Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Across the street is the...
Toompea Castle (Toompea Loss): The pink palace is an 18th-century
Russian addition onto the medieval Toompea Castle. Today, it's the Estonian
Parliament (Riigigoku) building, flying the Estonian flag—the flag of both the
first (1918-1940) and second (1991-present) Estonian republics. Notice the
Estonian seal: three lions for three great battles in Estonian history, and oak
leaves for strength and stubbornness. Ancient pagan Estonians, who believed
spirits lived in oak trees, would walk through forests of oak to toughen up.
(To this day, Estonian cemeteries are in forests. Keeping some of their pagan
sensibilities, they believe the spirits of the departed live on in the trees.)
• Facing the palace, go left through the gate into the park to see the...
Tall Hermann Tower (Pikk Hermann): This tallest tower of the
castle wall is a powerful symbol here. For 50 years, while Estonian flags were
hidden in cellars, the Soviet flag flew from Tall Hermann. As the USSR was
unraveling, Estonians proudly and defiantly replaced the red Soviet flag here
with their own black, white, and blue flag.
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