Basic HTML Version
TRAVELLER
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 admitte
NATO and joins the
further distancing i
from Russia. It’s n
known as the Bal
Silicon Valley – Sk
was invented her
1889
Tallinn’s self-governing
institutions are
abolished and the city
undergoes a period
of Russification. The
city also becomes
industrialised
It might be all sweet, little cobb
stoned streets and adorable
red-tiled roofs, but beneath
this twee-looking exterior, the
Estonian capital has a lengthy
spy history as fantastical as an
James Bond novel.
And now, thanks to the
determination of a few passion
locals, visitors can get a glimps
of this secret world of espiona
that took place behind the Iron
Curtain. On the 23rd floor of th
Hotel Viru, which in the 1970s
and 1980s housed a great man
foreign dignitaries, is the year-
old KGB Museum (
tel: +372 68
9300, sokoshotels.fi)
from whe
the KGB spied on the hotel’s
eminent guests. The museum
costs €7, which includes free
entry to the hotel’s nightclub C
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 vide
on Soviet surveillance techniq
You never know who’s watchin
TOOMPEA
KATARIINA KAIK
ROTTERMAN QUARTER
ST. OLAF’S CHURCH
N
KADRIORG
PALACE
300m
TA L L I N N
GETTING
AROUND
ESPIONAGE
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 newTallinn.
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 Museumof Estonia.
WORDS DAISY CARRINGTON | PHOTO © CHRIS FREDRIKSSON/ALAMY | MAP ILLUSTRATION © JASON PICKERSGILL/ACUTEGRAPHICS.CO.UK
060-061_ej_TallinnBasics lg.indd 61
11/0