Why don't people like Russians in Estonia? Someday I will definitely travel around the world! Estonia in the mirror of Catalonia

Lenin's head - yes, that's it. Also, sculptures of Stalin and many other outstanding comrades of the Soviet past are not gathering dust somewhere in a storage facility, but are on display at the Estonian History Museum.

Quite calmly in the same city you can see such souvenirs. What do you want? Estonia is a country of contrasts.

History is carefully preserved in Tallinn, which is once again confirmed by Maarjamäe Castle, located at Pirita tee 56. This is the former castle of Count A.V. Orlov-Davydov, built in 1874, which has housed the Museum of History since 1975. I think you'll recognize the places where scenes from The Hound of the Baskervilles were filmed.

People often write to me that Tallinn is completely boring, supposedly you can run around the entire Old Town in a couple of hours, but there is nothing else to see there. Apparently, this is what those who have seen nothing but Town Hall Square say.

Although even in the most popular tourist place, where everything seems to be well-trodden, you can find something original, not yet explored. For example, the restaurant of modern Estonian cuisine Kaerajaan, which, by the way, is located on Town Hall Square.

The cozy restaurant is very popular among the local population, which says a lot. This is not the old Hans that has set your teeth on edge.

The menu here is small (meat and fish dishes), but everything is very tasty, so much so that it’s hard to stop.

The streets of the Old Town keep many secrets and unexpected stories. For example, the house located at Vene, 12/1B (you need to look for it in Katariina kayk lane) is the oldest residential building in Tallinn. And most likely all of Estonia. To get into it, you need to walk along the wall of the former church of the Dominican monastery.

Now here is the House of Author's Dolls - a gallery and workshop where you can see, buy dolls, and learn the secrets of doll craftsmen.

It seems that all these dolls are alive. Each of them has its own personal story, including the history of creation.

10 years ago, a black cat lived on the chimney of the oldest house in Tallinn and granted wishes. Once you put a coin in the appropriate slot and make a wish, it will definitely come true.

But the most unexpected and mystical thing about this house is that in 1255 Master Albert the Great, the famous philosopher, scandalous alchemist, one of the smartest people of medieval Europe, stayed in it.

In one of the courtyards of the Old Town lives the Black Monk - whose story still excites the curious and frightens the impressionable. This is a story of tragic love that led to brutal death. The house where the drama took place is still called the house of the black monk. They say that he must atone for his sins until the end of the world.

The historical quarter of Rotermann, located in the very center of Tallinn, is striking in its unusualness. This is a 19th-century area in which a department store, factories, and a sawmill remain intact. When you wander around this place, it seems that you have been transported several centuries ago.

It was also here that Tarkovsky filmed his famous Stalker. An amazing place where the incongruous combines.

10 euros - and you are in Tallinn in just 1 hour 45 minutes! Details on the SITE.

On the VIKINGLINE.RU website look for nice discounts and other bonuses for a cheap trip to Tallinn.

P.S.: If you don’t see links and see unfinished sentences, then your adblock is blocking them.

The Estonian State Television and Radio has released several videos for residents of the country about how to treat Russians living in the Baltic states and tourists arriving from Russia. The authors of the videos are convinced that attitudes should be different.

With locals who were born in Estonia and live in this republic, you should speak irritably and only in Estonian. You must communicate with tourists from Russia who spend money in Estonia in a friendly manner and in Russian.

One of the videos shows a girl who at length and angrily explains to a Russian boy who approached her that he needs to learn the language or go to Russia. "Shop? Learn Estonian! You live here and can’t learn basic things! You live in Estonia, where the only language is Estonian!" - the girl says irritably. The boy politely replies that he does not understand what was said.

“I don’t understand! I don’t understand! I’m not going to speak Russian to you here! If you don’t want to learn Estonian, go to Russia, if it’s better there. But it’s not better there - because it’s good to live in the European Union!” - the girl explains, openly copying the statements of Estonian politicians.

But as soon as she finally understands that the boy is a tourist and came from Russia, she immediately switches to Russian and affably answers his questions.

Indeed, they try to communicate kindly with guests from Russia in Estonia - after all, tourists bring money with them. And real estate is being purchased in the country, which keeps apartment prices high. But with the local Russians, or “Estonians”, as the Estonians contemptuously call them, you don’t have to stand on ceremony.

