The Estonian city of Tallinn has gone by many names, been ruled by many outsiders, and survived as a settlement for thousands of years. Recent archeological studies have found evidence of human settlement from at least 5,000 years ago. The fortress that became the footprint of the present the city was built in 1219 when Valdemar II of Denmark came on a Crusade mission from the Pope of Rome to covert the Estonian pagans to Christianity. The city has survived rule by Vikings, Danes, Germans, Sweds, Poles, Norweigns, and Russians before gaining their independence in the 1990s.
Much of the medieval stone wall still stands around much of the old city. Its construction was ordered by Queen Margaret of Denmark in 1265. She ordered that everyone in the city would benefit from the wall, so they should all pay to build it. So, even churches were taxed for its construction and special fines were enacted including fines for injuring someone with a weapon and hosting an overly lavish wedding. Construction was completed in 1310.
Viru Gate was built in 1345 as an entrance to the clay fields. Extension walls were added in 1898. Today, it marks the entrance to the old town.
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