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Toompea (or "Cathedral Hill") is a limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 hill
Hill

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct Summit , although in areas with Escarpment a hill may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit ....
 in the central part of the city of Tallinn
Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Estonia and of Harju County. It occupies a surface of 159.2 km? in which 397,617 inhabitants live....
, the capital of Estonia
Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden across the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russia ....
. It is about 20-30 meters higher than the city around it and covers an area of about 400 by 250 meters. In folklore the hill is known as the tumulus
Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of Soil and Rock s raised over a Grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, H?gelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world....
 mound over the grave of Kalev
Kalev (mythology)

In Estonian mythology and Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald epic poem "Kalevipoeg", king Kalev was the father of king Kalevipoeg and the husband of Linda ....
, erected in his memory by his grieving wife. It is now the center of the Government of Estonia and the Riigikogu
Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu. In addition to approving legislation, the Riigikogu appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister of Estonia and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia, and elects the President of Estonia....
 (parliament).

first wooden castle, Lindanise, is believed to have been built on the hill in either the 10th or 11th century by residents of the ancient Estonian county of Revalia.






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Toompea (or "Cathedral Hill") is a limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 hill
Hill

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct Summit , although in areas with Escarpment a hill may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit ....
 in the central part of the city of Tallinn
Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Estonia and of Harju County. It occupies a surface of 159.2 km? in which 397,617 inhabitants live....
, the capital of Estonia
Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden across the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russia ....
. It is about 20-30 meters higher than the city around it and covers an area of about 400 by 250 meters. In folklore the hill is known as the tumulus
Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of Soil and Rock s raised over a Grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, H?gelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world....
 mound over the grave of Kalev
Kalev (mythology)

In Estonian mythology and Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald epic poem "Kalevipoeg", king Kalev was the father of king Kalevipoeg and the husband of Linda ....
, erected in his memory by his grieving wife. It is now the center of the Government of Estonia and the Riigikogu
Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu. In addition to approving legislation, the Riigikogu appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister of Estonia and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia, and elects the President of Estonia....
 (parliament).

History

The first wooden castle, Lindanise, is believed to have been built on the hill in either the 10th or 11th century by residents of the ancient Estonian county of Revalia. It was probably one of the first inhabited areas of what later became Tallinn.

In 1219, the castle was taken over by Danish
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 crusaders
Northern Crusades

The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian Brothers of the Sword and Teutonic Knights military orders, and their allies against the paganism peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea....
 - led by Valdemar II. According to a legend very popular among Danes, the very first flag of Denmark
Flag of Denmark

File:Flag of Denmark.svgFile:Dannebrog.jpgThe national flag of Denmark, Dannebrog, is red with a white Nordic Cross Flag that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side....
 (Dannebrog) fell from the sky during the critical stage of the battle
Battle of Lyndanisse

The Battle of Lyndanisse took place on June 15, 1219.Under pretext of helping the Crusades in Palestine, the Danish king Valdemar II Sejr defeated the Estonians at Lyndanisse under orders from the Pope....
 which was fought near the castle, resulting in Danish victory over the Estonians.

The Toompea castle (Castrum Danorum
Castrum Danorum

Toompea Castle is a castle on the limestone hill of Toompea in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which for a time was also one of the names for the whole settlement of Tallinn during the times of Danish Estonia in the 13th and 14th centuries....
) is topped by the Pikk Hermann ("Tall Hermann") tower. The tower's first part was built 1360-70, rebuilt taller in the 16th century. The flag on the top of the tower is one of the best-known symbols of the government in force.

During the subsequent different rulers (Teutonic Order, Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
, Imperial Russia) Toompea, as a separate town (Dom zu Reval) under its own administration was able to retain a variety of special rights and privileges, the last of which remained in the books until 1889. Toompea was joined with Tallinn ("lower town") in 1878. Particular private law
Private law

Private law is that part of a legal system that involves relationships between individuals. This includes the law of contracts or torts and the law of obligations....
 was in force for Toompea until 1944.

The much-rebuilt Toompea castle - originally consisting of the governor's palace, the medieval fortress and the expressionist parliament building - is nowadays housing the Estonian Parliament
Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu. In addition to approving legislation, the Riigikogu appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister of Estonia and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia, and elects the President of Estonia....
. The facade of the classicist governor's palace dominates Lossi plats ("Castle square"), where the Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox Church Church in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire....
, completed in 1900 in an immediately recognizable Russian style
Russian architecture

Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in the Eastern Slavic state of Kievan Rus'. After the Mongol invasion of Rus, Russian architectural history continued in the principalities of Vladimir-Suzdal, and Novgorod Republic, and the succeeding states of Tsardom of Moscow, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and...
, overtops it. Other notable sites in Toompea include the building of the Government of Estonia (also known as "The Stenbock House"), the Lutheran Cathedral (Toomkirik
St Mary's cathedral of Tallinn

St Mary's Cathedral of Tallinn is a church located on Toompea in Tallinn, Estonia. Originally established by Danes on 13th century, it is the oldest church in Tallinn and mainland Estonia....
) from which the name Toompea (Domberg) was originally derived and the building of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
Estonian Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1938, the Estonian Academy of Sciences is Estonia's national academy of science. As with other national academies, it is an independent group of well-known scientists whose stated aim is to promote research and development, encourage international scientific cooperation, and disseminate knowledge to the public....
 (former seat of the local German cultural self-government).

See also


  • Mõigu cemetery
    Mõigu cemetery

    The M?igu cemetery , ) was a large Baltic German cemetery, located in the Tallinn suburb of M?igu in Estonia. It served as the primary burial ground for the usually wealthy and noble citizens of the Toompea parish of Tallinn....


Photos and videos

  • of the Toompea Castle