German Tallinn: Free Walking Tour Through Centuries

For centuries Tallinn was shaped by a German-speaking community known as the Baltic Germans. Their influence can still be seen in the city’s schools, architecture, trade institutions, and even in the stories of global exploration. This walking tour follows that legacy through the streets of Tallinn’s Old Town. Starting on Toompea Hill, we explore the institutions that educated Baltic German elites and the explorers who sailed from the Baltic to the Pacific and Antarctica. Descending into the Lower Town, we encounter the world of German-language newspapers, Art Nouveau architects, and the merchants of the Hanseatic League. The walk ends at the Great Coastal Gate, where in 1939 thousands of Baltic Germans departed Tallinn during the Umsiedlung, closing a seven-hundred-year chapter of the city’s history.