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Tallinn (recent historical name: Reval) is the capital city and main seaport of Estonia. It is located on Estonia's north coast to the Baltic Sea, 80 kilometres south of Helsinki.
Etymology The origin of the name "Tallinn(a)" is certain to be Estonian, although the original meaning of the name is debated. It is usually thought to be derived from "Taani-linn(a)" (meaning "Danish-castle/town"; Latin: Castrum Danorum). However, it could also have come from "tali-linna" ("winter-castle/town"), or "talu-linna" ("house/farmstead-castle/town"). The element -linna, like German -burg and Slavic -grad originally meant "castle" but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names. Tallinna replaced the previously used official German name () in 1918, when Estonia became independent. In the early 1920s the official spelling of the city name was changed from Tallinna to Tallinn, making the new name notable since Estonian-language place names generally end with a vowel (denoting genitive case). However, somewhat confusingly to non-Estonian speakers, the word Tallinna still appears in modern Tallinn as the -a suffix can denote the genitive case (thus Tallinna Lennujaam translates literally as Tallinn's Airport). Historical names
Geography Tallinn is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, in north central Estonia. The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ülemiste (covers 9,6 km²). It is the main source of the city's drinking water. Lake Harku is the second lake within the borders of Tallinn and its area is 1,6 km². Unlike many of the large towns, the only significant river in Tallinn is located in Pirita (city district counted as a suburb). The river valley is a protected area because of its natural beauty. A limestone cliff runs through the city. It is exposed, for instance, at Toompea and Lasnamäe. However, Toompea is not a part of the cliff, but a separate hill. The highest point of Tallinn, at 64 meters above the sea level, is situated in the district of Nõmme, in the south-west of the city. The length of the coastline is 46 kilometres. It comprises 3 bigger peninsulas: Kopli peninsula, Paljassaare peninsula and Kakumäe peninsula. History
Administrative districts For local government purposes, Tallinn is subdivided into 8 administrative districts (Estonian: linnaosad, sg. - linnaosa). The district governments are city institutions that fulfill, in the territory of their district, the functions assigned to them by Tallinn legislation and statutes. Each district government is managed by an Elder (Estonian: linnaosavanem). He or she is appointed by the City Government on the nomination of the Mayor and after having heard the opinion of the Administrative Councils. The function of the Administrative Councils is to recommend, to the City Government and Commissions of the City Council, how the districts should be administered. Population The population is about 400,400 (2000), registered 401,694 (March 2005)and it's growing and also the suburbs are growing really fast. According to Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union, of all EU member states' capital cities, Tallinn has the largest number of non-EU nationals: 27.8% of its population are not EU citizens. This is because planned immigration from other Soviet republics during the period of Soviet control (1944-1991) brought large numbers of non-Estonians, mostly Russians, to Tallinn and other areas of Northern Estonia. Many of these immigrants and their offspring do not qualify automatically for Estonian citizenship. In addition to the native Estonian language (which is of the Finno-Ugric group, closely related to the Finnish language), Finnish, Russian and English are widely understood in Tallinn. Economy In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city, Tallinn has seen development of an information technology sector in recent years; in its 13 December 2005 edition, The New York Times characterized Estonia as "a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea". Skype is the best-known of several Tallinn IT start-ups, and a first venture capital firm was founded in 2005. Many are housed in the Soviet-era Institute of Cybernetics, which is said to been one of the seeds for Estonian adoption of computing technology. Despite this, the most important economic sectors of Tallinn are the light, textile, and food industry, as well as the service and government sector. Education Tallinn is the location of Tallinn University of Technology, as well as other institutions of higher education and science, including: Tourism Since independence, improving air and sea transport links with Western Europe and Estonia's accession to the European Union have made Tallinn easily accessible to tourists. The picturesque old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the current novelty of the destination attract many tourists and facilities (hotels, restaurants) have developed to meet their needs. English is widely spoken within the tourist