Harju County is Estonia's most populous county, wrapped around the capital Tallinn on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. Visitors find a UNESCO-listed medieval old town, Baroque Kadriorg, the flooded Rummu Quarry, Padise Abbey, Keila-Joa Waterfall, the Pakri peninsula and island day trips to Aegna and Prangli, all within about an hour of the capital.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Harju County.
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1
Bronze Age Stone-Cist Graves at Muuksi
Bronze Age farmers build stone-cist graves and tarand graves across northern Estonia; clusters survive in Jõelähtme Parish just east of Tallinn, making Harju one of the oldest continuously settled coastal areas of Estonia.
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2
Iron Age Hillforts and the Rise of Revala
Estonian tribes of the Harjumaa (Harria) and Revala districts fortify hilltops such as Iru hillfort and Toompea, trading along Baltic routes. Harju gives its name to the later county.
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3
Danish Conquest and the Battle of Lyndanisse
King Valdemar II of Denmark lands at Lyndanisse (Tallinn) and builds a castle on Toompea. Legend says the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell from the sky during the battle; the Danish King's Garden below Toompea commemorates the story.
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4
Lübeck Law Granted to Reval
The town of Reval (Tallinn) receives Lübeck town law, cementing its status as a Hanseatic trading city. German merchants and craftsmen dominate the Lower Town while the Danish and later Order rulers hold Toompea.
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5
Tallinn Joins the Hanseatic League
Reval becomes a full member of the Hanseatic League, a hub for trade between Novgorod, Russia and Western Europe. The surviving town wall, Great Guild and Town Hall date from this wealthy era.
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6
Padise Abbey Founded
Cistercian monks from Dünamünde (near Riga) establish Padise Abbey. It is later fortified; its ruins in Lääne-Harju Parish are among the best preserved medieval monastic ruins in Estonia.
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7
Northern Estonia Sold to the Teutonic Order
After the St. George's Night Uprising of 1343, Denmark sells its Estonian holdings, including Harju County, to the Teutonic Order, which later passes control to the Livonian Order.
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8
Pirita Convent Founded
The Bridgettine convent of St. Bridget is founded beside the Pirita river, soon becoming one of the largest in Livonia. It is destroyed in 1577 during the Livonian War, and its ruins remain a Tallinn landmark.
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9
Livonian War and Swedish Rule of Reval
Russian forces besiege Reval in 1570-1571 and 1577, destroying the Pirita convent. In 1561 Reval submits to Sweden, beginning nearly 150 years of Swedish rule over northern Estonia.
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10
Russian Conquest in the Great Northern War
After plague and siege, Tallinn capitulates to Russia in 1710; the Treaty of Nystad in 1721 confirms the change. Peter the Great commissions Kadriorg Palace in 1718 for his visits to the new province.
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11
Industrialisation and the Baltic Railway
A railway links Tallinn and Paldiski with St. Petersburg. Industry grows in Kopli and Kalamaja; Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is completed in 1900 as a symbol of Imperial Russian authority.
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12
Estonian Declaration of Independence
The Salvation Committee proclaims the Republic of Estonia in Tallinn on 24 February 1918, a day before German troops arrive. Independence is secured in the War of Independence (1918-1920) and recognised at the Treaty of Tartu.
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13
Soviet and German Occupations
Soviet annexation follows the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Tallinn is heavily bombed by the Soviet air force on 9 March 1944; Klooga, in Harju County, is the site of a Nazi concentration camp where prisoners were killed on 19 September 1944.
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14
Soviet Era
Harju is incorporated into the Estonian SSR. Paldiski becomes a closed Soviet naval base and the site of a nuclear submarine training centre; the sailing events of the 1980 Moscow Olympics are held in Pirita.
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15
The Singing Revolution
Mass singing demonstrations at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, including the 1988 gathering of roughly 300,000 people, and the 1989 Baltic Way human chain lead to the restoration of independence on 20 August 1991.
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16
Russian Troops Leave Estonia
The last Russian troops withdraw from Estonia on 31 August 1994; the Paldiski nuclear training reactors, idle since 1989, are handed over in 1995. Tallinn's old town is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.
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17
EU, NATO, the Euro and Digital Estonia
Estonia joins the EU and NATO in 2004 and adopts the euro in 2011. Tallinn becomes a centre of e-government and start-ups, while the 2007 cyberattacks and later events make the country a leader in cyber defence.
Historical eras
The chapters of Harju County's past.
Historical sites
Places where Harju County's past comes alive.
Tallinn Old Town (UNESCO)
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Free to walk the streets
Tallinn Town Hall (Raekoda)
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Approx EUR 5-10 for the interior (approx $5.50-11); exterior free
Estonian History Museum in the Great Guild Hall
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Approx EUR 8-10 (approx $8.50-11)
Viru Gate and Tallinn Town Wall
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Gate free; wall walk approx EUR 3-5
Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom
Where: Tallinn
Admission: EUR 15 standard, EUR 10 discount (approx $16 / $11)
Kadriorg Palace
Where: Tallinn
Admission: EUR 15 (approx $16)
Pirita Convent Ruins
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Approx EUR 3-5 (approx $3-5.50)
Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Free
Maarjamäe Palace and Memorial
Where: Tallinn
Admission: Grounds free; museum approx EUR 4-8
Padise Abbey
Where: Padise (Lääne-Harju Parish)
Admission: Approx EUR 8-10 adult (approx $8.50-11)
Klooga Concentration Camp and Holocaust Memorial
Where: Klooga (Lääne-Harju Parish)
Admission: Free
Paldiski Soviet Nuclear Training Centre
Where: Paldiski
Admission: Free or small fee (check locally)