Estonia, the most Northern of the Baltic countries, is a beautiful place to visit. Its glorious medieval cities, lush forests and sandy beaches, as well as quaint villages, elegant manor houses and lovely countryside make for a wonderfully memorable holiday. Estonia has a long and interesting history, from medieval times when Tallinn was a bustling port to the more recent Soviet occupation. Estonians on the one hand, have a love of the past, of their folklore, and the outdoors-fiercely protecting their traditions and ancient festivals, and on the other, they are one of the most forward thinking and technical nations in Europe, always exploring and inventing something new.
So expect a place where the old meets the new, that is fresh and creative, where the past and the future is equally revered, where you will experience the most beautiful nature and most wonderful cities, be intrigued by an interesting culture and always a very warm welcome.
Since ancient times Estonia has always been fought over. Settlers are thought to have arrived at what is now Estonia at around 9000BC. Since then it has been fought over and sometimes ruled over by Prussia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Russia. On February 24th, 1918, Estonia was declared independent of the Russias, who had at least partially ruled Estonia since around 1721. The celebration was short lived, however, as the advancing German army invaded Estonia the very next day. After the war had ended the Russians again invaded Estonia, but this time they were beaten back in 1919. In February 1920 Estonia was recognised by Russia as an independent nation.
This all changed in June, 1940, when Russia (its named changed to the USSR) annexed Estonia, making them part of the Soviet Union. Then in 1941 Estonia was under German occupation, until 1944 when the Russians returned yet again and placed Estonia back under communist rule. Estonia was finally recognised as an independent country once more on the 6th of September 1991. It joined the European Union in 2005.