areas. The local transport system is good (see "City transport", below). Note that Estonia has made rapid economic progress since independence and that this is reflected in local prices. Although not extortionate, neither are prices as cheap as in other former Eastern Bloc countries. The local tourist office sells the "Tallinn Card" which gives the holder free local public transport and entry to most attractions. Although the economics of this may be marginal, it is convenient to use. Local walking tours offer short-cuts to understanding the city. The main attractions are in the two old towns (Lower Town and Toompea) which are both easily explored on foot. Eastern districts around Pirita and Kadriorg are also worth visiting and the Estonian Open Air Museum (Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum) near Rocca al Mare, west of the city, preserves aspects of Estonian rural culture and architecture. Toompea This area was once the home of the nobility and bishops of Estonia, occupying an easily defensible site overlooking the surrounding districts. The major attractions are the walls and various bastions, the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (built during the period of Russification by the Tsarist Russian government, the church was built on a site that formerly housed a statue of Martin Luther) and the Lutheran Cathedral (Toomkirik). Lower Town
Kadriorg This is 2 kilometres east of the centre and is served by buses and trams. The former palace of Peter the Great, built just after the Great Northern War, now houses (part of) the Art Museum of Estonia, presidential residence and the surrounding grounds include formal gardens and woodland. The new residence of the Art Museum of Estonia: KUMU (Kunstimuuseum, Art Museum) was built several years ago. Pirita This coastal district is a further 2 kilometres north-east of Kadriorg. The marina was built for the Moscow Olympics of 1980, but for the less capable, boats can be hired on the Pirita river. Two kilometres inland are the Botanic Gardens and the Tallinn television tower. Transport
City transport The city operates an extensive system of bus, tram and trolley-bus routes to all districts. Fares are reasonably-priced and a flat-fare system is used. Payment is made either by pre-purchase of tickets at street-side kiosks or to the vehicle driver (but this is more expensive) - tickets must then be validated using machines on the vehicle. The Tallinn Card is a way of pre-paying for local transport. Since 2004, holders of an Estonian ID card can purchase electronic tickets via internet, phone, some ATMs or using cash. Air Tallinn Airport* is about 4 kilometres from Raekoja plats (Town Hall square); there's a local bus connection between the airport and the edge of the city centre. The terminal building is a small but modern, convenient and clean building - the modernisation was famously prompted by Estonian President Lennart Meri holding a press conference * in the terminal's public toilets to publicise the poor state of the facilities. Several airlines (eg, easyJet, Estonian Air, Finnair, KLM, LOT, Lufthansa and SAS) operate between Tallinn and European cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Kiev, Milan, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. In addition, there is an hourly helicopter service to Helsinki operated by Copterline, advertised as the fastest capital-to-capital link in the world. Copterline leaves from Linnahall, an events hall on the outskirts of the old town. Rail and road The Edelaraudtee railway company operates train services from Tallinn to Tartu, Valga, Türi, Viljandi, Tapa, Narva, Orava, and Pärnu. Buses are also available to all these and various other destinations in Estonia, as well as to St Petersburg in Russia and Riga in Latvia. The EVR Ekspress company operates a daily international sleeper train service between Tallinn and Moscow. Tallinn also has a commuter rail service running from Tallinn's main rail station (Balti jaam) in two main directions: east (Aegviidu) and to several western destinations (Pääsküla, Keila, Riisipere, Paldiski, Klooga). These are electrified lines and are used by the Elektriraudtee railroad company. The trains are a mixture of modernised older Soviet EMU's and newly built units. The first electrified train service in Tallinn was opened in 1924 from Tallinn to Pääsküla, a distance of 11.2 kilometres. The Via Baltica motorway (part of European route E67 from Helsinki to Prague) connects Tallinn to the Lithuanian/Polish border. Frequent and affordable long-distance bus routes connect Tallinn with other parts of Estonia. Ferry
Partner cities Tallinn participates in international town twinning schemes to foster good international relations. Partners include: Tallinn also has a mutual friendship with the city of Portland, Oregon, United States See also Battle of Lyndanisse, Eurovision Song Contest 2002, Legends of Tallinn, Tallinn TV Tower | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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