After the Russian boy in the video experienced the attitude of Estonians towards local Russians, he asks the girl a question: “But in Russia they say that in Estonia there are only fascists.” To which she, who had just insulted him, replies with a smile, already in Russian: “Don’t believe it, it’s all propaganda.” And in parting he firmly shakes your hand.

“This video is a clip of a humorous nature, which, like a mirror, shows how Estonians perceive information that comes from Russian people, and how, in turn, Russians perceive information coming from Estonians,” said the director of entertainment programs at ETV. March Normet. And he complained that it is better for viewers in Estonia to watch such videos, and not abroad. Estonian television is dejected that it has washed dirty linen in public. And now, thanks to the girl who copied the everyday statements of Estonian nationalists, the world has learned about the Estonian “double standard”.

Expert: The video about the attitude towards Russians in Estonia caused a lot of noise

Igor Teterin, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper in Northern Europe:

This video caused a lot of noise in Russia and here in Estonia, because this work is interpreted differently by its creators and those people who watch it. The creators say that they wanted to show the state of modern Estonian society, where some kind of contemptuous attitude towards Russian speakers is widespread. It is believed, for example, that Russians should speak exclusively Estonian. The authors tried to take a critical approach to this trend and show that this is unacceptable. Nevertheless, the Russians saw an offensive attitude towards themselves in this video and decided that such behavior of Estonian children towards their Russian-speaking peers was even encouraged. This is where the conflict of worldview arose, which really exists in modern Estonia.

How to deal with this kind of story? In my opinion, trying to drag children into the sphere of ideological and moral contradictions and through them to show the grimaces and shortcomings of society is, in principle, immoral. After all, not only adults will watch the video, but also children, Russian and Estonian. And they will see nothing here except further encouragement of national contradictions.

In reality, in modern Estonia such everyday nationalism is not very developed. But when it is encouraged in a children's environment, it, of course, bears fruit. Although Russian-speaking children learn Estonian quite easily. And after graduating from school, they speak excellent Russian, Estonian and two or three other foreign languages. So the problem shown in this video is far from reality.

I was asked here whether it makes sense to go to Tallinn for Christmas, and how they treat Russians there. Over the past three days - about ten people, it seems. Let me answer here, okay? It makes sense, it’s great for Russians. Because Russian tourists make up half of the budget for little Estonia.
A few years ago, native Estonians somehow did not really reflect this, and were more focused on tourists from Europe. No, our people were generally treated kindly even then. But, for example, hotel staff or waiters who not only speak native and spoken English, but also a few words in Russian - this was a problem; administrators and waiters of the Soviet conscription retired, and young people did not consider it necessary to learn Russian. In general, it is logical. But friends had problems a couple of times when they couldn’t explain themselves at lunch or at a gas station.
In recent years, Russian has been taught. They are trying. Last visit, at the coffee shop where I usually have lunch (and I prefer to speak Russian there, it’s more convenient for me), a new bartender appeared. I contact him in Russian, he speaks to me in Estonian, well, we agreed in English in the end, that’s not the point. The next day. I enter the coffee shop. The boy smiles at me from behind the counter, like the sun, and shouts across the hall: “Hello! What do you want today?!” And it’s clear that he’s very proud of himself: he’s learned it! The first time in my life when the bartender spoke to me on a first-name basis, but I was really touched, honestly. Clearly the man tried.
And others are also trying - shop assistants, receptionists, taxi drivers... They really do everything to make us feel like home, only better. And they are doing the right thing, I think. No one is as willing to spend and shop when traveling as our people; on average, we spend three times more than European tourists. The same Estonians published data according to which a European spends at most 100 euros worth of purchases in Tallinn on a weekend, while Russians do not leave less than 300 in stores. Naturally, in these stores they smile at you from the doorstep, they welcome you as if they were a family member, and any whim for your money, because not loving you as a family member means undermining the budget of the republic, which is already not rich. Thank you, everyone understands this perfectly.
In fact, everything said above applies not only to Estonia. In general, throughout Europe our tourists have become treated much more adequately. The Spaniards, almost all of them, are learning the language, in Malaga, if I’m not confusing them, they install signs in Russian on a centralized basis, and they’re also right, with the money that we leave with them for the season, Spain alone, if it pushes itself, can comfortably winter.
And - if someone opens their mouth about the fact that Russians drink, riot, and so on - then at least look at the Germans (about the Finns, for whom wheelchairs are rolled up to the St. Petersburg ferry, because they are so drunk that they cannot move independently, I’m generally silent). They drink more than ours, but at the same time they are also greedy)

