The annual European Capital of Culture Award has done wonders for tourism in cities across Europe including Istanbul which received the award last year. This year’s winner, Tallinn, is particularly special, as Estonia celebrates its 20th anniversary of Soviet independence. To celebrate both the award and the country’s independence Tallinn will be hosting daily art, music, literal and cultural exhibitions throughout the year.
During the year an impressive 251 different events are planned, with one large festival each month, including the Jazzkaar jazz festival in April, Tallinn Old Town Days in June, the Youth Song and Dance Celebration and Tallinn Maritime Days in July, the Birgitta Festival for opera in August and the Black Nights Film Festival in November. This, the largest cultural event in the history of Estonia, will attract some of the world’s biggest names in art, literature, music, film and culture.
Tallinn has chosen for its Capital of Culture theme `Stories of the Seashore’, to tell the story of Tallinn and Estonia’s spiritual and cultural associations with the seashore, as the city continues to re-open the city to the sea. As part of the seashore development the new Estonia Maritime Museum will open in July in the re-developed vast concrete sea-plane hangars, located on the coast to the west of Tallinn centre. The route to the museum will be along a specially marked walkway, enabling visitors to walk the one kilometre route from the city to the Museum.
A full programme of events has been scheduled and information about the daily events in the city can be found at www.tallinn2011.ee with a `What? When? Where?’ event planner and search engine to help visitors plan the date and itinerary of their visit to Tallinn.
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