Southern Scandinavia ™ (Estonia)

The next stop in our trip was Estonia. We’d planned on visiting the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) in part because we knew that each had a lot of history, but neither of us knew all that much about that history. Sited between central Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia, these three countries have long been a crossroads of trade and culture, and have also suffered a lot from the depredations of their neighbors over the course of the years. The result is a cluster of small nations that reflect a lot of different influences, but against the odds they retain robust, unique cultural cores. In Estonia, we learned our history, had many of our expectations challenged, found many of our other expectations were correct, and saw a country still very much at the intersection of several cultures.

East meets West meets hipsters

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is a big mix in terms of architecture, food, and culture. Wandering around the city, you find a remarkably well-preserved medieval old town with churches, towers, and stone; a hodgepodge of wooden townhouses belonging to the fishermen who predated seafront factories; and monstrous blocks of concrete in unmistakably soviet neighborhoods. The food is a combination of the Scandinavian influence (herring and other fish dishes) and the Slavic palette (meat, potatoes, sour cream, and black bread).

Historically, although under the umbrella of the USSR, Tallinn was a city on the edge of the communist bubble – due to its location, residents managed to scrape together homemade receivers which enabled them to access western TV beamed over from Helsinki (a mere 50 miles away). As a consequence, Estonia was able to preserve a long-held link with Finland, and the relationship remains very strong today. Since the 1990s, Estonia has taken steps brand itself as the closest thing to Scandinavia – albeit while muttering a great many jokes about Finns. Finns come to Tallinn on the 2 hour ferry to drink and smuggle alcohol home since it’s so much cheaper in Estonia. The two countries also share the tune of their respective national anthems.

Tallinn is small enough that you can walk to the city from the airport; Jess is ambivalent about this

Tallinn is a very old city – dating back to the 13th century – and many of the old structures survive to this day, including one of the most complete surviving outer walls of any medieval town. Although presented to tourists as a kind of Medieval Disney World, complete with market stalls and actors in costume, the city’s lengthy history of war means that many of these structures have violent histories attached to them, and most of the towers have endured multiple assaults over the course of the ages. Legend has it that during one of these assaults (by the Danes), a flag fell from the sky, turning the tide of battle towards the invaders and this flag became the Danish flag.

Outer city wall and gate

Cobblestone streets inside the city walls

Although today Estonia is one of the least religious countries in the world, the combination of Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox influences means Tallinn is home to a large number of churches. As church-building was one of the early national sports, significant rivalries arose between groups regarding the height, majesty, or legends behind their respective churches, the results of which are on display for visitors of Tallinn.

St. Nicholas’ Church (partially restored after Soviet bombing in WWII)

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – built directly in front of the parliament building (former castle / governor’s house) to ensure that it couldn’t be missed

Overlooking St. Olaf’s Church (probably the most famous building in Tallinn), and one of the tallest buildings in the world in the 16th century

Kalamaja – literally “fish house” – is a unique neighborhood near the bay with a distinctly Scandinavian feel. Simple wooden houses were built primarily as homes for the fishermen who dominated this area for several centuries prior to the construction of a rail link with St Petersburg. Later, this area was largely taken over by factories and warehouses – many of which now appear to be sitting idle. Naturally, artists have descended, and our youthful tour guide was quick to point out that he had been living in the neighborhood before anyone else dared to venture across the rail tracks.

Typical Kalamaja street

How very Scandinavian (or Cape Cod)

The gentrifying frontier

Graffiti on the wall of an old factory that’s no longer operating

The legacy of soviet occupation is visible everywhere outside of the old town in Tallinn. We stumbled across a range of intimidating, characterless structures, most notably the huge stadium which was originally constructed to host sailing events for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Linnahall now hosts an edgy nightclub and a heliport, but remains rather menacing-looking.

Looking out onto the Baltic from the Linnahall

Graffiti on the upper deck of the Linnahall

Alongside the architecture, Tallinn retains some other stark reminders of its recent past. We visited an historic Russian sea fortress which had been used as a prison from 1920 until 2002. The building has been left as it was upon abandonment, and visitors are free to wander around and explore the various debris – which include fading 1990s magazine cuttings, broken typewriters, discarded shoes, and the remains of an entire library. Abundant artwork covers the walls (some from the prisoners, most more recently added by squatters), which only serves to contribute to the distinctly creepy atmosphere.

The prison yard

The remains of the library – no Dufresne here

Does this resemble anything from True Detective?

The medical wing was particularly jarring

We also visited the Kumu Kunstimuuseum, which is Estonia’s largest art museum. A lot of it focused on art under the USSR – both approved “socialist” art and art challenging the status quo (overtly, or more commonly, via satire).

Soviet-era posters celebrating milk production, industry, and other praiseworthy obsessions of a good stakhanovite 

Estonian pop-art from the late 1960s

Busts of Lenin and many others; the exhibit is meant be be viewed from down on the floor but it looks a little more interesting from a nearby window

Today, Tallinn appears to be brimming with energy and new ideas, with art on every corner, regular festivals, food trucks, a plethora of coffee shops, and a successful tech industry (including a long-term battle with Sweden concerning which nation really started Skype) – in other words, it’s hipster heaven. In many cases, initiatives are underway to repurpose the very buildings which have been a blight on the city’s image in recent years – old warehouses are being turned into markets and galleries, and even the aforementioned prison has been used for pop up events and concerts . There is a sense that residents are making an effort to reclaim elements of the city which have been forced upon them.

More prison artwork

Our favorite hipster cafe – with obligatory macbook in shot

One thing that should be reflected on, though, is the large proportion of the population (around one quarter) that is ethnically Russian – and in many cases, still very much culturally Russian. We visited a market which sits on the edge of one of the rapidly modernizing parts of the city, and found it to be a treasure trove of beautiful antiques, vast quantities of fresh food and fascinating Soviet memorabilia…along with tacky clothes, Putin t-shirts and some truly bizarre trinkets. A nice dose of un-ironic culture sitting in the heart of an increasingly forward-looking, westernized city.

Balti Jaam Russian Market

Bicycles, wet suits, lamps…deer?

Soviet medals – seemingly in plentiful supply