Estonia. I’ll be honest with you. Before I booked this trip, the only thing I knew about Estonia (Eesti) was that it used to be part of the former Soviet Union, and that it was one of the first three countries – Latvia and Lithuania being the other two – to break away right before the Soviet Union fell. I knew nothing about the people or its language. Everything I knew about its history is what I just told you. So everything from this moment forward would be a new experience, a learning experience – and hopefully an enriching experience. I was really looking forward to seeing Estonia.
But by the time we reached Tallinn, I had come down with a slight cold. A thick layer of gray clouds did not help. While visiting the old town and learning about the Russian and Swedish history of this city would be interesting, all I really wanted was to go back to the room, drink some hot tea, and go to sleep.
Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. Tallinn means “Danish Town”. I have seen other sources that say the name means “winter castle”. Interestingly, one of Tallinn’s sister cities is Los Gatos, in my home state of California.
We would be visiting Tallinn’s historic center of Old Town today. It sits on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Finland. Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, having gained recognition as one of the most well-preserved medieval cities in Europe. We took the Jewish History tour, which included a walking tour of the old city.
We boarded our bus. After a very short ride up the hill, we were in Old Town. And we were not the only ones here. Tour groups swarmed the narrow cobblestone streets.
From the parking area, one of the first places we walked past was the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. There was a long line of people going in on the right side of the stairs and coming out on the left. Our guide led us across the street to join that queue.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Aleksander Nevski Katedraal) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral, dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky. It was built in the Russian Revival style somewhere around the very end of the 19th century. Makes sense, as Estonia was part of the Russian Empire at the time. The cathedral’s distinctive onion domes have gilded iron crosses. Its design makes it stand out from the other buildings in Tallinn Old Town. Supposedly, it is the most opulent Orthodox church in Tallinn.
Because of its position atop Toompea Hill, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral can be seen from almost anywhere in the city of Tallinn. As in Russia itself, when Estonia was ruled by the Soviet Union, religion was banned. The cathedral, in due course, fell into disrepair. Fortunately, the church was restored after Estonia regained its independence.
I learned later that Estonia actually declared its independence from Russia/Soviet Union twice in its history; first from Russia in 1918, then again from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Inside the cathedral you can see the stained glass windows, mosaics, and the two-tiered iconostasis. I would show you some photos of the interior, but no photography is allowed inside. Probably a good thing because it was packed inside! I thought it looked crowded from the outside. It took a long time to walk in, up one aisle, down the other side, and exit. Though they tend to get overshadowed by the design of the church itself, don’t miss the exterior mosaics.
Exiting the church, we stopped for a minute to gather the group, then slowly progressed down the street through the town. I looked at the buildings we passed trying to figure out what they were. Every so often, I consciously reminded myself that some of these buildings have existed here for as long as 800 years.
One building in particular was pointed out by our guide. It was the Academy of Music and Theatre, School of Performing Arts (Muusika-Ja Teatrikakadeemia Lavakunstikool). It featured a large stone relief sculpture, with the face and right hand of Voldemar Panso emerging from it. Panso, our guide explained, was a famous Estonian actor, teacher of theater, and a prominent stage director. During a very repressive time in the country, Panso was somehow able to lay the groundwork for professional theatre here. He also helped found the ESSR State Youth Theatre and became its first stage director.
I tried to figure what the artist was trying to capture with the sculpture. Was it a frozen moment from one of Panso’s passionate performances? Was he imploring one of his young students? What is the sculpture saying to you?
Over the winding streets we strolled until we came to a wall at what I think is the Kohtuotsa Scenic View (Kohtuotsa vaateplats). From here we had a fantastic overlook of the city. The red tile roofs in Tallinn Old Town are a feature of the tour. We do have a great view of them from here, but there are not as many as the brochure led us to believe there were. Looking out over the red roofs, it reminded me a bit of some of the scenes in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
From up here you could see the stark contrast between old and new. It is surprising when you realize this 13th century Tallinn Old Town is within walking distance of a modern downtown Tallinn, with skyscrapers and everything.
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