Tallinn is Estonia’s largest city and also the capital; other larger cities and towns include Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Haapsalu, Kuressaare and Viljandi. Tallinn was first mentioned in 1154 by an Arab geographer. In 1248 Tallinn received city rights under the law of Lubeck and started gaining renown in medieval times as one of the most important centres of the Hanseatic League.
The city of Tallinn stands out in terms of architectural monuments. The Old Town is the oldest part of the city. It was entered in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1997. The special value of the Old Town lies in its medieval ambience, which survives today. The medieval street layout has survived almost in complete form, the major official and religious buildings have also survived in more or less original form, along with the residences of town citizens and merchants and other buildings. Most of the Gothic buildings date from the 14th and 15th centuries, when Tallinn experienced its greatest economic flowering.
The oldest architectural monuments – Toompea citadel (with the prominence of the Pikk Hermann tower) and the Toomkirik (Cathedral) – date from the 13th century. Raekoja plats (Town Hall Square) features one of the world's oldest operating apothecary shops, the Raeapteek (1422), as well as the Town Hall (1404) and the Great Guild building. Other extant buildings have undergone reconstructions to a greater or lesser degree. About ten churches also survive, most of which are medieval. the Toomkirik noted above, St. Olaf’s, St. Nicholas Church, the Pirita convent (in ruins but still impressive) and St. Catherine’s (the Dominican Order’s church).
