The museum is well worth the trip for art lovers, or for anyone intrigued by the unique spirit of this tiny nation. Mati Rumessen Mati Rumessen is a top-notch guide, especially for car tours inside or outside of town. Song Festival Grounds At this open-air theater, built in 1959 and resembling an oversized Hollywood Bowl, the Estonian nation gathers to sing. Every five years, these grounds host a huge national song festival with 25, 000 singers and 100, 000 spectators. The singers don traditional outfits and march to the Song Festival Grounds from Freedom Square.
Stepping off the boat in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, you feel you've traveled a long way culturally from Finland. It's a mix of east and west. Tallinn's Nordic Lutheran culture and language connect it with Stockholm and Helsinki. But two centuries of czarist Russian rule and nearly 50 years as part of the Soviet Union have blended in a distinctly Russian flavor. Finns and Estonians share a similar history — first Swedish domination, then Russian, then independence after World War I. Until 1940, the Estonians were about as affluent as the Finns. But then Estonia was gobbled up by an expanding Soviet Empire and spent the decades after World War II under communism. When the USSR fell, Estonia regained its freedom, and in 2004 it joined the European Union. Tallinn has modernized at an astounding rate since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Agricola's Bible is to Finland what the Luther Bible is to Germany, and the King James Bible is to the English-speaking world. Nearby, also overlooking Helsinki, is the Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral. It faces the Lutheran Cathedral much as Russian culture faces Europe. Built in 1868 for the Russians back when Finland belonged to Russia, its main dome represents the "sacred heart of Jesus, " while the smaller ones represent the hearts of the 12 apostles. Today this is the spiritual home of the city's Finnish Orthodox community.
The monument is built on solid rock, as is so much of Finland. Sibelius, who composed in the late 19th century and early 20th, wrote music that stirred the national soul. His music — like paintings by Finland's romantic artists hanging in the national gallery [a. k. a. the Ateneum] — evokes the vast forest land, mythic legends, deep pagan roots, and heroic struggles of a stoic nation. Music and art that is uniquely Finnish contribute to the staying power of this small country of five million. A selection of ferries make the 50-mile crossing between Helsinki and Tallinn nearly hourly. Because of the ease of this delightful two-hour cruise and the variety a quick trip over to Estonia adds to your Nordic travels, pairing Helsinki and Tallinn is a natural.
Live Score, Stream and H2H results 8/19/1937. Preview match Finland vs Estonia, team, start time. Tribuna. comTeamLineupsListSubsSubsHead coachHead coachHead - to - HeadLast 0 gamesFinland0Wins0DrawsEstonia 0WinsAll matchesLatest matches Finland0Full-Time2Finland GermanyWorld Cup Qualification. Tuesday, 29 June, 19374Full-Time0Sweden FinlandWorld Cup Qualification. Wednesday, 16 June, 1937Latest matches Estonia 7Full-Time2Sweden Estonia World Cup Qualification.
Its business district shines with the same glass-and-steel gleam you'll find in any modern city. Yet nearby are the rugged and fully intact medieval walls, and the town within these ramparts has a beautifully preserved Old World ambience. Among medieval cities in the north of Europe, none are as well-preserved as Tallinn. The Town Hall Square was a marketplace through the centuries. It's fine old buildings are a reminder that Tallinn was once an important medieval trading center. Today it's a touristy scene full of people just having fun.
The staircase leading up to the cathedral is a popular meeting — and tanning — spot. This is where students from the nearby university gather... and couples meet. With its stately dome and statues of 12 apostles, the Lutheran Cathedral overlooks the city and harbor. Finished in 1852, its austerity is striking. I like to take a moment, surrounded by Finland's great reformers, to savor Neoclassical simplicity.