Eesti Pank launches new competition to design new coin dedicated to the Forest Brothers

Eesti Pank has announced an exciting new competition to design a collector coin in honour of the Estonian Forest Brothers. The silver collector coin will enter circulation in 2026 and Eesti Pank will accept designs for the competition until noon on 3 November 2025.

Eesti Pank will be issuing a silver coin to commemorate the Forest Brothers as part of the series of coins dedicated to resistance. The Forest Brothers were brave men and women who chose to resist Soviet occupation forces and keep alive the people’s dream of a free Estonia. 

Thousands of fighters operated in the Estonian forests during the 1940s and 1950s, and their determination and commitment inspired whole generations. Their story reminds us that freedom should not be taken for granted but must be nurtured and defended. The Forest Brothers were not always soldiers who had fought at the front, but were mostly ordinary Estonian people defending freedom. The coin dedicated to the Forest Brothers is a tribute to those who would not accept occupation but continued to resist in the hope that Estonia would become free again. 

Entry rules to the competition can be found here. Designs should be submitted by the deadline to: Mündikonkurss (Metsavendlus), Eesti Pank, Estonia pst 13, 15095 Tallinn. 

New European Travel System Comes into Effect

From the 12th October 2025, non-EU nationals who enter the Schengen Zone, consisting of 29 countries, will have to register as part of a new digital border management system. According to the EU, the new Entry/Exit System (EES) will make travelling in the Schengen Zone more efficient, as it will replace passport stamps with a modern digital system recording the entry and exit of travellers. The new system will also prevent irregular migration and use biometric data to stop those with fake identities or who are overstaying in the Schengen Zone.

 

The EES will also give border and law enforcement agencies more access to traveller information, which they claim will help find security risks in the fight against terrorism and other crime.

Every country in the Schengen Zone will utilise the new EES system.
EU Member States in the Schengen Area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Romania. Non-EU Countries in the Schengen Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

British Ambassador to Estonia pens new book

Ross Allen is a career diplomat who has been the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Estonia since June 2021. Currently based in Tallinn, Allen is fluent in the Estonian language and has a deep appreciation for the Estonian way of life.  In his new book Ross Allen explores how Estonia has come to excel in so many fields, and what the rest of the world could learn from it. He offers insights from his diplomatic work, but also shares his embrace of local culture, from song festivals to smoke saunas. Having travelled across Estonia’s towns, villages, islands and bogs, his understanding of and enthusiasm for this relatively obscure country shine through.

Estonian Lessons: What the World Can Learn from a Brilliant Baltic State will be released by Hurst Publishers in May 2026. Pre-order is now available here.

Rare Estonian painting found at American auction

A portrait of Estonian writer and researcher Friedrich Robert Faehlmann (1798 – 1850) was recently discovered at an auction in the United States. The painting was listed simply as 'an unknown man with blue eyes' with few realising its cultural significance. Art historian Kristiina Tiideberg recognised Faehlmann as an important Estonian historical figure and managed to secure the painting for $2000.  The painting is now on display at the Niguliste Museum.

The portrait is a very important work for Estonian cultural history. Faehlmann was one of the founders of the Learned Estonian Society and a protagonist of the National Awakening. He studied medicine and earned his living as a doctor until the end of his life. Faehlmann is a very important figure in Estonian cultural history. In the second half of his life he became one of the most important local estophiles to contribute to the appreciation of Estonian national culture through his academic research and the creation of his original fiction. The Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg written later by F.R. Kreutzwald was largely based on Faehlmann’s preliminary work and drafts. 

This painting is one of the earliest portraits of Faehlmann and the only known oil painting of him in existence. The first mention of this painting appeared in the Estonian press in 1935. Faehlmann was one of the first educated Estonians to be portrayed in a dignified way through the medium of oil painting.

International Bread Day: October 16

International Bread Day will take place on October 16 this year. The day was established by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC) in 2005 to honour bread's significance as a staple food, a cultural symbol, and a source of livelihoods worldwide.

In Estonia, dark rye bread (must leib), is exceptionally important in Estonian culture, serving as a dietary staple, a symbol of identity, and a central element of traditional meals. Its deep historical roots in Estonian agriculture and a long tradition of hard work to produce it have fostered significant respect for bread. It's considered sacred and in old tradition, if you accidentally drop a piece of bread on the floor, you are supposed to pick it up and kiss it!

In September the Estonian Open Air Museum celebrated its own Estonian Bread Day as part of their Autumn Fair. During the festival visitors were able to learn the art of making bread by attending workshops.

Bread appears in many Estonian proverbs including "Jätku leiba!" (may there always be enough bread!).

Documentary: Estonia bolstering its defences

Rimi Express: Estonia's first self-service supermarket with no staff

Rimi, one of the largest supermarket chains in Northern Europe has opened its first self-service employee-free concept store in the heart of Tallinn's Noblessner district. Known as Rimi Express, the store is a trailblazer in sustainable and innovative retail, constructed from environmentally friendly wood materials and covering 32 square metres.

Customers gain entry into the supermarket by scanning their bank card at the entrance, after which the doors open automatically. Customers can then independently select and scan groceries from a range of 600 everyday essentials. These items include packaged fruits, vegetables, ready-made meals, snacks, drinks, hygiene products, and cooking ingredients. Alcohol, tobacco, and items requiring weighing are not available.

The shopping process is entirely cashless, with purchases completed at self-service checkouts using a bank card. An automated people-counting system regulates store capacity, maintaining safety by monitoring the number of shoppers inside and controlling access when capacity is reached. Those who do not make a purchase can easily exit the store by pressing the exit button.

 

 

Rimi Express serves as a pilot project in Estonia as the first employee-free concept store. The success of this project has led to plans for expansion, with the second Rimi self-service store opening at the Rimi Olympic Centre in Latvia.