Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, Tallinn, Estonia

The Tallinn Song Stage (Lauluväljak) was built in 1959 for the Estonian Song Festival. The stage was meant to hold over 15,000 singers but it’s also possible to use it the other way – the performance will take place in front of the stage and audience is sitting on the stage.

The stage was the main places of the Estonian revolution and new independence in 1988-1991. Estonians gathered there to sing patriotic hymns in what became known as the Singing Revolution that led to the overthrow of Soviet rule.

User Reviews

Kai-Kristel Ehala (4 months ago)
It is a beautiful place. In winter you can do winter activities with sled, snowboard, skies and etc. In summer you can enjoy concerts, walks and other festivals.

Daniel DeNinno (5 months ago)
Seeing the Laulupidau here in 2019 was absolutely amazing. I can see why people from around the world gather to participate and view this great event. Even though there were more people around than I've ever seen in one place, it wasn't that difficult to move around. Plus, the sloped seating makes it so it's not difficult to see or hear. Smoked cheese braids were delicious :)

Sam Tambago (6 months ago)
Spacious venue for concerts and sports events!

Zimm ZX (9 months ago)
The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds are a sight in itself. Having hosted events since 1928, it's quite old for a festival ground. It's proximity to the Kadriorg park allows is of course a plus. However there really isn't much to do here if there isn't a festival being held. You can freely explore the festival grounds and climb a tower for some nice views, but that's pretty much it. If you're in the area, sure, you can visit. However you shouldn't come this far just for the festival grounds.

Ruxellan (14 months ago)
Tallinn song festival ground, where every five years the country's biggest festival take place. Peoples wear #traditional dress, they come here to watch the festival. lots of artist performed this biggest event. The location is in a very nice place, and the inside of the ground is also awesome because it's like a stadium without chair. I've visited in 2019. It was a great experience.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright twiga-swala

Historic Site of the week

Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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