Model of the old townTallinn city wall, Tornide square
The Old town of Tallinn is the oldest district of Tallinn. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.[1]
There are four parts built for different purposes. They have different architecture.
Toompea is 20-30 metres above the surrounding area on a rocky hill. It has an area of 6 hectares . It belonged to the Order of Brothers of the Sword since the 13th century. It was run separately from the lower city and separated by a wall.
The sub-city is between Toompea and the harbor and has an area of 29.3 ha. The lower city is surrounded by a ring wall and the law of Lübeck was in force there . The area enclosed by the ring wall together with Toompea was 35.3 hectares. By this measure Tallinn was once the largest city in Northern Europe.
The city wall Building began in 1310. It was finished in 1355 . In 1561 there was a 2.5 kilometre long ring wall around the lower city, which had 27 wall and eight gate towers and nine front gate and 12 front defense towers . A moat filled mostly with water was outside the wall.
The earthen defense zone which surrounds the lower city and Toompea. Earth fortifications were built in the 19th century. The soil protection zone covers 79 hectares and today is largely a park, separating the old town from the new parts of the city.