Tartu. Near Tartu University

According to my impressions, this idea is firmly in the minds of even that part of the public that has the opportunity to get information from the Internet, and not from television alone. I saw statements on the Internet from people who traveled around Estonia, testifying both for and against this myth. Well, we are all different! This means that it is quite possible that the customs of the same country, the same reception, will seem friendly and polite to one, and cold and rude to another. Let’s not forget about the political side of the issue, which greatly influences the written word, including online.

Tartu. By boat on the Emajõgi River

The first time I came to Estonia was as a tourist, and a completely inexperienced tourist, who found himself outside of my country for the first time in my life and barely learned “hello” and “thank you” in the local language.

Tartu. On the street

My Russian-speaking ability was visible to the naked eye, even when, due to the naivety of my ideas about Europe, I tried to speak English with the locals. I didn’t yet know that even in Brussels, the capital of NATO, not everyone speaks English and not everywhere.

Tartu. Finnish walking lovers in the park

How pleasant could my trip be if there was hostility towards the Russians? I don't think so! But I didn’t encounter any negative attitude towards myself: neither from the Russian-speaking public, nor from the Estonians. On the contrary: the people of Estonia, regardless of their native language, always showed me the way when I asked, often helped me and were always friendly and polite to me.

Tartu. Fishermen on the Emajõgi River

Here are two of the most striking examples on this topic.

Example one, positive

The purpose of my first visit to Estonia, strange as it may seem, was a bison farm. Yes, yes, there is a farm in Estonia where bison live! They live and delight visiting Estonian residents and tourists. This farm and the vivid impressions it left deserve a separate story, but now we are talking about something else.

Bison farm. Bisons and tourists

I came to the farm from Rakvere, the nearest town, where I spent the night before heading directly to the first destination of my first trip to Estonia in the morning. I came on foot, but didn’t arrive: a 12-kilometer walk along excellent asphalt roads through heavenly terrain - and I’m at a buffalo farm!

Rural road in Estonia

But I didn’t just get there! I didn’t have an exact map with me, only a rough idea that the farm was somewhere southeast of Rakvere. I had to call the owner of the farm and ask for directions, and more than once: there are many good roads around Rakvere, and more than once I seriously doubted the correctness of my choice. By the way, we spoke in Russian, and from the accent I immediately realized that the farmer’s native language was Estonian. I understood, because from the very first day in Estonia, its “Estonian-speaking” residents most often spoke to me in Russian, and this allowed me to almost immediately learn to distinguish the Estonian accent.

This farmer (here I deliberately do not mention his name so as not to “intercept” the story about the buffalo farm) greeted me like family! He not only showed me the way to the farm by phone, although he had a working day and had plenty to do. After I had seen everything I wanted at the farm (and what I never expected to see either!), towards the end of the working day he drove me back to Rakvere in his car. And gasoline in Estonia is approximately twice as expensive as here.

West Viru. Rural Estonia

Little of! He also got me into a cheaper hotel! I didn’t book a hotel in Rakvere in advance, I showed up in the town the night before going to the farm and stayed, one might say, in the first hotel I came across, without even a shadow of a complete list.

Rakvere. Behind Trinity Church

By the way, the savings turned out to be significant, and it was this that allowed me to go deeper into Europe during that first trip abroad.

Example two, also positive

On my second visit to Estonia, as on my first, I was interested in Estonian postage stamps at the request of my philatelist friend. Only, this time I was not satisfied with post offices, even Tallinn ones, and in one of them I recognized the address of the philatelic club in Tallinn. But it was probably an outdated address. Having arrived along it, I found in that place... an auto repair shop surrounded by other similar automobile establishments and not a hint of anything philatelic, even open once a week or month.

