100 beautiful Estonian words

In 2018 students and staff from Saaremaa Ühisgymnaasium made a video of 100 words they consider the most beautiful sounding in the Estonian language. The video was made to celebrate Estonia's centenary.

History: Street cleaning in the Republic of Estonia

In the 1920s, the issue of good order was taken very seriously in Estonia. When new clean-up laws were passed, they were published in the Riigi Teataja (State Gazette) and it was common that two or three days later, every police station in the city had lists of houses that needed to be cleaned up according to the new laws. The police gave very short deadlines for eliminating deficiencies, checked compliance with the requirements and, if necessary, imposed fines.

In the second half of the 1920s, people were required to wash the sidewalks with water, to keep the sidewalks and driveways clear of snow, and even the snow that fell at night had to be shoveled into piles before the start of the working day and hauled away within three days at the latest. Debris floating on the street for weeks was unthinkable. The police also enforced the law regarding the removal of grass growing between the cobblestones.

According to the memories of local Tallinn residents, the police were respected and the orders of the police were carried out without objection. Compared to the present time, there were fewer officers in the police force and the number of foot patrols was considerably higher. During the Soviet era, despite massive repressions, the Estonian mentality of cleanliness and upkeep persisted for several decades. The former attitude is clearly reflected in the washing of sidewalks in, for example, Pelgulinna and Kalamaja in the 1960s.

Estonian marzipan recipe

Marzipan is a delicious sweet treat that Estonians have enjoyed for centuries. Originally made as a medicine at Tallinn's Town Hall pharmacy during the 1400s, marzipan has evolved over time and now can be made with a variety of flavours, colours and shapes. Marzipan is extremely easy to make and once you make it for the first time, you may wonder why you never tried making it before. It's so simple! Here is a traditional Estonian marzipan recipe.

Ingredients

200g peeled almonds
200g powdered sugar
1 egg white
1teaspoon of almond essence

Method

In a bowl pour boiling water over the almonds and let stand for a minute. Pour off the water and rinse with cold water. Repeat once more then peel the almonds. Dry and grind almonds in a food processor until it turns into flour. Place the almond flour into a large bowl and add powdered sugar. Make a little indentation in the middle and add the egg white and almond essence. Gently mix the ingredients together from the centre outwards to form a mouldable almond mass. Keep wrapped in cling film and in a cool place until ready to use.

 

Tip: To change the flavour of your marzipan, replace almond 

essence with vanilla, orange or lemon etc.

Mould as you like!

Tallinn's Medieval Days 6th - 9th July 2023

Looking for something interesting to do in July? Head to Tallinn's Old Town for the Medieval Days weekend. There will be traditional food available, an assortment of handmade items and live entertainment - something for everyone! Click here to view the program.

Estonia to become the world’s first nationwide Hydrogen Valley

Estonia is the first country in the world to establish a nationwide Hydrogen Valley, turning Estonia’s hydrogen initiative into an export product for a $2.5 trillion global market. 

Although there are already several similar hydrogen projects in progress around the world, Estonia's Hydrogen Valley is one of a kind covering the whole country. To learn more, please click here

Estonia continues to rate highly in global rankings

Recently, there have been many indexes that rank the countries of the world in a variety of sectors. I'm proud to see that Estonia has proven to be one of the strongest liberal democracies in the world, ranking highly in freedom of the press, internet freedom and in the human freedom index. In addition to this, Estonia also ranks highly for air quality, it has some of the cleanest air in the world!

The history of marzipan

Over the centuries there has been some debate regarding the origin of marzipan, the sweet treat made from almonds and powdered sugar. Many believe that marzipan was first made in Tallinn whilst others claim it was created in Lübeck, Germany. Medieval records dating back to the 15th century reveal that marzipan was invented in Tallinn's Town Hall Pharmacy in 1422. Originally marzipan was only made in pharmacies and considered a medicine.

 

Marzipan was first made at Tallinn's Raeapteek in the 15th century

During the time of the Hanseatic League when Tallinn was known by its former Germanic name, Reval, many journeymen came to Estonia. These journeymen were craftsmen who had completed their apprenticeships and travelled to increased their skills and experience so they could eventually one day become a master craftsman. According to local legend, marzipan was invented by a journeyman who worked at the Raeapteek, Tallinn's Town Hall pharmacy.

In Raeapteek price lists from the year 1695 marzipan is recorded under the name of Panis Martius (also Marci Panis). There is also an order from the 17th century made by this pharmacy to a sculptor from The Netherlands Arent Passer for stone moulds for marzipan. One of the moulds depicts the big coat of arms of Tallinn with lions and the other the small cross-shaped coat of arms. 

                                                       Maiasmokk marzipan painters

Today, the Maiasmokk Cafe in Tallinn produces some of Estonia's finest marzipan products. For over two centuries Maiasmokk has been delighting customers with their wonderful marzipan window displays that are all hand-painted. Maiasmokk offers painting workshops for anyone interested in the creation of marzipan.

Tanel Padar & Dave Benton reunite to perform their hit song Everybody at EFTA Gala

Estonian Markus Villig on the cover of Forbes

Margus Villig, the founder and CEO of Estonian company Bolt is currently on the front cover of Forbes magazine. The Estonian entrepreneur built a $8.4 billion operation – and an $700 million fortune — by focusing on overlooked markets in Africa and Europe. A great Estonian success story!

Estonian ribbon braiding tutorial video

Tallinn's former New Market

The new market was located near Theatre Estonia and was established after the closure of Tallinn's town square market in 1896. The new market consisted of a large stone warehouse with some business space, and from 1898-1899 a larger market building was erected for the sale of food.

In 1944 the new market was destroyed during the march Soviet bombings and officially closed in 1948.

It was a thriving place of activity that no longer exists, a piece of Tallinn's past now found only in history books.

New market offically opened on the 19th October 1896.

Colourised photo from 1930

Head Munadepüha!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and not over doing it with too much chocolate. This year I'm away from home for Easter. I'm presently on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and last month I was in Australia for three weeks visiting my family. It's been a busy month but so nice to get away! In the summer I hope to spend some time in Kihnu, it's one place in Estonia that I've yet to visit.

Estonia has the most competitive tax systems in the OECD

For the ninth year in a row, Estonia has the best tax code in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Its top score is driven by four positive features of its tax system. First, it has a 20 percent tax rate on corporate income that is only applied to distributed profits. Second, it has a flat 20 percent tax on individual income that does not apply to personal dividend income. Third, its property tax applies only to the value of land, rather than to the value of real property or capital. Finally, it has a territorial tax system that exempts 100 percent of foreign profits earned by domestic corporations from domestic taxation, with few restrictions. Estonia's tax system makes it a very attractive place to conduct business.

 

 

Finland to join NATO on April 4

It will be a historic day tomorrow when Finland joins the NATO defence alliance. After decades of military neutrality, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted the Finns to completely rethink their defence policy in order to preserve their country's existence. At NATO headquarters in Brussels, a new flagpole has been erected on which Finland's flag will be proudly hoisted tomorrow. 

In 2004 Estonia joined NATO and it was one of the best decisions the country has ever made.

Artur Rehi shares his experience of visiting Ukraine