Tallinn Coastal Tales: The Three Ls That Changed History

We walk along Tallinn’s seafront, from Noblessner to the Linnahall, tracing its long, complicated relationship with the water. Once a military-industrial frontier, closed off and controlled, today it is a city rediscovering its shoreline. We pass Patarei Sea Fortress, which was first built to defend the empire and later used to imprison its own people. We stand atop Linnahall, a Soviet monument to ambition, grand, imposing, and now fading into memory. Moving along the shore, we see how the city is opening itself to the sea once more, replacing old barriers with promenades, harbors, and open horizons. The waterfront is a place of shifting tides, not just of water but of history. Let’s walk through its past, its present, and the future taking shape before us.