Estonia - National Symbols

Estonian National Symbols
Cornflower - Limestone - Barn Swallow

Sent by ukaks, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - National Flower

Blue Cornflower, the national flower of Estonia.

Sent by Daire, a postcrosser from Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower, Bachelor's button, Bluebottle, Boutonniere flower, Hurtsickle, Cyani flower) is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also erroneously used for chicory, and more correctly for a few other Centaurea species; to distinguish C. cyanus from these it is sometimes called Common Cornflower. It may also be referred to as basketflower, though the term properly refers to the Plectocephalus group of Centaurea, which is probably a distinct genus.

It is an annual plant growing to 16-35 inches tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1–4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flowerheads (capitula) 1.5–3 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is red.

In the past it often grew as a weed in crop fields, hence its name (fields growing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats were formerly known as "corn fields" in England). It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years. In reaction to this, the conservation charity Plantlife named it as one of 101 species it would actively work to bring 'Back from the Brink'. It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.

Estonia - Mapcard (2)

ESTONIA

Sent by Lika, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Estonia - Traditional Costumes

Two girls in traditional costumes.

Sent by Piret, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Estonia - Kiiu Vassal Stronghold

ESTONIA
Kiiu Vassal Stronghold - 16th century.

Sent by Ene, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - Mapcard (1)

A mapcard of Estonia.

Sent by Merle, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - Estonian Summer Pancakes

Estonian summer pancakes.

Sent by Mart, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Estonia - Otepää's Female Traditional Costume

Female traditional costume of Otepää.

Sent by Helle, a postcrosser from Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : Otepää (formerly Nuustaku) is a town in Valga County, southern Estonia, it's the administrative centre of Otepää Parish. Town has a population of 2,189 (as of 1 November 2009).[1] Otepää is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia (in contrast to the "summer capital" Pärnu). It is the site of an annual FIS Cross-Country World Cup event.

Otepää borough gained its town rights in 1 April 1936.

The earliest surviving firearm in Europe has been found in the ancient castle of Otepää and it dates to at least 1396.

Estonia - The Three Sisters Hotel at Pikk Street

The Three Sisters Hotel at Pikk Street in Tallinn, Estonia.

Sent by Madis, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - Pärnumaa

Sent by Nadya, a postcrosser from Talinn in Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : Pärnu County (Estonian: Pärnu maakond), or Pärnumaa (German: Kreis Pernau), is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south. 88,466 people live in Pärnu County – constituting 6.6% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).

Pärnu County is the largest county of Estonia in terms of land area.

Estonia - 125th Anniversary Of The Estonian Flag

125th Anniversary Of The Estonian Flag

Sent by Ülle, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - Counties' Traditional Costumes

Estonian folk/traditional costumes of different counties.

Sent by Külli, a postcrosser who lives in Karksi-Nuia, the small town of Viljandi County, Estonia.

Estonia - National Bird - Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), the national bird of Estonia.

Sent by Jaana, a postcrosser from Talinn in Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. A distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings, it is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. In Anglophone Europe it is just called the Swallow; in Northern Europe it is the only common species called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".

There are six subspecies of Barn Swallow, which breed across the Northern Hemisphere. Four are strongly migratory, and their wintering grounds cover much of the Southern Hemisphere as far south as central Argentina, the Cape Province of South Africa, and northern Australia. Its huge range means that the Barn Swallow is not endangered, although there may be local population declines due to specific threats, such as the construction of an international airport near Durban.

The Barn Swallow is a bird of open country which normally uses man-made structures to breed and consequently has spread with human expansion. It builds a cup nest from mud pellets in barns or similar structures and feeds on insects caught in flight. This species lives in close association with humans, and its insect-eating habits mean that it is tolerated by man; this acceptance was reinforced in the past by superstitions regarding the bird and its nest. There are frequent cultural references to the Barn Swallow in literary and religious works due to both its living in close proximity to humans and its conspicuous annual migration. The Barn Swallow is the national bird of Estonia.

Estonia - Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn (2)

View of Talinn (top) and view of Talinn from the sea (bottom).

Sent by Kristel, a postcrosser from Estonia.

Estonia - Virve's Family

Virve's family in the warmth of midsummer bonfire in Kihnu.

Virve is an 80-year old singer from little island Kihnu. Her CDs are selling better than those of young singers.

Sent by Tiina from Parnu, Estonia.

Estonia - Lääne-Virumaa

Sent by Eellaa from Estonia.

Estonia - National Flower - Centaurea cyanus (Blue Cornflower)

Sent by kally from Estonia. This postcard shows Rukkilill or Centaurea cyanus, a national flower of Estonia.

The wording on the postcard says "Happiness and love a carefree mind find a lot of ways of life!"

This is from Wikipedia : Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower, Bachelor's button, Bluebottle, Boutonniere flower, Hurtsickle) is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also erroneously used for chicory, and more correctly for a few other Centaurea species; to distinguish C. cyanus from these it is sometimes called Common Cornflower. It may also be referred to as basketflower, though the term properly refers to the Plectocephalus group of Centaurea, which is probably a distinct genus.

It is an annual plant growing to 16-35 inches tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1-4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flowerheads (capitula) 1.5-3 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is red.

