Tallinn

The first mention of Tallinn is in the «Livonian chronicles» by Henry of Livonia. They say that the city was founded in 1219 by Danish king Valdemar II. With a convenient harbor, Tallinn grew rapidly and within a few decades became a full member of the Hanseatic Trading League. In the 13th Century, at the time the Danes possessed Tallinn, the Tompea lock, the fortress walls and the Town Hall were built. In 1346 the Danes sold the northern coast of Estonia to the Livonian Order Crusaders.

The introduction of the cannon ball partly changed the fortifications of Tallinn. At the end of the 15th century two fortified towers were added to the city's fortifications - named Fat Margaret and Kiek in de Kok. During the Livonian Wars in 1559 and 1576 the Russian invaders, led by Ivan IV the Terrible, were unable to capture Tallinn. But Tallinn's overlords, the Livonian Order was finally weakened.

In 1561, Tallinn became the property of Sweden. At that time, Sweden was one of the most developed nations in Europe. This led to the rapid development of manufacturing and the emergence of schools in Tallinn. However, there was something new in the air. Tallinn's new Swedish owners brought a new faith - Lutheranism. This inevitably led to the destruction of many Catholic churches. At about this time, Swedish engineers rebuilt the city's protective wall: Instead of a simple medieval wall stronger fortifications were built.

In 1710, during the Great Northern War with Russia Tallinn was taken. Determined to convert this toehold in the Baltic Sea into a launch pad for futher conquests, Peter 1 turned Tallinn into a powerful military port. This provided impetus for the development of other industry and manufacturing in the area.

After World War I, Tallinn became the capital of the independent Republic of Estonia. However, independence was short-lived as within two decades Stalin's Red Army invaded Estonia. Tallinn soon became the home port of the USSR's Baltic Fleet. During World War II, injury was added to insult through the regular bombardment by Allied planes of the city and the port. Many places of historical and cultural value were destroyed during these bombings.

Today, Tallinn is the capital of Estonia which gained its independence in 1991. Since then, the Republic of Estonia began to develop Tallinn as a cultural center. In 1997, the historic district of the city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tallinn could easily be regarded as the most beautiful city in the Baltic countries.