Located on the Gulf of Finland about 80 kilometers south of Helsinki, Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, and also its largest city. Today the population of Tallinn is over four hundred thousand but mankind has been inhabiting this area for about five thousand years, as evidenced by excavated shards of pottery dating to three thousand B.C.
Tallinn played an important role in history. It was an important sea-port town and integral to trade between Russia and Scandinavia, and by the mid fourteenth century it was a well populated and fortified town.
Several turbulent centuries of rule followed, with Estonia changing hands several times until August of 1991, when the independent state of Estonia was established and very quickly developed into a modern European city.
Such a wealth of history can clearly be seen in three distinct parts of Tallinn, one of which is home to the famous Tallinn Christmas Market. The Old Town was the epicenter of trade in medieval times, and the foundation from which the wealth of the city grew. Today, it is an important historic center as many of the buildings and much of the architecture has been preserved in the historical core of the city.
The Tallinn Christmas Market is among the most popular in Europe and was founded in the year Estonia regained its independence. Since 1991, this market has flourished until today it is visited by over two hundred thousand visitors per season.
Located in one of the oldest parts of Tallinn, the market is held on the historic Town Hall Square. The Town Hall is the oldest medieval town hall still in existence in Northern Europe. Built in the fifteenth century, this architecture lends a semblance of magic to the Christmas Market as the entire site is infused with antiquity.
The Tallinn Christmas Market runs from the last week of November through to the first week in January. This is to accommodate the Julian calendar whereby Christmas Eve falls on January 7th in the Russian Orthodox Church.
The market is called joulutorg by the locals, and not only can traditional Christmas crafts and goods sold during the market, but one can also find slippers, ceramics, glassware, wood and wickerwork, quilts, candles and more. In addition there is a plethora of food to be had: soups, sausages, sauerkraut, gingerbread, nuts, cookies, marzipan and other sweets to name a few, all washed down with traditional mulled wine.
A giant Christmas tree is in the center of the square, and lights and festive music create a magical atmosphere. Every weekend during the market there are cultural events planned such as traditional singing, dancing and poetry recitals.
For the children there is a house and post office for Santa where Christmas desires can be whispered in his ear or letters posted for him to receive via mail. If he’s not holding court in his house, then Santa can often be found wandering around the market having his picture taken with the kids or just discussing Christmas dreams.
The Tallinn Christmas Market is a infusion of history and modernism; there is no doubt that the history of Tallinn plays a large part in creating the ambiance. Long cold snowy nights of strolling through the cheerily lit Town Hall Square are certainly reminiscent of medieval times, but this is blended well with a city that has rushed to modernize since regaining its independence as a separate European country.
photo credits: d.aniela