In the past it often grew as a weed in crop fields, hence its name (fields growing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats were formerly known as "corn fields" in England). It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years. In reaction to this, the conservation charity Plantlife named it as one of 101 species it would actively work to bring 'Back from the Brink'. It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.

Estonia - Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn (1)

The third of the three postcards sent by SusaTiina from Estonia. This postcard shows a beautiful Old Town of Tallinn, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tallinn is an outstanding and exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a medieval northern European trading city. It retains the salient features of this unique form of economic and social community to a remarkable degree.

Archaeological investigations have shown that a fort on the limestone plateau of Toompea and a trading post and harbour at its foot, on the Viking route to Constantinople, have existed since the 10th-11th centuries. With the expansion of Baltic trade, the settlement known at that time as Lyndanise (Reval in German, Kolyvan in Russian) was occupied in 1219 by troops of Waldemar II of Denmark, who strengthened the fortifications on Toompea and built the first church.

After coming under direct papal jurisdiction in 1226-27, the town was divided into two parts: the fortress (castrum ) and the lower town (suburbum ). In 1230 the order invited 200 German merchants from Gotland to Tallinn, where they settled around a new church dedicated to St Nicholas, alongside the existing Estonian, Scandinavian and Russian trading posts. In 1248 Tallinn adopted the Lübeck statute, becoming a full member of the Hanseatic League in 1285. Its prosperity was reflected by its rapid growth in the 14th century: work began on the massive town wall in 1310, enclosing an area laid out according to the characteristic Baltic trading pattern with radiating streets. Along with the territory of northern Estonia, the town was sold to the Livonian Order, and it was the latter that was responsible for rebuilding the castle on Toompea as one of the strongest in the region.

With the fall of Visby in 1361 the importance of Tallinn increased substantially. The 15th century saw the transformation of the town, with the construction of a new town hall and other public buildings and the rebuilding of the merchants' wooden houses in stone. It was annexed by Sweden in 1561, and it was Swedish architects who were responsible for the reconstruction of the Toompea area after a disastrous fire in 1684 and for the addition of a system of bastions to the fortifications. In 1710 the town surrendered to the troops of Tsar Peter I, entering into a half-century of commercial and cultural stagnation, but this came to an end when its role as a provincial administrative centre was confirmed, with the castle as its seat. The town was heavily bombed in 1944. The church of St Nicholas and the area around it suffered grave damage.

The most prominent feature of the town is the Toompea limestone hill. The western part is occupied by the castle, of which the tower known as Long Hermann, two bastions and the imposing walls survive on the western, northern and eastern sides. Within the enceinte is the cathedral, which is basically Gothic but has been extended and reconstructed on a number of occasions since the Middle Ages.

The lower town preserves to a remarkable extent the medieval urban fabric of narrow winding streets, many of which retain their medieval names, and fine public and burgher buildings. The distribution of building plots survives virtually intact from the 13th-14th centuries.

Around the town hall (1371-1404) in Town Hall Square there are some exceptionally well-preserved burgher houses. These are high gabled structures in stone, the ground floors having been used for living quarters and the upper storeys as granaries and storehouses, many retaining their original projecting winch beams. An outstanding structure is the House of the Great Guild (1410), which is a splendid example of Northern Gothic with fine vaulted ceilings and richly decorated columns.

There are several medieval churches within the walls. The restored Church of St Nicholas (Niguliste) and the Church of St Olaf (Oleviste) are both in typical basilical form, with lofty vaulting and a precise geometry of form in what is recognized to be the distinctive Tallinn School. There are two monastic complexes surviving within the walls - the Dominican monastery of St Catherine and the Cistercian nunnery of St Michael, which was characteristically sited away from the main urban complex. (Source)

Estonia - Tartu

The second of the three postcards sent by SusaTiina. This postcard shows Tartu, the second biggest city in Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the city is the centre of southern Estonia. The Emajõgi river, which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, crosses Tartu. The city is served by Tartu Airport.

Historical names of the town include Tarbatu, an Estonian fortress founded in the 5th century, Yuryev (Russian: Юрьев) named c. 1030 by Yaroslav I the Wise, and Dorpat as first known by the German crusaders in the 13 century.



Thanks for the beautiful stamps.

Lauluväljak – The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

The first of the three postcards sent by SusaTiina (the first sender from Estonia). This postcard shows Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn, Estonia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Tallinn Song Stage was built in 1959 for the Estonian Song Festival. The stage was meant to hold over 15,000 singers but it’s also possible to use it the other way – the performance will take place in front of the stage and audience is sitting on the stage.

In the northern side of the song stage there is the 42m high fire tower, which is used during the Estonian Song Festivals. It is also opened for the public all year long.

In 1988 Estonians gathered here – at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (in Estonian: Lauluväljak) – to sing patriotic hymns in what became known as the Singing Revolution that led to the overthrow of Soviet rule.

Today, Tallinn's Song Festival Grounds are also used for hosting international acts, such as Iron Maiden, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, 50 Cent, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and Madonna, and the contemporary dance music event, the Sundance Festival.

In August 2009, Madonna performed in front of a sold out crowd of 72,067. In June 2006, Metallica gave a concert for more than 78,000 fans. In August 1997, Michael Jackson performed in front of a 75,000 head crowd.

An optimal capacity for concerts is 75,000 fans. Though, in June 1988, during the Singing Revolution days, up to 300,000 people attended the Night Song Festival.