TALLINN OLD TOWN 
The Old Town of Tallinn consists of two different towns that form a historic ensemble: Toompea Hill and Downtown. Toompea was the home to the aristocracy and clergy, while Downtown housed wealthy merchants, stylish and less refined craftsmen, and freemen.

There is contradictory data about the first mention of Tallinn. But still, the first written document dates back to 1219 when the Danish royal fleet conquered the Estonians' wooden fortification built in the 11th century on Toompea Hill. However, the Danes did not remain the rulers of Toompea; they soon had to pass power to the Germans.

There was a busy marketplace on the way from Toompea to the port, which today is known as Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats). This area became the heart of the town. Many German merchants and craftsmen from Gotland and Northern Germany followed the invitation of the Danes and settled down here. The population grew rapidly and soon Tallinn applied for Lübeck City Rights. German remained the official language of the town until the late 19th century.

In order to be granted the City Rights, a settlement had to meet four criterias:

• issue its own coins
• build a town wall
• pass laws
• have an independent government

Tallinn (then known as Reval) was granted Lübeck Law in the middle of the 13th century. It became a member of the Hanseatic League about 30 years later. The Hanseatic League was the largest alliance of trading guilds in the North Sea and Baltic Sea region in the Middle Ages, reaching from London to Novgorod and from Bergen to Venice. However, membership in the Hanseatic League did not pave the way for the legendary wealth of Tallinn. 

Tallinn became prosperous in the middle of the 14th century when the ban on direct trading was imposed in Tallinn. It meant that Western traders were not allowed to trade directly with Russian merchants, and local tradesmen had to act as intermediaries. The main merchandise moving from West to East was salt, and in the opposite direction it was furs, wax, honey and linen. In medieval times, people used to say that Tallinn was built on salt – namely that it was salt that secured the biggest profits and therefore also the greatest amount in taxes. 

Tallinn’s golden age lasted from the middle of the 14th century until the end of the 16th century. Due to war, plague and famine, the population of the town decreased drastically. The town that in its prime was one of the largest and best secured ports on the shores of the Baltic Sea (with approximately 7000 residents) became impoverished and bleak. With time the situation improved but the town’s former glory was never regained.

The Old Town of Tallinn has preserved its 15th century appearance: narrow and winding streets, Gothic architecture and high town walls. The medieval network of streets has been preserved intact, as have the churches and many buildings. Tallinn’s Old Town has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Even today, strolling through the Old Town streets, you can vividly imagine the way of life in medieval times.

TALLINN TOWN COUNCIL
Tallinn Town Council was the supreme judicial organ of Downtown. The Town Council comprised of up to 24 aldermen and burgomasters, half of whom were active members at a time. Members of the Council issued laws, passed sentences and resolved disputes between citizens. Once a year, the entire Code of the Lübeck Law was read aloud from a Town Hall window, so that no one could use ignorance of the law as an excuse – most of the people were illiterate. 

In order to become an alderman, a merchant had to go a long way. Being born as a son of a merchant of German origin, a typical youth would spend a couple of years abroad, learning a trade under the instruction of a foreign merchant. Upon returning, he joined the Brotherhood of Blackheads which united single (often also mischievous) merchants. After marrying, such merchants automatically moved on to the Great Guild. Members of the Great Guild were wealthy and honourable citizens of the town. Only very rich merchants who managed to live without an income for a whole year could apply for a position on the Council. This way the could work for a year as an alderman and take care of their business the following year.

TOOMPEA
Toompea Hill is a 50 metre high limestone plateau – an ideal site for building a stronghold. Although Toompea and Downtown formed a complete entity, they were governed by individual laws. Things allowed to the aristocrats of Toompea were prohibited to merchants and vice versa. A large part of Northern Estonia was governed from Toompea, except for Downtown which was a sovereign entity on its own. Toompea was home to landlords who spent the summers in their mansions and winters in the town palaces.

Estonian peasants lived in serfdom and landlords physically owned people. If a landlord happened to be bad and cruel, the peasants often escaped to Downtown. If a peasant succeeded in hiding from the landlord for a year and a day, they became free according to the laws of the town and the town protected them. There have been cases where a landlord has been sentenced to death for killing a freed peasant. This was of course not to the benefit of the relationship between the two towns.

Relations between the two towns have been tense throughout history. There is even a part of the town wall that lies between the two towns, and gates that were closed at night. This was substantiated by the fact that the peers went carousing in Downtown at night and disturbed the citizens. On the other hand, aristocrats envied well-off merchants, who were often richer than the noblemen. Estonian noblemen only became rich in the middle of the 18th century when they started supplying the Russian army with vodka.

 THE TOWN WALL
Tallinn started building the town wall as early as in the 13th century. Initially, when there were no firearms, the town wall did not have to be very strong. Due to the town’s growth, and progression in engineering knowledge, the town wall had to be constantly "modernised" – the wall had to be shifted further from the town centre, a higher and stronger wall had to be erected and more peels had to be raised.

In total the construction of the town wall lasted for around 300 years. In its final state, the town wall stretched for over 2.5 kilometres and had more than 70 defence towers. In the 17th century, the building of bastions – artificial hills fortified by a limestone wall – began in front of the town wall. Three out of the planned twelve were completed and they are still intact.

More than 1.8 kilometres of the town wall and 26 defence towers have survived to today. This is unique in Europe since, as a rule, the town wall was pulled down when the town expanded, in order to build new houses from the bricks. In the case of Tallinn it can be explained by the fact that there was an abundance of the main building material – limestone – and therefore the town wall did not have to be dismantled. The town wall has been cleaned, restored and opened to visitors in Suur-Kloostri Street, near the Gustav Adolf Upper-Secondary School.

PRESENT-DAY OLD TOWN
Today, Tallinn Old Town is the biggest tourist attraction in Estonia. Over 3.5 million tourists visit Estonia each year, the majority of whom come here in the summer months. The Old Town has become a kind of entertainment centre with pubs and clubs, theatres and galleries, shops and restaurants. Throughout the summer, various events take place in the Old Town, the biggest of which are definitely the Old Town Days. Almost every week you can find an art fair, a handicraft fair or even a medieval market in the Town Hall Square.

The viewing platforms in St Olaf's Church and the Town Hall tower are open to visitors, and open-air concerts and plays frequently take place. It is possible to book an entire Old Town excursion or to just visit Niguliste Church where the museum of medieval art is situated. Every 20 minutes, you can catch a ride on Toomas the Train, which will take you around the Old Town. Having done all that, you can enjoy a fresh meal on a terrace in Town Hall Square or withdraw yourself from the fuss and crush and visit an intimate backyard cafe.