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Image depicting trade between members of the Hanseatic League

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The Hanseatic League was an organization of merchant communities that Northern European commercial activity from the 13th century to the 15th century. Major Estonian urban centers in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, and Narva were all members of the Hanseatic League.

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The Second Northern War was a war conflict between Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland, in which the involved nations challenged Swedish rule over the Baltic area. The war resulted in the decline of Swedish rule in nations in the Baltic, including Estonia.

Russia invaded Estonia and captured in the Estonian municipality of Narva in September 1700, after they declared war on Sweden. King Charles XII of Sweden sent his army to Estonia with the intention of eliminating Russian forces.

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Battle of Narva 1700 - Great Northern War DOCUMENTARY

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A scanned image of the Pärnu Postimees newspaper

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The First Estonian Newspaper | History 3

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The First Estonian Newspaper | History 3

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The first Estonian-language newspaper: Pärnu Postimees was published on June 5, 1857 by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. The paper was written with the intention of encouraging Estonians to publish Estonian-language literature as means of demonstrating pride in their nation.

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Map of the island of Saaremaa: the island on which the Oeselians lived

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For Estonia, the Viking era began in 790.

The inhabitants of one of Estonia's islands: the Baltic Sea island of Saaremaa were called Oeselians. In 967, the Oeselian Vikings raided a Norwegian ship and enslaved its passengers, and less than 20 years later, in 972, the Oeselian Vikings defeated the Icelandic Vikings in a battle over the island of Saaremaa.

In 1187, the Oeselian Vikings celebrated their greatest triumph: defeating the people of Sigtuna and destroying the city.

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Image of the Estonian version of the Lutheran catechism

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The first Estonian books came with the Reformation, which arrived in Estonia in the 1520s. It encouraged Estonians to fall back to its foundations through art and printing, which led to the publication of the first Estonian writings.

The earliest iteration of printed text in Estonian is a translation of the Lutheran catechism that was issued in 1525 in Lübeck.

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Photograph taken of the accession ceremony for countries Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

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On March 29, 2004, Estonia, having had an understanding of the dangers of international isolation, and the benefits of international cooperation, became a member of NATO.

The accession of Estonia and six other countries ( Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) was formally marked by a flag-raising ceremony on April 2, 2004.

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The only meteorite to fall on an inhabited region in the post-historic era fell on one of Estonia's many islands: the island of Saaremaa. Falling in the Kaali village, the meteorite formed a crater and a lake was formed within the crater. It is said to have been a major place of worship for ancient northern Europeans.

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The Impact Crater in Estonia; Kaali Crater

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In 1992, Lennart Meri was elected the second president of Estonia. Following Meri's election, a new constitution was adopted by the referendum.

That same year, Estonia became the first post-communist nation to implement a currency reform.

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After Valdemar IV was crowned king of Denmark, he began to collect hefty taxes to buy out his kingdom, including taxes from Danish Estonia. In April 1341, the pope demanded the viceroy of Danish Estonia to stop taxing the lands of Cistercians monasteries of Padise, Kärkna, and Gudvalla as the taxes had to be paid by everyone in Danish Estonia.

In response, the native Estonians sent an embassy to Valdemar IV to complain about the burdens and convince them to tax them less. Because they were unsuccessful in doing so, the native Estonians rebelled, and there came the Saint George's Night uprising of 1343 and 1344.

The Teutonic Knights had trouble suppressing the uprising, and the struggle worsened when the rebels joined forces with the native inhabitants of Saaremaa to revolt against the Teutonic Order.

King Valdemar IV sold Danish Estonia in 1346 only because of the uprising and because the two main royal castles were managed by the Teutonic Order.

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Art depicting the Battle of Lyndanisse in session with the Dannebrog in the sky

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The Battle of Lyndanisse and the Dannebrog | History 9

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The Battle of Lyndanisse and the Dannebrog | History 9

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The Battle of Lyndanisse is a 1219 Scandinavian battle that took place during the Danish Conquest of the German Baltic Islands, an effort spearheaded by Valdemar II of Denmark. It is said that he and his army were saved from defeat by the Estonians by the Dannebrog (a red banner with a white cross) falling from the sky as a revelation.

