We arrived with the masses via cruise ship, decided against a guided tour and just strolled around by ourselves. Tallinn - capital of Estonia - is a largish city of about half a million but the only part really worthy of having a look at during a short visit is the old medieval part of town clustered around the port.
During the 13th and right up to the 16th century Tallinn was a member of the Hanseatic League because of its strategic position as a port town on the trading route between Russia and Western Europe. The traders must have made a lot of money during this period and most of them seem to have flaunted their wealth by spending it on imposing private and public buildings as well as churches.