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Tallinn: the most beautiful of the Baltic capitals

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Tallinn is a city of about 570 thousand inhabitants – of which: Estonians 54.8%, Russians 36.6%, Ukrainians 3.6%, Belarusians 1.9%, Others 3.1% – the city is the capital of Estonia and an important port in the Gulf of Finland. Tallin was founded by the Danes in 1219, who built a fortress there. In 1285 the city became part of the Hanseatic League. Then in 1346, the Danes sold the city to the Teutonic Order.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the city developed thanks to its strategic position at the center of the commercial lines that connected north-western Europe with Russia, during this period Tallin had 8,000 inhabitants, and was fortified with mighty walls and 66 watchtowers, this was the golden age of the city. Between 1561 and 1710 it was a Swedish possession, and then became part of Tsarist Russia from 1710.

A new impetus to the development of the city was given with the construction, in 1870, of the railway that connected it to St. Petersburg. The name of the city was that of Reval until 1918 when Estonia became an independent state. In 1940, following the Second World War, Estonia was occupied by the USSR. Then after the German attack on the Soviet Union, in 1941, Tallinn was occupied by Hitler’s Germany, but in 1944, with the defeat of Germany Estonia returned to the USSR. In August 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tallinn became the capital of new independent Estonia.

Tallinn: tourist attractions

The climate of Tallinn.

HOW TO GET TO TALLINN

By plane: The international airport of Tallinn (Tallinn International Airport, Tallinna Lennujaam) is located about 4 km from the city center. The airport is connected to the city center by a bus service every 30 minutes, from 7 in the morning to midnight. Tallinn Airport is connected by flights with most of the capitals of Europe.

GETTING AROUND: URBAN TRANSPORT OF TALLINN

The historic center of Tallinn can be easily turned on foot, however the city is served by a dense network of public services: buses (64 lines), trams (4 lines) and trolley buses (8 lines).

Public transport is in operation between 6 and 23. Tickets must be purchased before boarding the public transport (if you buy tickets on board the public transport, their cost almost doubles) and must be stamped once you get on. They will they are on sale at the kiosks adjacent to the stops.

There are numerous possibilities of ticket combinations. In addition to the normal tickets for a ride, there are tickets with validity of 1 hour or 2 hours and also of 1 day or 3 days. There are also passes for 10 trips and for 30 trips. These types of tickets are on sale only in newspaper kiosks and cannot be purchased by the driver.

Tallinn Card: Interesting for tourists can be the purchase of the Tallinn Card a special card that allows you to move freely on all public transport for 24 hours, 48 ​​hours or 72 hours, to enter museums for free, in addition to obtaining discounts at partner restaurants and shops.

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