National Tokens by country...

SAAREMAA - Kuressaare Saaremaa

Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago (Moonsund archipelago). The capital of the island is Kuressaare, which has about 15,000 inhabitants; the whole island has over 39,000 inhabitants.

According to archaeological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least 5000 years. Sagas talk about numerous skirmishes between islanders and Vikings. Saaremaa was the wealthiest county of ancient Estonia and the home of notorious Estonian pirates, sometimes called the Eastern Vikings. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia describes a fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Osilians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden, then belonging to Denmark. In 1206, King Valdemar II of Denmark built a fortress on the island but found no volunteers to man it. The Danes burned it themselves and left.

In 1227, Saaremaa was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword during the Livonian Crusade, but remained a hotbed of Estonian resistance. The crusaders founded the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek there. When the Order was defeated by the Lithuanian army in the Battle of Saule in 1236, the Saaremaa islanders rebelled. The conflict was ended by a treaty that was signed by the Osilians and the Master of the Order. In the following year, the Sword-Brothers were absorbed into the Teutonic Order.

Most of Saaremaa was ruled directly by the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, while some parts were enfeoffed to the Livonian Order. In 1559, the bishopric and Saaremaa were sold to Denmark, becoming part of Danish Estonia. From 1570 until 1645 the entire island was under Danish possession.

In 1645, Saaremaa was ceded from Denmark to Sweden by the Treaty of Brömsebro. In 1721, along with the rest of Livonia, Saaremaa (then known by its Swedish name of Ösel) was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Treaty of Nystad, becoming a part of the Governorate of Livonia. In 1840 the first spa opened in Kuressaare (then known as Arensburg), and the town became a resort for Russians and Baltic Germans.

In World War I, the Estonian islands were conquered by Imperial German Army in October 1917 and occupied (Operation Albion) until the end of hostilities. Estonia became independent after the October Revolution and the collapse of the Russian Empire. As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the new state was incorporated into the Soviet Union in June 1940 as the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. Most of the Baltic German population of the island was evacuated to Germany following the Pact. The island was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941 (Operation Beowulf); German troops remained there until expelled by the Red Army in the Moonzund Landing Operation in October and November 1944. In 1946, Saaremaa was declared a restricted zone, closed to foreigners and to most mainland Estonians. It remained a restricted area until 1989.

Estonian independence was regained on August 20, 1991, in the collapse of the Soviet Union.

• Location information
• www.saaremaamuuseum.ee

TALLINN - Estonian Open Air Museum

The Estonian Open Air Museum is a life-sized reconstruction of an 18th century rural/fishing village, which comes complete with church, inn, schoolhouse, several mills, a fire station, twelve farmyards and net sheds. The site spans 79 hectares of land and contains 72 separate buildings and is located 8km to the west of Tallinn city center at Rocca al Mare. Established in 1957, the museum showcases 68 farmhouses assembled into twelve farmyards from North, South and West Estonia.

Along with the farmyards, old public buildings are arranged singularly and in groups in a way that represents an overview of Estonian vernacular architecture of the past two centuries.

• Location information
• www.evm.ee

TALLINN - Kiek in de kök - Knight

Kiek in de Kök (low German Peep into the Kitchen) is an old German language nickname for towers, mainly those which were parts of town fortifications. They gained the name from the ability of the tower occupants to literally see what's cooking in the kitchens of nearby houses.

Due to the history of the Hanseatic League and the Teutonic Order, also towers far outside modern Germany bear this name, like in Gdansk and Tallinn.

The tower located in Tallinn is an artillery tower built in 1475. It is 38 m high and has walls 4 m thick. Cannon balls dating back to 1577 are still embedded in its outer walls.

Throughout its working life, the tower was extensively remodelled. Work in the 16th and 17th centuries saw the two lowest floors become hidden by earth works and the upper floors receive new gun openings and the uppermost floor a new outer wall and ceiling. By 1760, the tower had become obsolete. At this time it became a repository for archives and some floors were converted to apartments.

