UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Estonia
Estonia has 1 site on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1 cultural), the first inscribed in 1997 (Tallinn Old Town). The map below plots it alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 1
- Cultural
- 1
- Natural and Mixed
- 0
- First Inscribed
- 1997
Map of World Heritage Sites in Estonia
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Estonia. Click a dot to read about the site.
Tallinn Old Town
Estonia · 59.4372° N, 24.7453° E · 1 km² · 1 km from Tallinn
Tallinn Old Town (Estonian: Tallinna vanalinn) is the oldest part of Tallinn, Estonia. Old Town of Tallinn has managed to wholly preserve its structure of medieval and Hanseatic origin. Old Town represents an exceptionally intact 13th century city plan. Since 1997, the area has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The old town is bordered by the Walls of Tallinn. Its area is 113 ha and there is a buffer zone of 2,253 ha.
The majority of the Old Town's structures were built during the 13th–16th centuries.
During World War II, while the German army occupied Estonia in 1941–1944, Tallinn Old Town suffered from several instances of aerial bombing by the Soviet air force. During the most destructive Soviet bombing raid on 9–10 March 1944, over a thousand incendiary bombs were dropped on Tallinn, causing widespread fires, destroying about 10% of the buildings in the Old Town, killing hundreds, and leaving over 20,000 people without shelter.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Tallinn Old Town (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Tallinn Old Town Is Listed
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
More about Tallinn Old Town
UNESCO's Description
The origins of Tallinn date back to the 13th century, when a castle was built there by the crusading knights of the Teutonic Order. It developed as a major centre of the Hanseatic League, and its wealth is demonstrated by the opulence of the public buildings (the churches in particular) and the domestic architecture of the merchants' houses, which have survived to a remarkable degree despite the ravages of fire and war in the intervening centuries.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
World Heritage in Estonia: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Estonia?
- Estonia has 1 World Heritage Site: 1 cultural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Estonia?
- Tallinn Old Town, inscribed in 1997.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Estonia in danger?
- None of the World Heritage Sites in Estonia is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.