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Development During the 17th Century | History 11

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Development During the 17th Century | History 11

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Over the 17th century, there was considerable progress in land tenancy, wealth, education, and the arts in Estonia. It is engrained in Estonian history as 'the good old Swedish era.'

Trading on the Baltic—which is Estonia's main source of wealth—began to recover from the wars preceding this era. The city of Tallinn became prominent as a center for Sweden (who had Estonia under control at the time) to practice eastern trade, which proved to be a very lucrative industry.

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The German conquest was an invasion of Estonia spearheaded by the Order of the Brothers of the Sword: an organization established by Albert of Buxhoevden.

Over the years of Germany's conquest, Estonia decreased in manpower. In a major 1217 battle, the German knights defeated the Estonian force and killed their commander. Later on, Albert of Buxhoevden formed an alliance with King Valdemar II of Denmark in order to complete the conquest.

20 years after the battle, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword would be put under the Teutonic Order after suffering a defeat. In turn, a series of uprisings would come about and the Danish would have to sell northern Estonian control to the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order.

For the next five centuries, Germany dominated the land's government, commerce, and church.

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On July 23, 1988, thousands of Estonians in Tallinn protested against the Soviet annexation of Estonia. Another demonstration against Soviet control over Estonia occurred on September 11, 1988.

In 1989, the Estonian Supreme Soviet made Estonian the official language of Estonia and declared the 1940 annexation of Estonia to the Soviet Union invalid, and in 1990, the country changed its name from the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic to the Republic of Estonia.

On August 20, 1991, after fifty years of stagnation in the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union fell, and the Republic of Estonia was established.

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After the Germans surrendered to the Allies in 1918, the Russians invaded Estonia and  captured the nation soon after.

In 1919, the Estonians, lead by General Laidoner, fought back, and the Russians were driven out of Estonia by February of that year.

Unrest struck Estonia again in 1940, when Russia invaded the nation a second time and Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union. Russia was later invaded by Germany that same year took control of Estonia.

In September 1944, until Adolf Hitler ordered his forces to leave Estonia. Russia captured Tallinn five days later, dissolved the Estonian government, and implemented a tyrannical regime.

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In the late 19th century, Russia made attempts to Russify Estonia by forcing the Russian language upon Estonians and making it compulsory in school, which made nationalism a growing force in Estonia.

As more Estonian writings began being published, Estonians grew more and more immersed in their own culture and history. By 1905, a revolution broke out in Estonia. Many Estonians were exiled or executed.

It wasn't until 1917 after another revolution broke out that Russia became willing to grant Estonia semi-autonomy. In March of that year, Russia agreed to give Estonia some independence and Estonia became a quasi-independent nation.

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Under the control of the Teutonic Order, tenants in Estonia gained immense legal control over peasants. Over time, the tenants transformed the peasants of Estonia into serfs.

In 1740, the Russian judiciary ruled serfdom legal. Estonians rallied against this, Czar Alexander I in support of them. In 1816, he freed the Estonian serfs and ended serfdom in Estonia.

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In the 16th century, Sweden and Russia began to clash over their mutual covet for Estonia.

In 1558, Russia invaded Estonia, but before they could capture Tallinn, Sweden captured the city in 1561. Sweden won the war and drove Russia out of Estonia.

Over a century later, Sweden and Russia fought another war over Estonia: the Great Northern War. The war ended in 1521 when Sweden surrendered and ceded Estonia to the Russians.

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Photograph of Lennart meri holding the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia

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Lennart Meri | Interesting Person/Event 2

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Lennart Meri | Interesting Person/Event 2

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Lennart-Meri was an Estonian political leader who was president of Estonia from 1992 to 2001.

