Tallinn Basics

All the facts and figures you'll need to get around the Estonian capital

Featured February 12 Words by Daisy Carrington/Map: Jason Pickersgill
Tallinn Basics

THE CITY BY NUMBERS

HAVE A WORD (OR TWO)

The population of Tallinn is divided between Estonians, Russians and other citizens of former Eastern Bloc countries. While English is widely spoken, it's far from universal and the odd Estonian word does come in handy.

THE TALLINN TIMELINE

1050 The area was first settled 4,000 years earlier, but it's the construction of a fortress on Toompea Hill that signals the birth of the modern city

1219 The last non-Christian holdout in Europe, Estonia finally falls to the Northern Crusades and Denmark captures Tallinn (then called Lyndanisse)

1346 Denmark sells Estonia to German military order, the Livonian Knights. The German influence grows during the Reformation, when Tallinn goes Lutheran

1561 After a series of defeats, the Livonian Knights fall into decline and Tallinn places itself under Swedish rule for protection against Russia and Poland

1700-1721 Lasting 21 years, the Great Northern War sees Russia replace Sweden as the dominant Baltic power, though Tallinn retains its autonomy

1889 Tallinn's self-governing institutions are abolished and the city undergoes a period of Russification. The city also becomes industrialised

1918 Tallinn issues its Independence Manifesto, which precedes German occupation, a war with Russia and then, finally, independence

1940 The Soviet Union occupies the city, followed by Nazi Germany, which occupies Estonia until 1944, when the USSR takes over again

1991 Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, after 50 years of occupation, Estonia regains independence. The last Russian troops leave in 1994

2004 Estonia is admitted to NATO and joins the EU, further distancing itself from Russia. It's now known as the Baltic Silicon Valley - Skype was invented here

GETTING AROUND

The cobbled streets of Tallinn's Old Town are made for strolling about. For destinations further afield, trams and buses are quick, efficient and cheap.

KATARIINA KAIK
This is one of the prettiest streets in Tallinn. It's worth checking out for the handsome stone archways, artisan workshops and 14th-century monastery walls.

TOOMPEA
From the top of this limestone hill are some of the best views of new Tallinn. It also has the 13th-century Toompea Castle - home of the Estonian parliament - and the ornate Russian Orthodox cathedral.

ROTTERMAN QUARTER
Contemporary architects have taken a stretch of deserted 19th-century factories and given them a modern facelift. The resulting structures are sleek and arresting.

ST OLAF'S CHURCH
When it was built in the 12th century, the church was the world's tallest building. The steep climb up the tower is worth it for the view, but those with acrophobia are probably better off waiting for the climbers on one of the chairs helpfully set out downstairs.

KADRIORG PALACE
Originally a grand Dutch-style manor, bought for Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, in 1710, then thoroughly renovated by Nicholas 1 in the 19th century. It's now home to a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia.

ESPIONAGE

It might be all sweet, little cobble- stoned streets and adorable red-tiled roofs, but beneath this twee-looking exterior, the Estonian capital has a lengthy spy history as fantastical as any James Bond novel.

And now, thanks to the determination of a few passionate locals, visitors can get a glimpse of this secret world of espionage that took place behind the Iron Curtain. On the 23rd floor of the Hotel Viru, which in the 1970s and 1980s housed a great many foreign dignitaries, is the year- old KGB Museum (tel: +372 680 9300, sokoshotels.fi) from where the KGB spied on the hotel's eminent guests. The museum costs �7, which includes free entry to the hotel's nightclub Caf� Amigo later on the same day.

If that's not enough, you can also visit the Museum of Occupations (okupatsioon.ee), with its enlightening exhibit of artefacts and informative videos on Soviet surveillance techniques. You never know who's watching.