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Tallinn
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About Tallinn
The city of Tallinn is the capital city and main seaport
of Estonia. It is located on Estonia's north coast to the
Baltic Sea, 80 kilometres south of Helsinki.
Tallinn is known to some by its former name Reval. Other historical
names are Koluvan, Lindanise, Lindanisa (Lindanäs), Revalia,
Revel and Reveln.
The origin of the name is relatively unclear. It may have
been derived from Estonian "Taani-linn" (meaning
"Danish town") or from "talu linn" (meaning
"farming town").
History
Historically, the city has been attacked, sacked, razed and
pillaged on numerous occasions. It was the centre of the medieval
salt-trade on which it grew rich and prosperous.
In addition to the native Estonian language (which is of
the Finno-Ugric group, closely related to the Finnish language),
both Russian and English are widely understood.
Although extensively bombed during the latter stages of World
War II, much of the mediaeval old town still retains its charm.
Tallinn Old Town became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site
in 1997.
At the end of the 15th century the tower The Saint Olaf's
Church got a new gothic tower which was 159 meters high. This
was very unique at this time - it was then without question
one of the highest towers in Europe and most likely the highest
building in the world. The tower is now (after rebuilding
because of fire) 123 meters high.
Education
Tallinn is the location of Tallinn University of Technology,
as well as of several other institutions of higher education
and science, including:
Tallinn Pedagogical University
Estonian Academy of Music
Estonian Academy of Art
Estonian Academy of State Defence
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Institute of Theology
Sports
During the 1980 Summer Olympics, regatta was held in Tallinn.
Many buildings like the Town Hall, Olympic Hotel, Post Office
and regatta center were built for the olympics.
Population
The population is about 400,400 (2000), registered 387 224
(2003).
Tallinn's old town, looking towards port.Population development:
1816: 12,000
1834: 15,300
1851: 24,000
1881: 45,900
1897: 58,800
1925: 119,800
1989: 500.000+
2000: 340,000
Transport
Airplane & car
Tallinn is served by an airport approximately 4 kilometres
outside the city. There are train connections to Riga and
to Moscow, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Tallinn is crossed
by Via Baltica motorway to Poland.
Ferry
Several ferries connect Tallinn to
Helsinki (Finland)
Stockholm (Sweden)
Ahvenanmaa (Finland)
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Rostock (Germany)
See Ports of the Baltic Sea
Other
There is a recently initiated hourly helicopter service, vaunted
as being the "fastest capital to capital link in the
world". At 189 Euros one way it certainly is not the
cheapest, although more modestly priced advance bookings for
less than 50 Euros are available.
Tallinn is a major shopping center for Finns, who travel
across the Gulf of Finland by high speed ferry. Owing to the
extremely high consumption taxes in Finland, prices can be
substantially lower than in Helsinki, inducing many Finnish
shoppers to make single day trips, especially for health goods
not covered by the Finnish social services (such as eyeglasses).
For the tourist
Shopping
For the tourist (such as might arrive on a cruise boat), the
main shopping attraction are the numerous shops carrying high
quality knit goods. Prices will vary, with stalls just inside
the city wall offering the best prices, with better selection
of higher quality goods available in the small shops around
town.
Dining
For dining in the old walled town there is a medeval alehouse
that serves boar, elk and bear under authentic conditions
- the only artificial light is candlelight.
Sites
A walking trip through old town past the City Hall and several
churches will take you to the seat of Estonian government,
high atop Tallinn's central hill. Around the hill are views
of the modern urban area.
This article is licensed
under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from the
Wikipedia article
"tallinn".
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