Tallinn, Estonia
Our first day on board brought us to the medieval city of Tallinn, “Danish Town,” as its name literally translates; for it was indeed founded by the Danes. It was to be their eastern trading port and stronghold from which the enlightened western Europeans could drive out or subjugate the nomadic Finno-Ugric people who had roamed the Estonian and Finnish forests for centuries before. This was to begin an unfortunately long period of foreign rule and domination for the Estonian people. Danes, Germans, Swedes, Russians, and Soviets ruled over this small country-side in succession with only a very short run at independence during the early part of the 20th century. As the millennium drew to an end, however, the winds of change finally brought a chance at freedom. Soviet Russia was weakening and the Baltic States, spearheaded by tradition-rich Estonians, seized the moment and led a remarkable movement to bring about their independence, the Singing Revolution.
It was the story of this break from the Soviet Union on which we focused our morning visit. While the ship’s crew readied for our departure and met with officials, we watched the recently finished documentary on the revolution before setting out for a visit to the singing grounds in person. Even when seeing and hearing it for ourselves, it’s still difficult to imagine a revolution being won in these complex times through the simple actions of peace and song.
Today the grounds are still used for the song festival every five years, but also for various other festivals and modern concerts. Watching over it all is a monument to the memory of Gustav Ernesaks, who was the choir leader of the song festival for the 50 years leading up to the revolution and helped galvanize the revolutionary conviction and movement.
The rest of our day and evening was spent mostly behind the 700 year-old city walls of the old town, admiring the architecture and charm of both the city itself and the people who call it home. With less than two decades of freedom and independence in their history, their resolve and dedication to their heritage is nonetheless considerable and evident throughout the city. Tallinn is no longer the secret destination it might have been, but it still offers an informative and tangible glimpse into the history of the Baltic; from the former glory of the Hanseatic League to the demise of the Soviet Union.
Our first day on board brought us to the medieval city of Tallinn, “Danish Town,” as its name literally translates; for it was indeed founded by the Danes. It was to be their eastern trading port and stronghold from which the enlightened western Europeans could drive out or subjugate the nomadic Finno-Ugric people who had roamed the Estonian and Finnish forests for centuries before. This was to begin an unfortunately long period of foreign rule and domination for the Estonian people. Danes, Germans, Swedes, Russians, and Soviets ruled over this small country-side in succession with only a very short run at independence during the early part of the 20th century. As the millennium drew to an end, however, the winds of change finally brought a chance at freedom. Soviet Russia was weakening and the Baltic States, spearheaded by tradition-rich Estonians, seized the moment and led a remarkable movement to bring about their independence, the Singing Revolution.
It was the story of this break from the Soviet Union on which we focused our morning visit. While the ship’s crew readied for our departure and met with officials, we watched the recently finished documentary on the revolution before setting out for a visit to the singing grounds in person. Even when seeing and hearing it for ourselves, it’s still difficult to imagine a revolution being won in these complex times through the simple actions of peace and song.
Today the grounds are still used for the song festival every five years, but also for various other festivals and modern concerts. Watching over it all is a monument to the memory of Gustav Ernesaks, who was the choir leader of the song festival for the 50 years leading up to the revolution and helped galvanize the revolutionary conviction and movement.
The rest of our day and evening was spent mostly behind the 700 year-old city walls of the old town, admiring the architecture and charm of both the city itself and the people who call it home. With less than two decades of freedom and independence in their history, their resolve and dedication to their heritage is nonetheless considerable and evident throughout the city. Tallinn is no longer the secret destination it might have been, but it still offers an informative and tangible glimpse into the history of the Baltic; from the former glory of the Hanseatic League to the demise of the Soviet Union.
