Hidden Tallinn

Tallinn’s famously beautiful old town attracts many visitors. I too get lost in the cobbled lanes, admiring the pastel colored houses. Especially during spring time, when it’s a little more quiet and slow paced. But there’s much more to explore in Estonia’s capital than beautiful architecture. Come with me on a walk to some of Tallinn’s more hidden and less pretty places of interest.

When you turn your back on the busy city center and keep walking along the coast, past the harbor with ferries to Helsinki, Stockholm and St Petersburg, you’ll eventually reach Maarjamäe Palace. On the estate’s grounds lie, tossed away and half-forgotten, monuments of a dark time. Statues of Lenin, Stalin and others can be found here, some tilted over, made of metal and marble. It’s not an official exhibition and yet a thought-provoking reminder of history.

Another remnant of the Soviet era can be found at the harbor. Strangely it is easy to walk past this place without noticing it, despite its great size: Linnahall, a concrete amphitheatre, was built for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Now it sits quietly by the Baltic Sea, abandoned ever since. Climb the massive stairs up to the rooftop to see Tallinn from a different perspective. The lively city might seem very far suddenly, as you're trying to take in the huge empty space around you.

Most fascinating in Tallinn, like in any city, are the people who live here. Maybe you'll have the chance to meet some of them in the hostel kitchen, like I did.
I get to know a medley of expats: A Brazilian, Swedes, Finns. They share their coffee, cigarettes and store-bought cheesecake with me. All of them have left their home-countries for one reason or another. Now they’re living out of their suitcases, working odd jobs. The stories they tell are bittersweet. Still, it’s cozy hanging out with them. Listening, joking. It turns midnight and someone makes new coffee. And for the moment it seems they have found a home. Here, in Tallinn.