Tallinn – The City
|
The Kadriorg Palace
The Kadriorg Palace was built by Peter the Great (1672 A.D – 1725A.D) for his empress Katherine. It was inspired by Italian Villas and is a fine example of Baroque Architecture. Today it houses the Art Museum of Estonia. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The surrounding area has been a popular tourist area for centuries.
|
|
The Song Festival
The All-Estonian Song Festival (Laulupidu) happens in Tallinn once every five years (last held in 2009) and is one of the largest choral events in the world with more than 25,000 people singing together (with an audience of more than 80,000) – for comparison’s sake, the population of Estonia is 1.3 Million. Singing traditional songs passed down generations is an important ingredient of Estonian Culture. The Singing Revolution in which several hundred thousand participated in singing the national anthem on the Song Festival Grounds from 1988 till 1991 was instrumental in mobilizing people for the Estonian Independence movement.
Trivia – Gustav Ernesaks (Photo Below)- a prominent Composer and Choir Leader was the initiator and general leader of the Song Festival for nearly half a century. He composed the Estonian National Anthem. Ironically, he also composed the Anthem of the Estonian SSR.
|
|
Maarjamäe War Memorial
The Maarjamäe War Memorial complex is a cement-filled park similar in its imposing style to other large complexes created in the USSR in the 1960s by the Russian Government to honor soldiers killed in World War II.
|
|