Estonia - Tallinn (EE-45017)

I've received this interesting official card from Estonia last month and realized that the only Estonian city views I have in my collection come from Tallinn :) I'm not complaining about it, as all these cards are different and Tallinn is definitely a beautiful and unique city (therefore it's centre is a UNESCO site), but I wonder, what do other cities and towns in Estonia look like :)

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This card shows two important churches in Tallinn - the Orthodox Aleksander Nevski Cathedral (I already have another card showing this cathedral in my collection) and Lutheran Kaarli (Charles) Church. I find it very interesting that you can find churches of different denominations in one city, which has been on crossroads of cultures for many centuries. You can also find Catholic, Orthodox and different Protestant churches in my city, but for example the Orthodox and Greek Catholic cathedrals in Wroclaw are actually former Catholic churches built in gothic style, which is quite a strange mix :) But in Tallinn you still can compare churches of different denominations in their original form :)

Estonia - Koguva village on the Muhu island

I received this beautiful card from Janek in the World Labguages RR, written in Czech :) Koguva is one of the villages on the Muhu island (called Muhumaa in Estonian), which is the 3rd largest island of Estonia, with area of 198 km².

Together with neighbouring smaller islands of Kesselaid, Viirelaid, Võilaid and Suurlaid it forms Muhu Parish, the rural municipality within Saare County. The municipality has a population of 1,822 and covers an area of 206.12 km². The population density is 8.8 inhabitants per km².



Koguva was first mentioned in 1532 by Wolter von Plettenberg in document to grant freedom for peasant called Hansken and his son and their descendants. Hansken descendants became called by surname Schmuul later.

Koguva is a small, very peaceful rural village. There are many buildings that are centuries old, dating back to feudal times under Swedish rule, and are still in use today. The northern shore of Muhu, which is claimed to have the clearest water anywhere in the Baltic Sea, is only a short distance away.

Estonia - Kihnu

I received this card from Janek in the World Languages RR, written in Ukrainian :) It shows Kihnu - a small island on the Baltic Sea. UNESCO proclaimed Kihnu's cultural space and traditions as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003 (it's different than the UNESCO World Heritage Site).

What makes me even more thankful for this wonderful card is that it one of the stamps shows the people from Kihnu in traditional costumes. Thank you very much, Janek! :)

Kihnu is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 16,4 km² it is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga and the seventh largest island of Estonia. The length of the island is 7 km and width 3.3 km, the highest point is at 8.9 m above sea level.

The island belongs to the Pärnu County of Estonia. Together with neighbouring islands it forms the Kihnu Parish, the smallest municipality of the country with an area of 16,8 km².

604 people live on Kihnu as of 2007 that is 69 pupils in the basic school. There are four villages: Lemsi, Linaküla, Rootsiküla and Sääre. To get to Kihnu, it is possible to take a plane or ferry from Pärnu, or over the ice in winter.

The Baltic islands of Manija and Kihnu are home to a small group of traditional people. For many years, the men of Kihnu have been frequently gone to sea while the women ran the island and became the guardians of the island's cultural heritage, which includes handicrafts, dances, games and music. Music is an especially important part of the island's traditions, and accompanies handicrafting, religious feasts and other celebrations. Ancient runo-styled songs are also important, as are traditional clothings adorned with decorations and bright colours that symbolize ancient legends and poems.

Estonia - map of Harjumaa region (EE-38042)

This wonderful card shows the map of Harjumaa region and the Jägala waterfall, which is located in this region. harjumaa is one of the regions of Estonia and used to be one of the ancient Estonian counties existing since the 1st century AD until 1224.

Harju County (Estonian: Harju maakond), or Harjumaa, (Latin: Harria), nowadays one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in northern Estonia, on the south coast of Gulf of Finland, and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Järva County to the south-east, Rapla County to the south, and Lääne County to the south-west.

38.8% of the total population of Estonia live in Harju County.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is included in the county. The City Council of Tallinn has applied to the Government to be given a special status with its own law.

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Estonia - Christmas card (EE-38184)

Isn't that funny that I received 2 official cards (this one and th eprevious one) from Estonia from the same person during one month? :) I like them both very much.

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Estonia - Christmas card (EE-37281)

Beautiful card showing the Holy Family.

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Estonia - Tallinn (EE-35914)

It's my 3rd card from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia :) It seems to me that all the cards from this city that I have belong to one set, but they're all different. This card shows the Viru Street and Viru Gates in Tallinn.

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Estonia (EE-36115)

This wonderful postcard with 23 pictures (yes, I counted them) shows the most beautiful places of Estonia :) I like especially the castles. It seems to me that Estonia is a small country, but with many interesting sights. And with difficult languages, but as far as I know, many Estonian people can speak Russian, because there's large Russian minority.

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Estonia - Tallinn

I received this postcard in the World Languages RR, written in Russian :) It shows the Orthodox cathedral in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox church in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky who in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, in the territorial waters of present-day Estonia. The current Russian patriarch, Alexis II, started his priestly ministry in the church.

Estonia - Tallinn

This card (received in the World Languages RR) shows the Town Hall of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. On the left side you can see the town flag and gargoyle (whatever it is) on the Town Hall facade, clock on the wall of the Holy Ghost Church and the Town Hall Prison. On the right side there's the Town Hall Pharmacy and Saiakang Street.

Estonia - National Symbols (EE-25234)

My first Estonian postcard :) I didn't know that these were the national symbols of Estonia... For example, Estonian people traditionally believe that barn swallow brings happiness to house. Well, whatever brings the happiness, it's always good :)

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