The national gathering place
Where a small country holds its celebrations and its protests.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ivo Kruusamägi — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barnos — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ivo Kruusamägi — CC BY-SA 3.0
A large open square at the southern edge of the old town, entirely redesigned in 2009 as a broad stone expanse with almost no trees, with the War of Independence Victory Column standing at one end. The square is where Estonia holds its national gatherings, celebrations and protests. Its name is itself political: it carried different names under every regime that governed the country — the Russian imperial system, then the first independence, then Soviet and German occupation, then Soviet rule again, then restored independence in 1991. Beneath the square, excavations uncovered the remains of a medieval gate and fortification, displayed today behind glass at one edge. The present design provoked argument: some find it harsh, empty and hot in summer, while others see it as the civic space a small country needs for assembly. Practical points: free and always open. It sits at the edge of the old town, so you pass it entering or leaving to the south. There is very little shade — avoid it at midday in summer.
Where a small country holds its celebrations and its protests.
Remains of a medieval gate and wall displayed behind glass.
The harshness of empty stone against the need for open civic space.
Southern edge of the old town, Tallinn
A war Estonia fought between 1918 and 1920 against Bolshevik Russia and against Baltic German forces, immediately after declaring its first independence. It ended with the Treaty of Tartu, in which Soviet Russia recognised Estonian independence. The column in the square was raised in 2009 to commemorate it — ninety years later, a delay caused by the fact that commemorating it was entirely forbidden throughout the Soviet period.
It is the southern entrance to the old town, so start here and climb to Toompea, its castle and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, then descend into the lower town. The Vabamu museum on the occupation years is nearby and completes the reading of the column in the square.
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