nationalities. You probably didn’t know that there are over 120
nationalities living in Estonia. The major ethnic groups are Russians,
Byelorussians, Ukrainians, Finns, Tatars, Latvians, Poles, Jews, Lithuanians,
Germans and Armenians. Basically every third inhabitant of Estonia speaks some
other language.
Short History
- 10th century: ancient Estonians have already
established the central trading point on the coast of the Gulf of Finland.
- 1219: Northern Estonia is conquered by the
Danes. led by King Waldemar 2nd, who later establishes a stone castle at
Toompea -multinational town grows around it.
- 1248: Tallinn acquires town rights.
- 1219-1346: the Danish period. A network of
streets is formed inside the town wall, with a guild house, churches and
convents, warehouses and defense buildings,
- 1347-1561: the Livonian Order acts as the
sovereign; the building of the Old Town with its principal stone buildings is
completed
- 1561-1710: the Swedish period Tallinn's
trading success has faded because of long lasting wars
- 1710: Tallinn capitulates to the Russian
Army (Great Northern War)
- 1857: An important evolution in the town's
development was caused by the loss of stronghold status and the building of a
railway connection to St Petersburg. Rapid industrial development begins,
resulting in the swift growth of the town
- February 24, 1918: the Estonian Salvation
Committee declares the independent democratic Republic of Estonia. The new
government immediately has to organize a defense against the attacking Russian
bolshevist troops and the Estonian War of Independence begins. It ends in 1920
- 1920: Tallinn becomes the capital of the
independent Republic of Estonia
- June, 1940: Soviet troops occupy Estonia,
abolishing its independence and establishing Soviet order.
- 1944-1991: Estonia belongs to the Soviet
Union.
- 1st August 20, 1991: the Supreme Soviet of
Estonia declares re-establishment of the independence of Estonia based on
legal continuity
- August 29, 1994: the last troops of Russian
army are withdrawn from Estonia. The Second World War has come to an end for
Estonia.
- May 1, 2004: Estonia joins the European
Union.
About the author Tallinn is a hospitable city. We
welcome you to stay in one of our city centre apartments (http://www.this-way.org/tallinnapartment)
where modern interiors and security blend with old town charm. Enjoy the
best of Tallinn! Source:
www.isnare.com |