Estonia

With only 1.3 million inhabitants, Estonia is one of Europe’s least populous nations -- yet it boasts one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. In the first serious English-language history of this small Baltic state, Neil Taylor charts Estonia’s long, arduous journey to its present-day prosperity, through a thousand years of occupation by Danes, Swedes, Germans and Russians. In the wake of the First World War, out of the heat of a national awakening and the collapse of the Russian and German empires, Estonia was recognised as an independent nation in 1920. This was not to last -- the country was tossed between the Soviets and Nazis during the Second World War, then fully integrated into the USSR, bringing on more than half a century of renewed occupation and misery. But hopes of true independence never dimmed and, in 1991, the Republic of Estonia was restored. This unflinching history includes charming moments of colour and levity, from ambassadorial reports on nude bathing and a presidential press conference deliberately held beside a dirty toilet, to the story of a blind pianist, the first foreigner allowed to visit the city of Tartu in the Soviet era.

Bradt's Estonia remains the only English-language guidebook to this Baltics destination and this eighth edition reveals more of the country than any previous guide. Offering extensive coverage of Estonia's complex cultural history and its artists, writers and musicians, alongside comprehensive practical information, Baltics expert Neil Taylor MBE proves that there's much more to Estonia than the cobbled streets and cafés of Tallinn. Extensive background and practical information is followed by detailed coverage of the fairytale city of Tallinn and the surrounding area, as well as dedicated chapters on north, south, west and central Estonia. Discover The Windtower at Käina on Hiiumaa Island, a totally 21st-century experience of the countryside and sea, as stimulating to the ears as it is to the eyes; and explore Estonia's maritime history at state-of-the-art Seaplane Harbour. Visit Narva, where 95% of the population speak Russian but all the signs are in English; and learn why an Estonian President insisted on holding a press conference in a toilet! From Rakvere, Tapa and Lake Peipsi to Põlva and the Russian Borderlands and the islands of Kihnu, Saaremaa and Vormsi, Bradt's Estonia reaches all corners of the country.

With only 1.3 million inhabitants, Estonia is one of Europe’s least populous nations -- yet it boasts one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. In the first serious English-language history of this small Baltic state, Neil Taylor charts Estonia’s long, arduous journey to its present-day prosperity, through a thousand years of occupation by Danes, Swedes, Germans and Russians. In the wake of the First World War, out of the heat of a national awakening and the collapse of the Russian and German empires, Estonia was recognised as an independent nation in 1920. This was not to last -- the country was tossed between the Soviets and Nazis during the Second World War, then fully integrated into the USSR, bringing on more than half a century of renewed occupation and misery. But hopes of true independence never dimmed and, in 1991, the Republic of Estonia was restored. This unflinching history includes charming moments of colour and levity, from ambassadorial reports on nude bathing and a presidential press conference deliberately held beside a dirty toilet, to the story of a blind pianist, the first foreigner allowed to visit the city of Tartu in the Soviet era.

Bradt's Estonia remains the only English-language guidebook to this Baltics destination and this eighth edition reveals more of the country than any previous guide. Offering extensive coverage of Estonia's complex cultural history and its artists, writers and musicians, alongside comprehensive practical information, Baltics expert Neil Taylor MBE proves that there's much more to Estonia than the cobbled streets and cafés of Tallinn. Extensive background and practical information is followed by detailed coverage of the fairytale city of Tallinn and the surrounding area, as well as dedicated chapters on north, south, west and central Estonia. Discover The Windtower at Käina on Hiiumaa Island, a totally 21st-century experience of the countryside and sea, as stimulating to the ears as it is to the eyes; and explore Estonia's maritime history at state-of-the-art Seaplane Harbour. Visit Narva, where 95% of the population speak Russian but all the signs are in English; and learn why an Estonian President insisted on holding a press conference in a toilet! From Rakvere, Tapa and Lake Peipsi to Põlva and the Russian Borderlands and the islands of Kihnu, Saaremaa and Vormsi, Bradt's Estonia reaches all corners of the country.