Tallinn | Buildings

Tallinn

About Tallinn

Population

401,821 in city
505,000 in metro

Size

147 km² (57 mi²)

Altitude

22 m

Tallinn (recent historical name: Reval) is the capital city and main seaport of Estonia, located on Estonia's north coast to the Gulf of Finland, 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. First mentioned in 1154, when Tallinn was marked on the world map of the Almoravid cartographer al-Idrisi. In 1285, the city became the northernmost member of the Hanseatic League. Medieval Tallinn enjoyed a strategic position at the crossroads of trade between Western and Northern Europe and Russia. The city, with a population of 8,000, was very well fortified with city walls and 66 defense towers. Before Independence Manifesto on February 24, 1918, the city was conquered by Danish, Swedish, and Russian authorities. After manifesto, Estonia experienced a German occupation and a war of independence with Russia. On February 2, 1920, Tallinn became the capital of the independent Estonia. When World War II started, Estonia was occupied by the USSR in 1940 and later occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941-44. In 1944, after Nazi regime, Estonia was occupied by the USSR again which extensively bombed the city centre and old town. About 8,000 buildings were destroyed. During the Soviet era new suburbs were built to accommodate the massive immigration from Russia. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia was one of the first countries to restore its independence. In August 1991, an independent democratic Estonian state was re-established and Estonia’s economy and politics were turned back to the west. Major investments came to Tallinn. Besides traditional economical sectors, Tallinn has also seen development of an information technology sector. The New York Times characterized Estonia as "a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea.” Due to its dramatic history, the city is full of architectural contrasts. The picturesque old town and city centre co-exist with new towers of glass and steel. All of this diversity has made Tallinn a massive museum of architecture.

Zones

Tornimäe (20)

Boroughs

Haabersti (27), Kesklinn (100), Kristiine (5), Lasnamäe (31), Mustamäe (24), Nõmme (3), Pirita (2), Põhja-Tallinn (8)

Metro Cities

Keila, Maardu, Saue, Tallinn

No. of Buildings

No.	Current status
274	All Buildings
252	existing
3	under construction
12	planned
6	unbuilt
1	demolished

Tallest Buildings

#	Building	Height	Year
1	Swissotel Tallinn	384 ft	2007
2	Tornimäe	371 ft	2006
3	Maakri Torn	361 ft	2018
4	Radisson SAS Hotel	338 ft	2001
5	SEB Pank	310 ft	1999

Building types

No.	Type
129	high-rise building
113	low-rise building
9	church
7	skyscraper
5	open-air structure
3	stadium
2	building with towers
1	bridge
1	hall
1	telecommunications tower
1	observation tower
1	guard tower
1	water tower

Other buildings

No.	Type
19	Famous buildings
23	Buildings with construction images