Architecture of Estonia

Architecture of Estonia today represents a travel through time. The old town of Tallinn, a historic Hanseatic town called "Reval", the capital of Estonia is one of the world's best preserved medieval architectural ensembles, UNESCO's World Heritage Site site since 1997. The countryside retains around 2000 historic manors representing a range of styles from Neo-Baroque and neo-Classicist to Tudor. [http://books.google.com/books?id=IpR0-OrrwssC&pg Culture And Customs of the Baltic States By Kevin O'Connor] ] Castles such as Toompea Castle, Hermann Castle and Kuressaare Castle are among the best preserved medieval fortresses in Estonia.Tallinn possesses many of the Baltic regions oldest churches such as St. Olaf's church the a tallest building in Europe in the 16th century [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=_WDjgeCIkqQC&pg=PA54&dq=St.+Olaf%27s+church+tallest&sig=ACfU3U2RI7JpVoDejs-cWUQmMdcleDuz5Q#PPA54,M1 A Hedonist's Guide to Tallinn By Laurence Shorter] ] , St. Nicholas' Church. Tallinn's old Town Hall "Raekoda" is the oldest Gothic building in Estonia. On the Town Hall Square examples of Gothic civic architecture can still be seen.
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn is an example of Russian Revival style from the 19th century when Estonia was a governorate of Russian Empire.

The center of preserved neo-Classicist architecture is Tartu, the Town Hall and surrounding buildings from the 18 century. The main building of University of Tartu (1803-09) is an example of High Classicism.

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