Discover Tallinn
Welcome to Tallinn!
Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of about 461,000 (as of 2024). Tallinn is located 187 km northwest of the country’s second largest city, Tartu; however, only 80 km south of Helsinki, Finland, also 320 km west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, 300 km north of Riga, Latvia, and 380 km east of Stockholm, Sweden.
Tallinn received Lübeck city rights in 1248. The medieval indigenous population of what is now Tallinn and north Estonia was to adopt Christianity following the Papal-sanctioned Livonian Crusade in the 13th century. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a successful raid in 1219 led by King Valdemar II, followed by a period of alternating Scandinavian and Teutonic rulers. Due to the strategic location by the sea, its medieval port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries, when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. Tallinn Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 2012, Tallinn had the highest number of startup companies per person among all capitals and larger cities in Europe. Tallinn is the birthplace of many international high-technology companies, including Skype and Wise. In 2007, Tallinn was listed among the top-10 digital cities in the world.
One of the largest choral events in the world, listed by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is The Estonian Song Celebration (in Estonian: Laulupidu). It is held every five years in July on the Tallinn Song Celebration Grounds (Lauluväljak) simultaneously with the Estonian Dance Celebration. The joint choir has comprised more than 30,000 singers performing to an audience of 80,000.
In 2018 Tallinn hosted Europa Cantat XX choir festival. The event gathered over 4000 participants from 48 countries to share their passion for singing and discover one another’s cultures by attending ateliers and workshops, perform in final concerts and listen to invited choirs.
For discovering the best of Tallinn go to: https://www.visittallinn.ee/