Doubilet-Benson Europe Bike Trip 2011: Tallinn: Remarkable Combination of Old and New

Tallinn, a city of approximately 400,000 inhabitants, has a long and interesting past and a very impressive present. The oldest recorded mention of Tallinn dates to 1154, when Arab Cartographer Al-Idrisi marked it on his map of the known world. By the 13th century, it had become an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia. From 1549 to 1625, it boasted the tallest building in the world: St Olav's church & tower, with its 159-metre spire.

Over the centuries, Estonia rarely existed as an independent country, instead ruled by (or part of) Denmark, Sweden, Germany, or Russia. Since it gained its independence from Russia in 1991, Tallinn has been its capital. The city has done a remarkable job maintaining its old world charm in the historic old part of town, as well as transforming itself into a major high-tech center. Tallinn's Old Town was entered on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1997 as an "exceptionally complete and well preserved example of a medieval northern European trading city". The wall around this part of town is remarkably intact. The Old Town draws vast numbers of tourists, some arriving via cruise ships that dock in its harbor, which in turn has led to innumerable restaurants, many with outdoor seating on walking streets, and many hotels.

An important step in Tallinn's transformation into a high-tech center occurred in 2003, when Skype was founded using software developed by three Estonian software engineers who were also behind the peer-to-peer file sharing software Kazaa. Since then, Estonia has had a large high-tech sector teeming with startups, concentrated in Tallinn. In 2005, the New York Times characterized Estonia as "a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea". In 2007, a listing of the top 10 digital cities in the world ranked Tallinn as #7, sandwiched between the only two American cities on the list (#6 San Francisco & #8 New York City).

Just outside the Old Town are ultramodern high-end shopping centers, complete with large selections of computers and other electronics. Also close by is the Rotermann Centre, a trendy shopping and cultural zone, with a central square that hosts many festivals and concerts. In the early 20th century, it was the site of the Rotermann factories that were the heart of industrial Tallinn, but this area was in terrible shape by the end of the Soviet era in 1991, littered with old derelict factories. The current Rotermann Centre, a major makeover of that area that melds the old buildings and modern architecture, opened in 2007.