[Toompea Castle]
Aerial photo of the castle and surroundings
Text in Estonian : ?
Text in English:
Toompea Castle is the seat of the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia - the
Riigikogu
The castle complex is made up of several parts: the west wall and the Tall Hermann tower belongs to the medieval fortress of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword, the Government Administration building represents the Czarist era and is classic in style, and the building of the
Riigikogu, in the castle courtyard, was built in the beginning of the 1920s.
It is known that already in the 9th century there was an ancient Estonian wooden fortress on Toompea, which was conquered by the Danes in 1219. From then on until the first decades of the 20th century, Toompea belonged to various foreign rulers. In 1710 the ownership of Toompea was changed from Swedish one to the Russian Czarist Empire. The Russian Empress Catherine the Great ordered the construction of the Estonian Government Administration building in the east side of the fortress; it was completed in 1773.
On 24 February 1918, Estonia became an independent state. From 1920 until 1922, according to the plans of the architects Eugen Habermann and Herbert Johanson, the building of the
Riigikogu was built in the castle courtyard. The expressionist design of the building makes it unique among the parliament buildings of the world. In 1935, the palatial south wing was built on the south side, copying the style of the Government Administration building, and the Governor's Garden was laid out in appropriate design.
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