Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia with the population of 400 thousands. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km south of Helsinki.

Many relics of Tallinn’s long history survive or have been restored, especially on Toompea hill and in the old, walled Lower Town. They include the 13th-century Toom Church, the Gothic Oleviste and Niguliste churches, the Great Guildhall of 1410, the 14th-century Rathus, and much of the old castle. The city’s historic centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

Today Tallinn is a major commercial and fishing port and industrial centre. Shipbuilding and machine building head a range of engineering industries, and many consumer goods are produced. The cultural centre of Estonia, Tallinn has an academy of sciences; polytechnic, fine-arts, and teacher-training institutes; a music conservatory; and several theatres and museums. Tallinn Airport, servicing both domestic and international flights.

Main tourist sights:
The Upper Old City—or Toompea Hill -  oldest part of Tallinn, inhabited since pre-history. Toompea Castle- one of Estonia’s most treasured landmarks, built by Danes and Germans after they defeated the Estonians in the early 1200s.

The defensive wall- 35-kilometer-long wall around Tallinn in the 1500s is still intact today; out of 27 towers, 18 have survived assorted sieges and bombardments.

Neitsitorn (Virgin’s Tower)- in medieval times was a prison for prostitutes; now houses a café.

Town Hall Square- was a gathering place for traders even in pre-history and has been a city focal point for 800 years.

The Town Hall- built in the 1200s, was the seat of the Town Council, a sovereign power within the city walls. 
Oleviste Church (St. Olaf’s)-built in the 1200s and rebuilt in the 1400s. 
Fat Margaret (Paks Margareeta)- city’s quirkiest-looking guard tower. 
Dominican Monastery-  the oldest building preserved in the Old Town of Tallinn.

The Kadriorg Palace- an imperial Russian summer residence built by Italian architect Niccolo Michetti for Tsar Peter the Great in 1718. It is situated in a 90 ha (222 acre) park in the eastern part of the city.

Open Air Museum includes 72 buildings of "Estonian vernacular architecture and village milieu" of the tsarist time of rule in a dark, dense forest.

Holy Birgitta Monastery- monastery of Scandinavian female saints, as well as a landmark of 16th century catacombs and ruins. It includes a guest house operated by the nuns.
Patarei (Battery) Prison- fortress to protect the city from the sea-born attacks, it was turned into a notorious KGB prison in 1920. 
National Art Museum KUMU houses a cyclopic house, partly cut out of limestone rock.

Song Grounds - huge Modernist structure where the Song Festival, which is held every four years, features 34 ,00 singers and dancers (2004) in addition to a massive audience.
Pirita district includes forest parks, Botanic Gardens and Metsakalmistu (the last resting place of well-known Estonians).