Glamorous and versatile Tallinn
OLD TOWN IS THE HEART OF THE CITY
Did you know, that...
* Old Town of Tallinn is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding and exceptionally well preserved example of a medieval northern European trading city?
* Oleviste Church and Tower in Tallinn had been the tallest building in the world in the 17th century? Its gigantic 159-metre spire was a signpost for approaching ships and a very effective lightning rod. Nowadays its smaller, 124-metre steeple still dwarfs most of Tallinn’s buildings and remains an important symbol of the town.
* The world's oldest pharmacy is situated in Tallinn on the corner of the Town Hall Square? It was first mentioned in historical documents in 1422.
* Tallinn Town Hall is the only Gothic style town hall left in Northern Europe? The story of the building stretches back to the 13th century.
* Town Wall by the 16th century it was Tallinn's most powerful and strongest defense systems in Northern Europe? The town wall was then 3m thick and 16m high, stretching 4km around the city, and connecting 46 defense towers. Today 2km of the original wall and 26 of the towers remain intact.
You can feel and learn the history of Tallinnan in the following museums:
Tallinn City Museum
Vene 17 http://www.linnamuuseum.ee/
Museum of occupations
Toompea 8 www.okupatsioon.ee
Estonian History Museum
Pirita tee 56 http://www.eam.ee/
Oleviste Chirch and Tower
Lai 50 http://www.oleviste.ee/
Tallinn Town Hall
Raekoja plats 1 www.tallinn.ee/raekoda
Kiek in de Kök
Komandandi tee 2 http://www.linnamuuseum.ee/
Town Wall, Towers and Gates
Gümnaasiumi 3
DON'R FORGET TO VISIT OTHER SIGHTS OF THE OLD TOWN
• Toompea Castle & Tall Hermann’s Tower
• The Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine
• St. Catherine’s Passage
• Master craftsmen’s workshops
• Nunna, Sauna and Kuldjala Towers
• Great Coastal Gate and Fat Margaret’s Tower
• View spots
BEAUTIFUL KADRIORG
Kadriorg is one of the more dignified areas and one of the best loved residential regions of Tallinn. The Estonian president’s residence and many foreign embassies are located here. The park is one of the favourite spots for walking of Tallinners young and old. But Kadriorg is famed mostly for its baroque palace and park ensemble, begun in 1718 as the summer palace for the family of Russian tsar Peter I.
In February 2006 the Estonian Art Museum - KUMU - opened in Kadriorg. Kumu is the first purpose-built museum in Estonia, where both classical and contemporary Estonian art are displayed and exhibitions on international contemporary art are held.
The museum was planned by a Finnish architect, Pekka Vapaavuori. The magnificent building itself (over 36.000 m2) is a sight. In Kumu there are both permanent and temporary exhibitions, auditorium, working rooms for artists, storage, shop, café and a restaurant. In Kumu you can get acquainted with modern, Soviet (1945-1991) and even older paintings.
Estonian Art Museum Kumu
Weizenbergi 34/ Valge 1 http://www.ekm.ee/eng/ekm.php?id=7
Open:
May-Sep Tue-Sun 11-18
Oct-Apr Wed-Sun 11-18
Other attractions of Kardiorg:
• Kadriorg Palace – The Kadriorg Art Museum
• Kadriorg Park
• Peter the Great’s Cottage
• Residence and rose garden of Estonian pesident
• Swan Lake
There are a lot of small cafes and restaurants in Kadriorg.
You get get there from Tallinn city center by tram nr 1 and 3 or by bus 1A, 5, 8, 34A, 35, 38, 44 and 51.
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