Estonia

Capital - Tallinn
Population – 1.3m
Currency – Euro

The Republic of Estonia is the Baltic region of northern Europe bordered by Russia and Latvia, and is across the sea from Finland whose language is closely linked to Estonian. The Roman historian Tacitus was the first to mention the region, referring to Aesti in his book “Germania” of 98AD. The name comes from a Scandinavian term “Estland”.

In its time, Estonia has been part of a wider Swedish Empire and more recently the Russian Empire after the Great Northern War in the early 19th century. The Bolshevik revolution of 1917 resulted in Estonia declaring independence a year later which lasted only 22 years until the German-Soviet non-aggression past effectively handed over the country to Stalin’s Armies in 1940, literally at about the same time as Hitler drove in to Paris. Estonia was then illegally annexed by the Soviet Union. Any resistance by citizens led to the death penalty.

When the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviets thousands of young men were drafted without choice into the Soviet army. Only a quarter survived the war. Under German occupation, the called Ostland, all the countries natural resources were consumed by the Nazis to fight the war.

The Red Army re-took Estonia in 1944 and the country remained under Soviet rule until 1989. Until that time the western powers had always considered the annexation illegal and so were ready to accept Estonia as an independent country in 1991.

Most visitors to Estonia will visit Tallinn, the capital, whose centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Accession to the European Union and its adaption of the Euro has made it very accessible to western tourists. The main attraction is Toompea, the upper old town, All-lin, the lower town, Kadriorg Palace, the former Palace of Peter the Great, and Pirita where part of the 1980 Olympics were staged. 

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