On 25 March 1949, twenty thousand men, women and children from Estonia were deported to Siberia by the Soviets. Almost three per cent of the Estonian population was seized and sent to remote areas of Siberia in a matter of days.* In the summer of 1940 the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as […]
The victims of Soviet deportations remembered in Estonia Read More »
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is worth taking a look at the stories of two strong and highly influential women who played leading roles in the Estonian women’s rights movement in the 19th and 20th centuries. It took decades of political struggle to gain the right to vote for Estonian women, and this
The very first Estonian feminists – Lilli Suburg and Marie Reisik Read More »
The Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom in Tallinn holds some memories and pictures of Estonians who were deported to Siberia by the Soviet Union. Estonian World brings you some of those preserved images of life in Siberia.* In the summer of 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a result of
Gallery: Deported Estonians in Siberia Read More »
Christmas time is still the most important holiday celebrated in Estonia. For Estonians, Christmas is a mixture of the traditional, the modern, the secular and the religious. Like in other Nordic countries, Estonia’s celebration of Christmas mostly falls on Christmas Eve; however, Christmas season starts from the first Advent with people buying Advent calendars or
Christmas traditions in Estonia Read More »
Estonia is a country with a long history that is, in large parts, made out of the stuff that histories are usually made out of – treaties and wars, pacts and influence zones, and a lot of dates. Dozing off already? Not so fast, because in the middle of all the regular stuff there’s plenty
Five most bizarre things ever to happen in Estonian history Read More »
Tuhala Witches’ Well, a karst spring located at the 3,000 years old settlement in Estonia’s Kose Parish, represents an ancient Estonian folk tale. Estonia has experienced a variety of belief systems over the centuries, from Catholicism to Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy and Soviet atheism. Estonia is one of the world’s most secular nations; in the 2011
Tuhala Witch’s Well and ancient Estonian mythology Read More »
The Shetland Islands are the northern-most part of the United Kingdom. A group of islands situated between the Atlantic and the North Sea, they are a windy, cold and lonely place. For one Estonian fisherman, they proved to be quite terrifying.* The waters around the Shetland Islands are well known for the abundance of fish.
The day the Soviets invaded Britain to capture an Estonian Read More »
The late Estonian president, Lennart Meri, once delivered a remarkable address in Hamburg, Germany, that caused the then-deputy mayor of St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin, to stomp out of the hall. Even Western leaders, who are distinguished by the boldness of their statements on other issues, appear reluctant to speak directly to the Russian president, Vladimir
When Putin couldn’t take the truth spoken by Lennart Meri Read More »
In Estonia, the countryside has always meant a lot more than a rural area where some people prefer to live; the countryside determines identities, the national cuisine and family relationships – at least it used to.* The Estonian language – often ranked as one of the most difficult languages in the world – does not
Of potatoes, land and Estonian grandmas Read More »
Estonia has joined the ranks of the world’s wealthiest countries, but the journey has not been easy; this is the brief overview of the last hundred years in the country’s economy.* The beginning At the beginning of the 20th century, Estonia was one of the most developed regions of the Russian Empire. Compared with the
A hundred years of the Estonian economy Read More »