In 1953, Meri earned a degree in history and languages from Tartu University, and used it to document the history of Finno-Ugric peoples through his films and writings—one of them, Linnutee tuuled, being banned by the Soviet Union.

Meri founded the Estonian Institute in 1988 to promote Estonian culture and spread it throughout the Western world.

On October 5, 1992, Meri was elected president of Estonia. Throughout his presidency, he made two major decisions: first, he chose not to ratify a law that would require Russians to pass an Estonian language test in order to apply for residence permits. Second, he withdrew Russian troops from Estonia.

In 1996, he was elected to a second five-year term as president of Estonia. He left office in 2001, and later died in 2006.

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Photograph of Kelly Sildaru after winning a bronze medal at Beijing 2022

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Kelly Sildaru | Interesting Person/Event 1

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Kelly Sildaru | Interesting Person/Event 1

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Kelly Sildaru is a 20 year old Estonian Olympic skier. At just 10 years old, Sildaru landed a switch 900 at the 2012 Mayrhofen Freeski Open in Austria, which resulted in her winning the competition.

She became the youngest ever Winter X Games gold medalist in 2016. She wowed the judges when she landed the slopestyle title and would go on to secure two X Games gold medals.

By the 2020 X Games Superpipe, Sildaru had secured a total of seven X Games medals.

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Estonia was integrated into the U.S.S.R in 1940, when the Soviet Union annexed Estonia. In 1991, Estonia declared its independence and from then on it was no longer a Soviet republic.

By the summer of 1941, approximately 35,000 men were drafted into the Soviet military. In July 1941, German troops invaded Estonia and captured Narva and Tallinn by the end of August 1941.

In 1944, the Soviet Union captured Narva and Tallinn and German troops began to withdraw from Estonia.

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Photograph of a lighthouse on Kihnu Island

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The first Estonians settled along the Baltic coast just after the Ice Age ended around 9000 B.C.

The remains of ancient Estonian culture can be found on the island of Kihnu: a women-ran island in the Baltic Sea and along the Setu border region in Estonia.

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Map of the Duchy of Estonia that highlights Estonian relations with Denmark

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In the 13th century, Estonia was converted to Christianity and put under the control of Teutonic Order and Denmark.

In 1248, the Danish king granted the city of Tallinn Lübeck city rights, which would govern the capital of Estonia and all of Estonia's towns until the late 19th century.

By the 18th century, Estonia had gone through three rulers: the kings of Denmark, the kings of Sweden, and the czar of Russia.

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Singing Revolution | Interesting Person/Event 3

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Singing Revolution | Interesting Person/Event 3

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Beginning in 1987, the people of Estonia began singing national songs again, despite not being an independent nation.

In 1989, a peaceful demonstration of this revolution was held by forming a human chain of 2 million people stretching over 600 km.

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Isamaa ilu hoieldes // The Singing Revolution in Estonia

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GIF of a driver driving along a forest road in Estonia during the winter

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Estonia has an organized network of spacious roads between its cities. It is divided into national roads, local roads, and private roads, all ran by their corresponding authority figures; the Estonian Road Administration manages the construction and maintenance of national roads, localgovernments manage local roadds, and private roads are privately owned and managed.

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There are a total of 136 serviced camping areas in Estonia. Many of them are free and come with cooking services such as grills, iron kettles, and fire pits.

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Hiking Trails and Campfire Sites - A Year in Estonian Nature vol 3

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Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer born on the 11th of September, 1935.

Pärt was known for creating the musical language tintinnabuli. Tintinnabuli music combines melody and triad and is heavily concentrated so that it is reduced to only the most important parts. The first tintinnabuli works were showcased in Tallinn, Estonia.

More recently, people have begun to celebrate Arvo Pärt's legacy with concerts being held in his home towns on his birthday.

Today, Pärt, though continuing to pursue composing, lives a peaceful life in Estonia.

