Highlights of Tallinn is our tour today. It’s cloudy but supposed to go up to 26C.

Margaret Tower was the last built. It is 5 meters thick. Bastion built by Swedes. It is now surrounded by green belt.

400 kms to St Petersburg from centre of medieval of Tallinn to. “Vitu” Square. It also refers to the language and people. Peter the Great called this area Catherine’s valley. Any of the old houses of any period is not allowed to be altered.

Estonia is 45,000 kms in size….about the same size as Denmark. Only 1.3 million population in the whole country. They have never had royal hierarchy.

There is no written document previous to 1300ad when they were invaded by Danes. Some years later the country was sold for 700 kgs of gold. In 1600s they were conquered by Sweden. Then Danes, then Poland.

Great Northern War late in 17century by Peter the Great. Back then Russia did not have a sea port so no navy. 1703 was the beginning of St. Petersburg. The country was under siege by Russians but plague made them give up. Peter purchased land that had a hunting lodge on the grounds. He then built another bigger “cottage”. The pink building is the office of president….Not his residence. Independence was gained after Versailles…20 years between wars.

Palace built by Peter the great 1800’s is first stop.

Palace of Peter.. “small” a summer cottage. He met his love named Martha at the time… was a maid cleaning the windows. She became Catherine I. In 1725 Peter died and she ruled for 1 year. She was a straight shooter….said things as they were. Their children were born out of wedlock. Elizabeth their daughter come on the throne 15 years after Catherine’s death. His first wife was sent to a convent. Catherine I converted to orthodox. Her name was changed from Martha, on her marriage to Peter.

Estonia became member of NATO in 2004.

Russification by Tsar Alexander III. … people had to learned in Russian language, etc. 95% of language etc was safe up until then.

34,000 sang together … love songs. There was a reawakening in mid 1990s at culture song festival centre. 1988 Gorbachev made it easier. With the 1991 coupe in Russia, Estonia also said they wanted out.

Homes built during Russian era look like the “Wall of China”. 900% inflation rate after Russia. Russian built apartments given based on years of service to Russia with no payment. 24% Russian speaking are still not citizens. No Schengen visas are given to Russian tourists since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine..

Bridgedine Convent was started during the 100 year war when “Bridgette” travelling to Rome to get certified by the pope. It was then that she saw all the starvation so pleaded politicians to fix it. Both male monks and female nuns in the convents but headed only by women . She was instrumental in making prostitution legal but if you pay for a prostitute is a crime brought by on board by Bridgette. The convent was used only for 150 years after 15th century.

Russian destroyed all monuments from previous eras. 25,000 people were sent to Siberia for resisting after 1940. German occupation was for 3 years 1941-44. The Forest boys, that had escaped during Russians take over were hunted down til the 60s. They used families to get back the forest boys.

The IT sector developed first as means of crawling out bad period after Russia.

Timber exporting is big in the is country. Agriculture(rye) and dairy too.

Vitu gates… centre Wall is 1.8 kms long. All houses are authentic to their own period. The stone on the outside walls of the church used to be flooring inside the gothic church… were moved out in 19 th c.

Most of the buildings in the old town were built in 13, 14 & 15th centuries during the Hanseatic period

Tallinn was German town before Russia. It was until 1925 that the name became Tallinn.

Church is actually town hall….. medieval 1530… dragons are medieval. Education basis of Christianity according Lutheran. Lutheran church was town hall ..,,,poor peoples hospital.

Gate… this one of 2 gates called “long leg gate” cuz you needed take long strides to get up it.. Other was a staircase so called “short leg gate”.

Mid 19c was the last time suburbs were burned down when attacked in a war. Suburb homes were made of wood and no stone. Inside the town they had to be built of stone and no wood.