Tallinn
Day Three - The Baltics - 2024
A jam-packed day walking Tallinn end-to-end, with a stop at the Hotel Viru & KGB Museum along the way.
Editor’s Comment: The terms “Baltics” and “Baltic” are complicated: geopolitically, the “Baltic states” refer to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the “Baltic region” refers to those states which border the Baltic Sea, and the “Baltic peoples” are those who speak Baltic languages, primarily Latvian and Lithuanian. I apply the term “Baltics” in this travelogue to apply to those states of Baltic region I traveled through, in this case Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
1. A Morning in Tallinn Old Town
A fortress was built in present-day Tallinn as early as the 11th century; however, it wasn’t until the Danish assumed control of the city -then known as Reval- in 1219 that its prominence began to rise. It became a member of the Hanseatic League and -in 1346- was sold to the Hanseatic League.
I had a mid-morning tour of the KGB Museum at the Hotel Viru (more on that soon); waking up earlier than anticipated, I decided to get some sightseeing in before all the crowds were out and about. The plan was to head towards the Viru Gate and check out the eastern side of Tallinn Old Town before heading over to the hotel.
While I knew that Tallinn is a walled medieval city, I completely underappreciated how well preserved it would be inside the city center. Much of the town retains its old world charm, which -in my opinion- really shined through during my early morning walk about the city.
2. St. Catherine’s Passage #1
St. Catherine’s Passage (sometimes called Monk’s Alley, Katariina käik in Estonian) is located on the southern edge of the former 13th century St. Catherine’s Monastery, a Dominican monastery torn down during the Protestant Reformation.
I made sure to head down St. Catherine’s Passage, a lovely albeit short and narrow street featuring multiple archways which look as if they are holding up enormous stone walls.
Another photograph of St. Catherine’s Passage follows.
Photographer’s Comment: There was some restoration work being done to the display of tombstones from the old monastery which line the northern wall of the passage; I did my best to photograph around the scaffolding and work equipment but it didn’t make for the most spectacular of views.
3. St. Catherine’s Passage #2
4. Tallinn City Wall
The first defensive wall in Tallinn was built around 1265 under the order of the Danish queen Margaret …
Still having a few minutes before my tour, I made my way towards the eastern wall of the city to explore this stretch. There is a town wall walkway which you can visit; however, the hours are very limited and I -unfortunately- did not have time during this trip to make stop.
Two more photos of the eastern city wall follow.
5. Tower Behind Monks
… Over the next two centuries, especially after it came under the control of the Teutonic Order, the wall expanded to be 2.4 kilometers / 1.5 miles long, 16 meters / 52 feet tall, and featured as many as 66 towers …
6. Helleman Tower
… Today, 1.85 kilometers / 1.15 miles of the wall still exist, as do 26 of the towers …
7. Viru Gate
… In addition, four complete gates (Great Coastal, Long Leg, Monastery, and Short Leg) remain along with the remnants of the Viru Gate.
At around this time (roughly 9AM) the city started to come alive on what turned out to be a beautiful spring day in Northeast Europe. Luckily, there was enough of a break in the crowds for me to snag this photograph of the old Viru Gate.
8. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #1
The Hotel Viru (now the Sokos Hotel Viru) opened in 1972 and was originally owned and operated by the Soviet state operated tour company Intourist …
After checking in for the tour in the lobby of the Sokos Hotel Viru, my small group were whisked to the 22nd floor of the hotel from which we ascended a small but not especially unnoticeable staircase to the upper floor of the building. Here are two rooms separated by a central balcony which overlooks the Old Town, as well as two large terraces facing north and south.
9. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #2
… Tallinn’s close proximity to Helsinki and -by extension- the West along with its well-maintained walled city made it one of the most popular destinations for foreign visitors in the Soviet Union and the Hotel Viru was designed to project (rather hollowly) Soviet parity in the tourism segment …
The smaller central balcony looks directly towards the Viru Gate and honestly gives visitors one of if not the best view across the city; even if the KGB Museum were not here, these views would be worth the journey alone!
10. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #3
… This resulted in a significant number of foreign visitors and -more importantly- foreign dignitaries staying at the hotel, which necessitated increased surveillance of guests …
But I, of course, came primarily to see the KGB Museum at the hotel, and the first room you enter is set up to represent the office of a KGB officer. That said, it truly is an office with a view!
11. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #4
… As such, on the 23rd floor at the top of the hotel, a KGB listening post was constructed in order to eavesdrop on guests; the KGB also planted or paid employees in the hotel -such as waiters and cleaning staff- to further collection activities …
The second room contains a variety of KGB equipment, to include some examples of the listening devices from the hotel itself. Here is where the tour guide does the majority of the lecture about the hotel, its history, and the activities which went on here. Afterwards, you have some time to get up-close-and-personal with the artifacts. Here, you see a KGB serial number stamp on the desk.
12. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #5
… As many as sixty rooms had pre-wired monitoring …
The collection of items is somewhat random, but does include Communist-era listening equipment, if not the original equipment from the hotel itself.
13. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #6
… While items such as ashtrays in the restaurant had recording devices in them …
The radio equipment is filled with lots of dials and buttons, each of which has that nostalgic Bakelite finish.
14. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #7
… When guests or staff would ask what the unmarked “technical equipment” rooms were on the hotel’s top floor (one floor above where the elevators would stop), they would allegedly be told, “There’s nothing here” …
On the desk is a reel-to-reel tape; again, it is unclear if this is from the hotel's collection but if it is I wonder what secrets it holds?
15. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #8
… And the duplicity of the otherwise simple ruse was so good that the rooms themselves and their equipment were not discovered until 1994, some three years after Estonian independence …
Because the KGB was a "circle of accountability", this -naturally- involved doing a lot of paperwork!
16. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #9
… This did not fool locals in-the-know, who always suspected the Hotel Viru to be constructed of “microconcrete” - that is, concrete and microphones …
The hotel's wiring schematics are also on display, which gives you an idea of the complexity of the surveillance which went on here.
17. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #10
… The site operates today as the KGB Museum (not to be confused with the KGB Prison Cells museum which operates at the former KGB headquarters in the city center) and is accessible only by pre-arranged tour …
The hotel's north balcony gives a wonderful view over Tallinn's harbor.
18. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #11
… In addition to viewing the KGB surveillance post, you also get excellent views over Tallinn Old Town and the port …
In a true sign of the times, not one but two Coca-Cola billboards now stand face-to-face with this gigantic Communist-era structure.All in all, I recommend taking the tour of the KGB Museum if you have the time.
19. Hotel Viru & KGB Museum #12
… As of 2024, there are multiple English-language tours daily and the cost is €14.
It does give you insight into Tallinn during the Soviet Union as well as insight into the Communist surveillance state. If your travel companions are on the fence about it, as mentioned this location does give you one of the most commanding views of the city.
20. St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas Church was built in the 13th century, destroyed by Soviet bombing in 1944, rebuilt between 1953 and 1981, destroyed by fire in 1982, and reopened as a cultural center in 1984.
After departing Hotel Viru, I made my way back into the Old Town for a mid-day walk. I passed by St. Nicholas Church, which houses the Niguliste Museum, an art museum which houses a famous “Dance of Death” painting by Bernt Notke. Unfortunately, I did not have time to peak inside as I had a firm appointment time to meet up with my travel companions and quite a bit of ground to cover across the city! I am also not certain it was open as I was visiting on Spring Day, a holiday in Estonia. I’m not terribly worried I missed it - Tallinn is an awesome city and certainly one that I’d have no problem revisiting in the future.
21. War of Independence Victory Column
Between 28 November 1918 and 2 February 1920, Estonia fought its War of Independence against Soviet Russia and forces loyal to the Baltic German nobility who were previously aligned to Imperial Germany in World War I, both groups of whom claimed Estonian territory.
Few countries have had as tumultuous a century as Estonia had in the 20th. At its dawn, Estonia was divided amongst two territories which were technically a part of the Russian Empire but subordinated and ruled independently: the heavily-Russified Governorate of Estonia (the northern part of modern-day Estonia, including Tallinn), and the German-Baltic nobility ruled Governorate of Livonia (modern-day southern Estonia and northern Latvia, including Riga). The First Russian Revolution in 1905 jumpstarted a burgeoning nationalist and independence movement amongst Estonians. Following the 1917 February Revolution (which saw the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the end of the Tsar’s reign), Estonia established its first government; however, this was short-lived as in early 1918, Imperial Germany invaded the country in its final days during World War I. The capitulation of the Kaiser in late 1918 allowed Estonia to finally declare independence on 19 November 1918. This was also when “Reval” became “Tallinn.”
