Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn is the capital and largest city in Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia on the Gulf of Finland. The city is an important industrial, political and cultural center and seaport.

On 24 February 1918, the Independence Manifesto was proclaimed in Tallinn, followed by Imperial German occupation and a war of independence with Russia. On 2 February 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed with Soviet Russia, wherein Russia acknowledged the independence of the Estonian Republic. Tallinn became the capital of an independent Estonia. After World War II started, Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1940, and later occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941-44. After Nazi retreat in 1944, it was occupied by the USSR again. After annexation into the Soviet Union, Tallinn became the capital of the Estonian SSR.

In August 1991 an independent democratic Estonian state was re-established and a period of quick development to a modern European capital ensued. Tallinn became the capital of a de facto independent country once again on August 20, 1991. It was at this point,, in this little country's history that the people of Estonia stood on the border of the state holding hands and declared their independence.

Tallinn, Estonia was the second stop on our Baltic cruise. As you can read in the brief history above that Estonia has struggled to become and be it's own independent state. As we toured this city our tour guide shared some of the facts of today. She stated that Estonia has a flat income tax system. Starting in 1991 at 28% and is at 21% today. The goal of their flat tax is to be 18% for each citizen of their country. This small state and country has a lot to teach us about manging money. Estonia is a well run, benefit providing state.

We visited the old town in Tallinn with only a glimpse of the city. Cruises are great for letting you see if you would like to visit a place again or not. The church we went to was decorated with the Coat of Arms of the old families. I were not suppose to take pictures, but I had to sneak a few. Every old town in Europe has a castle. The pink building is the town hall or city hall.

The funniest things catch my eye. Tell me what you think I thought when I saw the picture above. Click on the photo to view a few pictures from Tallinn, Estonia.