Tallinn was once known as Reval and was one of the famed Hanseatic League cities. Eiight Hundred years ago, these cities transformed trade and commerce in Mediaeval Northern Europe, setting the power of the merchants against that of the kings and the nobles. And so began a process which changed the world for ever, toppling the Divine Right of kings and bringing us the joys of modern capitalism.
Nowadays, Tallinn's Old Town is ruled by tourists, the fine gabled merchant's houses now transformed into restaurants and souvenir shops( when they do not house apartments). The cobbled streets are thronged with pestillential guided tour groups. But step off the main drag, into the cobbled lanes, and the storied history still speaks from red tiles and stone walls.
Nowadays, Tallinn's Old Town is ruled by tourists, the fine gabled merchant's houses now transformed into restaurants and souvenir shops( when they do not house apartments). The cobbled streets are thronged with pestillential guided tour groups. But step off the main drag, into the cobbled lanes, and the storied history still speaks from red tiles and stone walls.