Less than 10 days later, on 28 November 1918, now-Soviet Russian invaded Estonia as it intended to not only foment a communist revolution in not only the Baltic states, but eventually in the former German Empire. Despite initial successes, the Estonians held their own and even conducted a counter-offensive which drove the Soviets back to Russian territory.
Perhaps seeing an opportunity to gain territory, forces loyal to the Baltic German nobility in Livonia attempted to invade Estonia. While this resulted in Estonia ceasing its efforts against Soviet Russia, they ultimately pushed back the Germans so fiercely they eventually surrendered claims to Estonia and Latvia altogether. Now able to re-engage Soviet Russia, the two sides traded invasions and counter-invasions until finally peace was agreed on 31 December 1919 and signed on 2 February 1920. This allowed Estonia to formally declare independence on 24 February 1920.
These events were truly a preview of what was to come for Estonia as for most of the remainder of the 20th century, Estonia would continue to be defined by German or Soviet occupation.
On 23 August 1939, in the days before the start of World War II, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact which divided Eastern Europe between the powers and placed Estonia in the Soviet sphere of influence. Almost a year later, on 6 August 1940, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union and became the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. During Operation Barbarossa -Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union which began on 22 June 1941- Estonia was abandoned by the Soviet Union and was occupied by October 1941 as part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, along with Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Belarus.
Operation Barbarossa ultimately failed and, in early 1944, the Soviet Union attempted to regain control of the former Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. They were ultimately successful, but only at great cost: the Battle of Narva raged for six months, while March bombings of Tallinn by the Soviet Air Forces caused catastrophic damage with little gained tactically (much damage occurred along the street Harju, at the end of which stands the War of Independence Victory Column.) By the end of World War II, Estonia had lost about one quarter of its pre-war population.
In the following decades, communism took an economic toll on Estonia; meanwhile, Estonians -perhaps more than any members of the Soviet bloc- keenly aware of the rising living standards in the West given their close proximity to Finland. Following demonstrations in the late 1980s -such as the Baltic Way, a two million person-long human chain through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania- and following the 1991 August Coup Attempt in Russia, Estonia reasserted independence on 20 August 1991.
22. Kiek in de Kök #1
Kiek in de Kök is an artillery tower built along Reval’s outer wall in the 15th century …
Moving westward, I passed by Kiek in de Kök. This pretty tower is now used as an art museum, and I had overheard a walking tour guide mention at one point there were apartments in here. How cool would it be to live here?
Another photograph of Kiek in de Kök follows.
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23. Kiek in de Kök #2
… the term “Kiek in de Kök” roughly translates to “peek inside the kitchen”, as the tower’s windows peered into nearby homes.
24. Maiden’s Tower
Maiden’s Tower (Neitsitorn) stands above the so-called Danish King’s Garden where, according to legend, the Danish national flag (Dannebrog) appeared from the sky during the 1219 Battle of Lyndanisse; it holds the record for oldest used national flag.
I made my way along the southwestern edge of the Old Town city wall passing by the Maiden’s Tower. Maybe because it was early in the season (beginning of May) or perhaps because it was mid-day during the work week, there were very few people out enjoying the many public parks that can be found here. Their loss was my gain!
25. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral #1
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox church consecrated in 1900 while Estonia was part of the Russian Empire.
Perched high atop Toompea, a high limestone hill in central Tallinn, is the imposing Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The church bells were ringing, and I assumed some mid-day service was about to start so I decided to see if I could check out Pikk Hermann, the tall tower of Toompea Castle which my city guide notes said could be climbed. But first …
26. Stable Tower
Stable Tower is purported to be haunted.
… I turned to check out Stable Tower, a city wall tower used as a prison in the 16th and 17th centuries. Legend has it that prisoners would repeatedly complain about being harassed by ghosts and other spirits during the night. Fed up with these accusations, a councilman volunteered to spend a night in the prison; the following morning, he was found catatonic and passed away a few days later.
27. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral #2
After Estonian independence in the early 1920s, it was decided the cathedral would be torn down as anti-Russian sentiment peaked in the then-majority Lutheran nation; demolition was considered to expensive and the project was shelved …
I tried my best to figure out how to access Tall Hermann, but the tower -as it turns out- is only three days a year: the castle’s open house day in April, on the National Flag Day on 4 June and on the Day of Restoration of Independence on 20 August. So the guide wasn’t wrong, just pretty misleading.
28. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral #3
… Ironically, during the nation’s period as the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, the cathedral was not used and -by the time of Estonia’s redeclaration of independence- the building was in extreme disrepair; the Estonian government -who once decided to tear it down- renovated the building in the early 21st century.
The mid-day ceremony at the cathedral was winding down at this point (as evidenced by the regular stream of babushkas streaming out the front door), so I decided to pop my head in and check it out. The cathedral’s interior is a bit small but was meticulously restored and maintained. There was still a good number of parishioners completing Orthodoxy’s seemingly complicated sequence of bowing and kissing, and -wanting to be respectful of their space- I moved on quickly.
I made my way to the nearby St. Mary’s Cathedral to try and check that out; however, there was some serious ceremony action going on (an investigation of the cathedral’s calendar of events reveals it was the ordination of one Ove Sander as a Bishop, many congratulations to him) so I breezed right past it.
29. Patkuli Viewing Platform
There are two main viewing points over the Old Town from Toompea Hill, Patkuli and Kohtuotsa. These are only a short walk from one another and it is definitely worth your time to see both as they are oriented in slightly different directions (northeast and east, respectively).
Fun fact: you can spot the viewing platforms in the view from Hotel Viru above (photograph #9.) Look for an orange-colored building just beneath the horizon on the right side of the photograph; you will see a large courtyard above a light grey wall immediately to the building’s left (Kohtuotsa) and a smaller courtyard above a dark wall a bit to the building’s right (Patkuli.)
Two more viewing platforms follow.
30. Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform #1
31. Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform #2
(Click here to view a full-size version of this panorama.)
Hotel Viru is nearly in the center of the image.
32. Long Leg
The steep street Long Leg (Pikk Jalg) connects Toompea Hill to Tallinn Old Town.
Pressed a bit for time at this point (if you’ll recall I was meeting my travel companions upon their arrival in the early afternoon), I headed down to the city’s main square which I had not yet seen.
33. Town Hall Square
Tallinn’s Town Hall was constructed in the 14th century and is topped by Old Thomas, one of the world’s most famous weather vanes.
On a beautiful spring day, naturally the city’s town square was crowded but still enjoyable. I checked out a large antique store in search of Soviet relics too large for me to take home (my wallet is thankful I was able to do this trip carry-on only or I’d have a MiG helmet or some nonsense right now!) and popped my head into the city’s controversially old pharmacy (they claim to be the world’s oldest operating pharmacy and claim to have invented marzipan; both claims are disputed.) Feeling in need of a quick break and under-caffinated from my hotel’s lack of coffee, I stopped at a coffee stop for a drink and a pastry.
34. The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Estonia
Following the February 2022 Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Estonia routinely engaged in tit-for-tat expulsions of each others’ diplomats; in 2023, each downgraded their relationships to be managed by charges d’affaires vice ambassadors.
Making my way back to the meet-up point with my travel companions, I passed the Russian Embassy. While technically still operational, it is a shell of its former self and the exterior is covered with pro-Ukrainian and anti-Russian materials and memorials. A truly sad sight.
35. St. Olaf’s Church
The first St. Olaf’s Church was built in the 12th century and it has been extensively renovated and rebuilt many times over the centuries (if for no other reason than it has burned down three times); as such, the height of St. Olaf’s spire has varied significantly and at least one account claims it was the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625.
I had budgeted a little bit of time to check out St. Olaf’s Church whose impressive spire makes it the 19th tallest church in the world at the time of writing. The spire was also used by the KGB as a radio tower during the period Estonia belonged to the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, it appears St. Olaf’s was closed for Spring Day so I will have to check it out the next time in the city!
36. Great Coastal Gate
In medieval times, this incredibly thick gate and its adjacent tower, Fat Margaret, not only defended the city from attacks from the sea but stood as symbols of Reval’s wealth and power.
After passing through the Great Coastal Gate, I made my way back to my hotel for a quick refresh and to meet up with my travel companions (they had just concluded a multi-day road trip to the West Estonian archipelago). We made our way back into the Old Town, enjoying a wonderful lunch at the Restaurant Odessa before having a few drinks at Hell Hunt (of course!) and the Pub Uba ja Humal. All-in-all, an excellent day of travel!