20th century restoration work saw the tower and surrounding area returned to a more historical look. The tower now serves as a museum and photographic gallery.

• Location information
• http://linnamuuseum.ee/kok/en/ 
  http://linnamuuseum.ee/kok/en/passages-under-the-bastions/

TALLINN - Kiek in de Kök - Tower

Kiek in de Kök (low German Peep into the Kitchen) is an old German language nickname for towers, mainly those which were parts of town fortifications. They gained the name from the ability of the tower occupants to literally see what's cooking in the kitchens of nearby houses.

Due to the history of the Hanseatic League and the Teutonic Order, also towers far outside modern Germany bear this name, like in Gdansk and Tallinn.

The tower located in Tallinn is an artillery tower built in 1475. It is 38 m high and has walls 4 m thick. Cannon balls dating back to 1577 are still embedded in its outer walls.

Throughout its working life, the tower was extensively remodelled. Work in the 16th and 17th centuries saw the two lowest floors become hidden by earth works and the upper floors receive new gun openings and the uppermost floor a new outer wall and ceiling. By 1760, the tower had become obsolete. At this time it became a repository for archives and some floors were converted to apartments.

20th century restoration work saw the tower and surrounding area returned to a more historical look. The tower now serves as a museum and photographic gallery.

• Location information
• tp://linnamuuseum.ee/kok/en/ 
  http://linnamuuseum.ee/kok/en/passages-under-the-bastions/

TALLINN - Laulukaar

The Tallinn Song Stage was built in 1959 for arranging the Song Festivals. The stage was meant to hold over 15 000 singers but it’s also possible to use it the other way – the performance will take place in front of the stage and audience is sitting on the stage.

The indoor rooms can be used as a backstage area during the concerts but those are also suitable for all kind of events, parties, concerts, banquettes, fairs, exhibitions etc.

In the northern side of the song stage there is 42 m high fire tower, which is used during the famous Song Festivals. It is also opened for the public all year long.

• Location information
• www.lauluvaljak.ee

TALLINN - Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour Building

The Seaplane Harbour is a new maritime museum that has opened in Tallinn on May 11th 2012.

The museum comprises of more than a couple of hundred large exhibits in unique seaplane hangars.

The Seaplane Harbour is a treasure chest of marine history that hides incredible stories from above, below and on the water!

The submarine Lembit, the Suur Tõll steam icebreaker, …  all worth a visit!  

• Location information

• www.lennusadam.eu

TALLINN - Lennusadam Seaplane Harbour Submarine

• Location information
• http://www.lennusadam.eu/en/ 

TALLINN - Mustela Lutreola

The European mink, Mustela lutreola, is a critically endangered small carnivore in Europe. It once inhabited a vast territory from the Ural mountains to eastern Spain and from central Finland to the Black Sea. Since the beginning of the 20th century its range has decreased drastically. At present, isolated populations can be found in only one-fifth of its former range. The species' disappearance is caused by multiple factors like loss of habitats, overexploitation and, above all, the impact of the alien American mink,Mustela vison, through competition for resources and direct aggression. The species is likely to go extinct if the conservation measures fail.

The European mink is included in Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Habitat as a species needing strict protection. In the IUCN Action Plan For Conservation of Mustelids and Viverrids, it is considered a high priority species to preserve.

The Tallinn Zoo is one of the few places where you can see the now endangered European Mink.

• Location information
• http://www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/waza-conservation-projects/overview/saving-the-european-mink-through-combined-ex-situ-and-in-situ-efforts-europe

TALLINN - Old Thomas

Old Thomas (Estonian: Vana Toomas) is one of the symbols and guardian of the city Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

A weather vane, the figure of an old warrior called Old Thomas was put on top of the spire of the Tallinn's Town Hall in 1530. According to the legend, the real life model for the weather vane was a peasant boy who excelled at the springtime parrot shooting contests involving firing crossbow bolts at a painted wooden bird on top of a pole, organized by Tallinn's Baltic German elite at the time. Unable to receive a prize owing due to his low-born status, Toomas was rewarded with the job of town guard for life.