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Arvo Pärt - Tintinnabuli style. How to use it.

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There are a total of 25 higher education institutions in Estonia that offer a wide variety of areas of study for a comparatively low cost. Higher education is also accessible for English speakers, as there are over a hundred higher education programs offered in English.

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GIF depicting Estonia during the Christmas time

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The First Christmas Tree | Interesting Person/Event 5

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The First Christmas Tree | Interesting Person/Event 5

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It is said that in 1441, the world's first ever Christmas tree was set up in Tallinn, Estonia by the Brotherhood of Blackheads. Today, it is Estonian tradition to decorate a Christmas tree in the Town Hall Square.

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The Estonian Ways of Communication | Positive 4

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The Estonian Ways of Communication | Positive 4

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In Estonia, language barriers are a thing of the past. In Estonia, Estonian, Russian, German, Finnish, and English are all spoken. Many Estonians speak two or more languages, so communication is simple.

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Photograph of Tallinn, Estonia during the nighttime

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Estonia is a digital society. In Estonia, contracts can be signed, votes can be cast, prescriptions can be provided, and more all online. As a result of the potency of technology in Estonia, fast Wi-Fi is available for free nearly everywhere in Estonia, including some of the nation's most remote areas.

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How Safe Is Estonia for Travel? (Crime is talked about starting at 0:52)

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Petty crimes such as pickpocketing and purse snatching are common in Estonia. A few more serious crimes, such as grand theft auto, are also common in Estonia. In Estonia, many safety precautions must be taken to ensure safety from these crimes.

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Estonia has over 2,000 islands. The most popular islands in Estonia are the islands of Kihnu, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, the Seychelles, and the Maldives.

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Estonia's enchanted islands - Kihnu, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa & Co

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Photograph of an Estonian e-residency digital identity card

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In Estonia, one can obtain residency electronically. Which is great if you want to open up a business, transact goods, or make investments, but it comes with a price. Annual fees will have to be paid for e-residency and you cannot physically enter Estonia. Despite not being able to travel to Estonia, one must still pay Estonian taxes as an e-resident of the country.

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Skype was founded as a small startup in 2003 in Estonia. Estonian developers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn played big roles in bringing the vision for Skype to life.

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Credit card and ATM fraud is recurrent in Estonia. Many young Estonians are notorious for approaching foreigners at bars with the intention of committing a crime or exploiting them for their money; usually by stealing their credit card information or having them unknowingly purchase expensive things such as drinks and entertainment.

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Photograph of terracotta sculptures lined up on the walls of St. John's Lutheran Church

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St. John's Lutheran Church Sculptures | Interesting Fact 3

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St. John's Lutheran Church Sculptures | Interesting Fact 3

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In the St. John's Lutheran Church in Tartu, Estonia, medieval terracotta sculptures dating back to the 14th century can be found.

The sculptures were damaged by a Soviet bombing raid in 1944, but they were eventually restored in 2005.

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Photograph of a town in Estonia showcasing the country's unique architecture

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The Identity of Estonia | Interesting Fact 4

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The Identity of Estonia | Interesting Fact 4

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Estonia is unique in its identity; its architecture, language, culture, has remained unique to Estonia, even with influence from neighboring countries. Much of Estonia's architecture has existed for centuries.

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Estonia is very fixed on the conservation of nature and air; over half of Estonia is made up of forests and is among the greenest nations in the world. The forests of Estonia are home to creatures such as lynxes, brown bears, and wolves.

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Image of an apartment complex in Estonia

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Vacancy is scarce in Estonia. For many Estonians, hiring an agent is essential to locating vacant homes for purchase. And, though rent is typically quite affordable in Estonia, hiring a broker is a very expensive task.

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The winter season is very harsh in Estonia. It typically lasts four to five months, from November to March. During the winter, temperatures can get as low as 44°C, and daylight hours tend to be brief. Estonia is notorious for suffering stronger precipitation and harsher winds during the winter.