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Apr 8, 1050
First wooden stronghold
The first wooden stronghold was built on Toompea. -
Apr 8, 1154
First recognition of Estonia
Tallinn was first marked on a map of the world by the Arab geographer al-Idrisi. It's name was then Kolyvan (probably derived from the name Kalev). In the map Estonia was marked as ,,Astlandia" and Tallinn was marked as ,,Koluvan". -
Apr 8, 1219
The Danes arrived and conquered...
The Danes, led by King Valdemar II, conquered northen Estonia. -
Apr 11, 1221
Islanders besieged the fortress
Islanders (saarlased) approached to Tallinn and besiged the fortress for 14 days. -
Apr 8, 1227
The Knights of the Sword
The Knights of the Sword took Tallinn from the Danes and also made Toompea their fortress. -
Apr 8, 1285
Member of the Hanseatic League
The city became the northernmost member of the Hanseatic League. Tallinn became a junction of trade between East and West.Trading commodities were salt, furs, honey, leather, cloth, herring and wine. -
Apr 8, 1300
German Teutonic Order
Denmark sold its possessions in Estonia to the German Teutonic Order and Toompea became the seat of the Germanborn gentry. Also a fortified wall was built between the Upper Town and the Lower Town. -
Apr 8, 1400
Rapid grew of Tallinn
By the 15th century, Tallinn developed into a well-known trading centre and grew rapidly. -
Apr 8, 1500
Tallinn: one of the biggest city in northen Europe
Tallinn`s population 7000-8000 made it one of the biggest cities in northen Europe -
Apr 8, 1530
Old Thomas
figure of an old warrior called Old Thomas, was put on top of the spire of the Tallinn's Town Hall in 1530. -
Sweden`s control
Sweden took control of the whole of Estonia. Hard times continued. Period of´ "good old Swedish era": foundations were laid for the Estonian school system, the privilages were curtailed. -
Swedend's control
Sweden managed to take control of the whole of Estonia. It happened due to the hungers, wars and epidemics. -
the Northern War
Different countries fought for domination over the Baltic region. Russia started the Northern War in 1700 and Peter the Great's aim was to conquer Estonia and "open a window onto Europe". Then came the plague with the Russian troops and thousands of people died. Estonia remained under Russian rule and the Baltic-German nobility vowed allegiance to the Tsar. -
Railway opening
Life in Estonia changed due to the opening of a railway line from St. Petersburg to Tallinn. Tallinn grew into a major port and an industrial centre. Interest in culture grew and Estonians became conscious of their national identity. -
Independence
Estonia was proclaimed an independent democratlic republic. Tallinn developed into a modern European capital. A period of prosperity followed, but independence only lasted for 20 years. -
The beginning of the Russian occupation
During World War ll Estonia was occupied by Russian and German invaders and Tallinn suffered heavily. The bombing of the city by the Soviet air force left over 20,000 people homeless. And then began the Russian occupation: Russian speakers out-numbered Estonians in Tallinn, workers were resettled from Russia and new blocks of flats were built to provide housing for the newcomers. -
Re-establishing independence
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Estonian trading settlement