Subsequently immortalized in copper, Toomas continues to watch over Tallinn and its citizens. In 1944 Old Thomas was hit at the time of the March bombardment. The burnt spire was reconstructed and a new copy of Old Thomas erected in 1952. In 1996 the spire was renovated and the third Old Thomas figure was put to guard Tallinn. The original weather vane is kept in the Town Hall. The one erected in 1952 is shown at the Tallinn City Museum.

• Location information
• www.tourism.tallinn.ee

TALLINN - Tallinn town hall

Tallinn`s late Gothic Town Hall building is one of the most famed symbols of the city, recognized throughout Estonia as a venerable, unique architectural treasure.

The Town Hall was established on the central square, probably at the beginning of 13th century. In 1402-1404 the building was substantially reconstructed. The exterior we know today dates from this period, and the basic room plan has also been preserved, as it was reconstructed for hosting receptions.

The second floor was and still is the main floor, where the Citizen`s Hall, the Council Hall, a small kitchen and chancery are located and where festive receptions and concerts are held, just as they were in the Medieval days.

The three-nave cellar hall is open to citizens and guests today as an exhibit hall. The weathervane at the top of the tallest tower of the Town Hall is called *Vana Toomas* (Old Thomas), the famous symbol of Tallinn city.

• Location information

• www.tourism.tallinn.ee

TALLINN - Tallinn Zoo - Loomaaed

Tallinn Zoo holds the best collection of mountain goats and sheep in the world. They have an outstanding number of eagles and vultures and a remarkable collection of owl and crane species. As to other animal groups, the choice is more modest. However, they can claim without boasting that during their existence of a bit more than 70 years they have managed to assemble the most fascinating zoo collection in Northern Europe.

• Location information
• www.tallinnzoo.ee

TALLINN - Tallinn Zoo - Loomaaed 2

Tallinn Zoo holds the best collection of mountain goats and sheep in the world. They have an outstanding number of eagles and vultures and a remarkable collection of owl and crane species. As to other animal groups, the choice is more modest. However, they can claim without boasting that during their existence of a bit more than 70 years they have managed to assemble the most fascinating zoo collection in Northern Europe.

• Location information

• www.tallinnzoo.ee 

TALLINN - Tallinn Zoo Eagle

• Location information

• www.tallinnzoo.ee

TALLINN - Tallinn Zoo Rhinoceros

• Location information

• www.tallinnzoo.ee

TALLINN - Tallinn, Hansa City

It is a historic city dating back to the medieval times and it was first recorded on a world map in 1154, although the first fortress was built on Toompea in 1050. In 1219, the city was conquered by Valdemar II of Denmark, but it was soon sold to the Hanseatic League in 1285. The city, known as Reval at the time, prospered as a trading town in the 14th century, and much of Tallinn's historic center was built at this time.

At the historical heart of the city is the hill of Toompea, covered in cobbled streets and filled with medieval houses and alleyways. The lower town spreads out from the foot of the hill, still protected by the remnants of a city wall. Around the city wall is a series of well-maintained green parks, great for strolling.

Tallinn's astonishingly well preserved old town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. Since independence, improving air and sea transport links with Western Europe and Estonia's accession to the European Union have made Tallinn easily accessible to tourists.

• Location information

• http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/

TARTU - University of Tartu

Regarded by many Estonians as the country's "national university", it is the highest-ranked university in Estonia as well as one of the highest-ranked in former Eastern Europe. The University of Tartu was established by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632, thus being the second oldest university in the region after Vilnius University.

The university’s four museums, its Botanical Gardens and sports facilities are, by and large, open to the general public. The University possesses some 150 buildings, 30 of which are outside of Tartu. 31 of its buildings decorate the city as architectural monuments.

• Location information

• http://www.ut.ee/