The annual Tallinn Day opened Saturday morning with the traditional meet-up of Tallinn Mayor and Prime Minister at the Lühike Jalg gates in the Old Town.
In the field of urban planning in Tallinn, the focus for the coming year will be on the strategic plan for urban space and the preparation of a general plan for the City Centre as well as maintaining historical buildings in the historic downtown.
To preserve the city's architectural heritage, Tallinn is planning a number of restoration projects this year: the roof of St Catherine's Church of the Dominican Monastery will be restored and restoration will continue on the Skoone bastion and its surroundings as well as on the city wall and the lower walls of the Toompea stronghold and the ruins of the Pirita convent.
The Patkuli stairway, connecting the Lower Town of Tallinn with the northern side of the Toompea stronghold, will be closed from Monday 6 June until 27 June due to the restoration works of the Toompea’s lower retaining wall.
Tallinn Old Town Days, celebrating its fortieth anniversary, will take place on 3-5 June this year. The varied programme offers a total of 400 events taking place over three days in different parts of the Old Town.
Tallinn Day celebrates the acquisition of Lübeck city rights in 1248, which included Tallinn as a member of the Union of European Cities. On Monday, 15 May, Tallinn will be 775 years old. The birthday events will begin on 14 May, when Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart will open the Short Leg Gate.
The 41st Tallinn Old Town Days are set to take place from Friday to Sunday, 2-4 June. The streets, courtyards, parks and green spaces of the Old Town will be filled with a diverse and exciting programme. All in all, there will be over 40 concerts and more than 300 events, with this year’s theme being ‘Fresh View’.
The 13th Youth Song and Dance Celebration taking place next week brings temporary traffic changes to the City Centre and Song Festival Ground areas during the event and the days preceding it. Depending on the date and time, traffic restrictions will be in place in several locations. Traffic is influenced the most by the procession, the Dance Celebration performances and the concert at the Song Festival Grounds.
Tallinn Marathon will draw around 20,000 sports enthusiasts from over 70 countries to the districts of Põhja-Tallinn, Kesklinn, and Haabersti from 8 to 10 September. This will lead to temporary changes in Tallinn's traffic and public transport.
Tallinn’s 2024 budget in the urban planning and heritage conservation sector focuses on planning new kindergartens, valuing historical urban spaces, and modernizing information systems for more efficient and faster planning processes.