Yearbook 2009
Estonia. After a year’s trial, in January four Estonian Russians, who had been charged with organizing the rallies in Tallinn in spring 2007, were acquitted when the so-called bronze soldier was moved by the government. The prosecutor could not prove that the riots were organized, nor that they had been driven from Moscow, as the government argued. In February, however, one Estonian was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison for treason. He had been spying for the Russian Federation for several years from his central position at the Ministry of Defense. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation EE which stands for the nation of Estonia.
According to countryaah, the consequences of the financial crisis hit the Baltic hard, but Estonia, which funded funds during the boom, did not have to follow Latvia’s example of taking large loans from the outside. But the construction sector stopped, newly built housing was unsold, unemployment rose sharply to around 15 percent and GDP decline was expected to be about 15 percent during the year. The government was forced into severe budget cuts to keep the budget deficit in check and not give up its target of euro entry in 2011. Prime Minister Andus Ansip instead had to give up plans for continued tax cuts. The salaries of civil servants, including those of teachers, were reduced by 10 percent. The cuts put severe pressure on the coalition government, and the Social Democrats’ opposition led Ansip to dismiss Finance Minister Ivari Padar and the other Social Democratic ministers in May.
During the year, an extensive program was completed in which thousands of Tallinn residents were given newly built cheap housing, since their old one was returned by the state to former owners from the time before joining the Soviet Union in 1940.
After four years of investigations, an expert group during the year presented its findings on Estonia’s sinking to the government. According to the group, the Estonia ferry in 1994 was probably lost due to defects in the bow visor, but other causes of accidents, such as a hole in the hull, cannot be excluded as long as the entire wreckage of the wreck was not inspected, the report said.
In the municipal elections in October, the Center Party won a convincing victory in Tallinn with more than 53 percent of the vote. Thus, center leader Edgar Savisaar was re-elected as mayor and negotiated a coalition government with the Social Democrats in the capital. The cooperation was seen as a challenge to the national right-wing government.
Estonia – Tallinn
Tallinn
Taʹllinn, German Reval, capital of Estonia; 426,500 residents (2017). Tallinn is located on the Gulf of Finland. The city is Estonia’s financial center with a large service sector which, among other things, houses many IT companies. The industries include electronic and electrotechnical industry, textile, shoe and fish canning industry and chemical industry. The city also has a large, modern harbor with shipyards, an international airport and a ferry connection with Helsinki and Stockholm.
Architecture
Tallinn is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the Baltic Sea area. The old town, surrounded by a ring wall, houses a grand town hall, guild house and bourgeoisie with the gables facing the street as well as large churches, among others. Niguliste Church (Nikolaik Church) and Pühavaimu Church (Church of the Holy Spirit), both with works by Bernt Notke. In 1997, the old city of Tallinn was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
At Domberget (Toompea) lies, among other things. the cathedral with Pontus De la Gardie’s tomb monument. Here is also the government building, part of the old castle with baroque facade from the 18th century and a series of noble palaces, the most magnificent from 1813 by CL Engel. Among the works by leading Finnish architects is the Estoniateatern (1910–13) marked by Armas Lindgren. A modernist breakthrough work is Konsthuset (1934); Among the later monumental buildings is the singer’s estrad (1960) and from the 1980s the National Library by Raine Karp (born 1939). On the outskirts of Tallinn lies the ruin of the medieval Aboriginal church of Peter the Great and Peter the Great’s Lust Castle Kadrioru Loss, designed by Niccolò Michetti (died 1759).
History
As a trading place, Tallinn has prehistoric roots. In 1219, Danes founded a castle on the site they called Reval, while the Estonians called it Tallinn ( Taani linna, ‘the Danish castle’). Around the castle emerged a trading town, which in the 1240s received German city privileges and in 1285 became a member of Hansan. The German influence, which was mainly exercised through a German-dominated city council, was further strengthened since the city with surrounding land in 1346 was purchased by the German orders. When the state of state was dissolved, Tallinn surrendered in 1561 under the Swedish king Erik XIV, which reaffirmed its privileges. During the Lifelong War of 1558–83, the Russians besieged the city, which, however, remained within the Swedish great power until the Great Nordic War. Since Tallinn was forced to capitulate to Peter I in 1710 and incorporated into the Russian Empire, the city became the center of Revals, from 1783 Estonia, the government. Tallinn was the capital of the Independent Republic of Estonia in 1919–40 and 1945–91 in the Soviet Republic of the same name. Since 1991, the city is once again the capital of free Estonia.