If you're longing for a getaway that will give you that tingle of discovering something new and untried, something exciting and magical, you need not travel outside mainstream Europe. You need only look towards this trendy, Nordic-feeling nation of 1.4 million people. It offers you an adventure you will never forget.
In a world that can at times seem overly packaged, Estonia remains refreshingly genuine and uncontrived. Having cast off communist rule more than ten years ago, Estonia has thrown her doors back open to the world and invited visitors to come sample her charms. The country's beautiful castles, old cities, manor houses, forests, beaches and islands – as its people – speak for themselves. And they tell a moving story.
This is not only a nation with a touching, visible past; it's a nation that is as progressive and hip as it is history-filled and quaint. Its spectacular progress since restoring its independence in 1991 is epitomized by its impressive Internet infrastructure, considered one of the most advanced anywhere in the world. Even in the depths of the countryside, you're almost as likely to see a villager surfing the Internet as milking a cow.
Location:
Estonia lies along the Baltic Sea, just below Finland. Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city is only about 40 miles south of Helsinki, across the Gulf of Finland. Sweden is Estonia's western neighbour across the Baltic. Russia is to the east, with St. Petersburg just across the north-eastern border. To the south is Latvia with its capital city Riga. You can depart from Tallinn's international airport and in less than two hours be in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Riga, Moscow, St. Petersburg, or Vilnius.
History:
Estonians have been living in this tiny portion of the Baltic lands since approximately 2,500 B.C., making them the longest settled of the European peoples. Due to Estonia’s strategic location as a link between East and West, it has been highly coveted through the ages by rapacious kings and conquerors.
At the beginning of the 13th century, Estonia was subjugated by the Teutonic knights. Their castles still dot the countryside, in varying states of eerie decay. By 1285, Tallinn was part of the Hanseatic League. Trading activities were dominated by the German merchant families which settled there, and successive generations of Germans built their manor houses across the country.
But the Germans were only the first of successive waves of conquerors. Danes, Swedes, Poles and Russians all swept across Estonia, setting up successive regimes, fortifying their towns and castles, and shipping their goods through Estonian ports.
In the late 19th century a powerful Estonian nationalist movement arose. Eventually, on 24 February 1918, Estonia declared its independence. Its period of independence was brief, however, and Estonia was forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. But in 1991 Estonians again reasserted their independence, and peacefully broke away from the Soviet Union.
Climate:
The climate in Estonia is temperate, characterised by warm summers and fairly severe winters. The weather is often breezy and humid due to the proximity of the Baltic Sea. Average temperatures range from 20.9° C in summer (usually July is the hottest month) to - 8°C in winter. Although occasionally the temperature may rise to 30°C and above in summer or sink below - 23°C in winter, it is very usual at our latitude. Bring your umbrella and a light raincoat in case of occasional showers.
Holidays:
Banks, offices and shops are closed on the following public holidays:
- 1 January: New Year's Day
- 24 February: Independence Day
- March/April: Good Friday
- 1 May: May Day
- May/June Whitsun
- 23 June: Victory Day
- 24 June: Midsummer's Day
- 20 August: Re-Independence Day
- 25 December: Christmas Day
- 26 December: Boxing Day
Money:
The national currency of Estonia is called the Kroon and was introduced on 20 June 1992. The Kroon is abbreviated as EEK. The smaller unit is called the Sent, 1 kroon = 100 sents. The kroon is pegged to the EURO at 1 EUR = appr. 15.65 EEK. Foreign currencies can be easily exchanged in banks and exchange offices. There are exchange offices in several hotels, in the port of Tallinn, at the airport, the railway station and many other places.
Places of interest:
1. Tallinn
2. Tartu
3. Narva
4. Pärnu
5. Saaremaa Island
6. Viljandi
7. Rakvere
8. Otepää
9. Haapsalu
10. Hiiumaa Island
11. The Kuremäe Convent
12. Lahemaa National park
13. Sangaste Castle
Text:
www.visitestonia.com
Images:
http://www.prn.ee/margit/
http://www.regio.ee
