Today in history: The Estonian Open Air Museum was founded

On the 22nd of May 1957 the Estonian Open Air Museum was founded in Rocca al Mares near Tallinn. The plot of land the museum was granted along the coast of Kopli Bay was orginally 66 hectares in size and has since been expanded to 72.22 ha. The Estonian Open Air Museum is a place of great cultural significance, showcasing authentic Estonian buildings from different periods and regions. The large forested area of the museum allows visitors to explore at their leisure and catch a vivid glimpse of Estonia's yesteryears. More information about this wonderful museum can be found here.

How difficult is it to learn Estonian?

Estonian is generally considered a difficult language to learn, especially for native English speakers. Its complex grammar, particularly the 14 grammatical cases, and its non-Indo-European origins contribute to this difficulty. It typically takes 1,000 to 2,000 hours of study to go from complete beginner to fluent in a foreign language. But in regards to Estonian, it may take longer.

Tommy Cash clinches 3rd place at Eurovision final

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest is over for another year, and like always the show was entertaining, suspenseful and full of surprises. Some countries ranked higher in the voting than expected, whilst others were left disappointed. Tommy Cash gave an excellent performance with his song "Espresso Macchiato"and it was a clear favourite with the public vote. Cash actually received more points in the televote than the Austrian winner JJ. Israel came second place in the competition, narrowly beating Tommy Cash by just one point.

One of the highlights of this year's show was undoubtedly the peformance by Baby Lasagna and Käärijä. The audience loved it! 

Tommy Cash achieved Estonia’s second best ever result at the Eurovision Song Contest. Well done!

Tommy Cash has made Estonia so proud winning third place at Eurovision.

How single mothers in 19th century Estonia were shamed and silenced

In 19th century Estonia, unwed mothers faced public shame, harsh judgment and exclusion. Their children were called "born of shame." A new study by Andreas Kalkun and Kersti Lust reveals the silenced truths found in Estonian folklore and court records. 

How truly bitter was life for single mothers in the past? You can read the research paper here.

Today is Tallinn Day!

On this day, 777 years ago, the city of Tallinn was granted Lübeck Rights. This recognition marked Tallinn's acceptance into the Union of European Cities in 1248. To mark this anniversary, two major concerts will take place across the city. More information can be found here.

Tommy Cash makes it through to Eurovision final

The first semi-final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Basel last night. There were a few standout performances, namely San Marino and Sweden. Swedish band KAJ always gives an excellent perfornance and it wouldn't be surprising if they win the competition. Estonia's Tommy Cash made it through to the finals despite his performance not matching up to his Eesti Laul win. At Eurovision, Cash's "Espresso Macchiato" seemed rushed at times with weaker vocals. I would love to see Estonia win Eurovision this year but unless Tommy Cash can charm us the way he did at Eesti Laul, I fear it might not happen. We might yet again see another Swedish win.

Photo flashback: Tallinn 1928