Introduction to Tallinn, Estonia

The port city of TALLINN, Estonia's compact capital, has been shaped by nearly a millennium of outside influence. Its name, derived from the Estonian for "Danish Fort" (taani linnus), is a reminder of the fact that the city was founded by the Danes at the beginning of the thirteenth century, and since that time political control has nearly always been in the hands of foreigners. The Germans have undoubtedly had the most lasting influence on the city; Tallinn was one of the leading cities of the Hanseatic League, the German-dominated association of Baltic trading cities, and for centuries it was known to the outside world by its German name, Reval. Even when Estonia was ruled by the kings of Sweden and the tsars of Russia, the city's public life was controlled by the German nobility, and its commerce run by German merchants. Today reminders of foreign rule abound in the streets of Tallinn, where each of the city's one-time rulers have left their mark.

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