47 stories
Estonian firsts and records
47 estonian firsts and records, each tied to the real place where it happened or is told, county by county. See them on the map →
Harju County
- Estonia's first railway reaches Tallinn 1870
- The banned catechism of 1535 1535
- Skype is born in a Soviet research park 2003
- Six centuries at the Town Hall Pharmacy 1422
- St Olaf's, once perhaps the tallest building on Earth 1590
- A Christmas tree for the Blackheads, 1441 1441
- Estonian radio's first home at Pikk 43 1926
- Maiasmokk, the oldest working café 1864
- Gustav Adolf's school, the oldest still running 1631
- Helle's Bible from the pastor of Jüri 1739
- The Borrowed Wife, Estonia's oldest feature film 1913
- Tallinn's first horse tram leaves Vanaturu kael 1888
- Viru Bog's first boardwalk for walkers 1977
- Moving pictures arrive at the Great Guild 1896
- Utochkin's flop by the sea in Tallinn 1912
- Tallinn's first motor cabs on the Kadriorg run 1909
- Estonia's first air day at Lasnamäe 1926
- A glider pilot in bathing trunks lands at Tammneeme 1938
- Jüri and Mari, the Keila-Joa bears, move to the new Kadriorg zoo 1939
- Estonia's first silver coins are struck in Tallinn 1930
Hiiumaa
Ida-Viru County
Järva County
Jõgeva County
Lääne County
Lääne-Viru County
Pärnu County
Põlva County
Saaremaa
Tartu County
- The first Estonian newspaper, banned in its first year 1806
- The first Estonian song festival, 1869 1869
- The first Estonian-language play, 1870 1870
- Struve's giant telescope on Toome Hill 1824
- Öpik measures the distance to Andromeda 1922
- Forselius's school for Estonian teachers 1684
- Academia Gustaviana opens in Tartu 1632
- Äksi, where Estonian got its õ
- The first seaplane on the Emajõgi 1930
Valga County
More to explore
Ghost stories of Estonia · Estonian legends · Mysteries and the unexplained in Estonia · True crime from Estonia’s past · Spies, smugglers and escapes in Estonia · Shipwrecks in Estonian waters · Battles fought in Estonia · Fires, floods and disasters in Estonia · Famous lives in Estonia · Film and book locations in Estonia · Lost landmarks of Estonia · Memories of people who were there · Castles and forts of Estonia · Ancient hillforts of Estonia · Manors of Estonia · Folk songs from Estonian parishes · Campsites in Estonia · Free forest huts in Estonia · Forest houses to rent in Estonia · Saunas to book in Estonia, with prices · Smoke saunas you can book in Estonia · Hiking trails in Estonia · Nature study trails in Estonia · Observation towers in Estonia · Cycling trails in Estonia · Campfire sites in Estonia