Hill from the tower of St. Olaf's church
Toompea in 1860s
Stenbock House, seat of the Estonian Government
(, or "Cathedral Hill") is a
limestone hill in the central part of the city of
Tallinn, the capital of
Estonia. 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 mound over the grave of
Kalev, erected in his memory by his grieving wife. It is now the center of the
Government of Estonia and the
Riigikogu (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 crusaders - led by
Valdemar II. According to a legend very popular among Danes, the very first
flag of Denmark (
Dannebrog) fell from the sky during the critical stage of the
battle which was fought near the castle, resulting in Danish victory over the Estonians.
The Toompea castle (
Castrum Danorum) 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,
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 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 - now houses the
Estonian Parliament. The facade of the classicist governor's palace dominates
Lossi plats ("Castle square"), where the
Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, completed in 1900 in an immediately recognizable
Russian style, 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) from which the name Toompea (
Domberg) was originally derived and the building of the
Estonian Academy of Sciences (former seat of the local
German cultural self-government).
See also
Category:Landforms of EstoniaCategory:TallinnCategory:History of Estoniabg:Тоомпеаde:Domberg (Tallinn)et:Toompeafr:Toompeahu:Toompeann:Toompearu:Вышгород (Таллин)fi:Toompeasv:Domberget, Tallinnzh:座堂山