Tallinn. At the bus stop. People and birds

However, I decided to ask about the philatelic club at the car repair shop that happened to be at this address. I understood that I would look stupid, but, nevertheless, I decided, convincing myself that the question was still permissible.

Tallinn. Quiet street

Immediately behind the entrance to that workshop there was something like a reception area with a secretarial corner reserved for papers and a computer. As soon as I entered, a guy in a work suit almost immediately appeared in the room, whom I asked about the philatelic club. He, naturally, assured me that there was no philately in this establishment or anywhere nearby, but he did not stop there. Having learned that I had come to Tallinn from afar, from Russia, he immediately sat down at the computer, went online, found and gave me several addresses of philatelic stores and clubs throughout Estonia.

Tartu Postal Museum. I stamped it myself!

We spoke Russian, so I immediately recognized the Estonian accent. I have no doubt, and he immediately recognized me as a Russian speaker, and I did not hide where I came from. Who am I to this Estonian guy? Passerby from the street! Neither I had ever seen him before, nor he me! Who could he be obliged to help a person from the street, not even a client of an establishment from whom no profit is expected?! And yet, he helped me a lot. Thanks to his guidance, I found a philatelic store in Tartu that not only met, but far exceeded my best expectations.

Conclusions from all this

I came to Estonia twice, spent a week and a half there both times, and didn’t even try to hide either my “Russian-speaking” or the fact that I came from Russia. At the same time, they treated me very well; the two examples given above are the most striking, but far from the only ones. I don’t know Estonian customs, I don’t know the language either, and for the first time I came without any preparation at all! Nevertheless, they treated me well, and this convinced me that Estonia does not require anything special. It is enough to have ordinary delicacy, reconciliation with the fact that the world was not created for me alone, refraining from violent manifestations of emotions and adequately responding to comments received from ordinary passers-by.

Tallinn. Rose hips with huge berries

As they say, they don’t interfere with someone else’s monastery with their own rules: don’t repeat what you once received a reprimand for. And, one more thing: the “coolness” that we cultivate must be discarded - this is what the residents of Estonia are allergic to!

Jõgeva. Crossing at the school. It says “stop” and everyone stops.

And as the travel rules say, respect the language, culture and customs of your host country. Then Estonia will open its arms and the trip will bring a lot of pleasant impressions.

Kunda. Bus stop

Well, are some myths about Estonians already starting to dissipate a little?

© Grigory Kazachkov, especially for the “Roads of the World” website, 2014. Copying text and photos is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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In preparation for the final of the “Estonian Song” competition, held on February 21, 2015 in Tallinn, the Estonian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (ERR) released several videos, one of which can be considered a visual aid for Estonian children on how and in what language they should communicate with Russians. The main idea is to speak Russian only with tourists.

As a BaltNews correspondent reports, young actors - a boy and a girl - were involved in the creation of the product. As the plot progresses, a Russian boy who finds himself in Tallinn tries to find his way to the nearest store and makes a corresponding request to an Estonian girl. In Russian, of course. Ignorance of the Estonian language infuriates the interlocutor, who defiantly recommends that the guest learn Estonian or move to Russia.

Just as she is about to leave, the little Estonian girl finds out that the Russian boy is not local, but a tourist who arrived from Russia. The girl instantly changes her tone and in Russian explains to her peer where and how to go. The overall idea of ​​the video is that in Estonia you can only speak Russian with tourists!

Note that compared to last year, the number of Russian tourists in Estonia has decreased by almost half. In January, 26 thousand Russians stayed in hotels and hostels, which is 45% less than in the same period in 2014, reports the Estonian Department of Statistics.

This decline could not be compensated for by the increase in the number of tourists from European countries, although the number of tourists from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Asian countries increased slightly. The cost of overnight stay in Estonian hotels has not changed over the year, averaging 34 euros per day. In January, 900 hotels and hostels in Estonia offered their services.

Given the unfriendly nature of Estonia's policy towards Russia, as well as the deployment of new NATO units and military exercises near the Russian-Estonian border, Russian tourists are rightly concerned that they will be treated unfriendly for using the Russian language and because that they came from Russia. There is every reason to think that our tourists will certainly encounter this. This is due to how the Estonian state treats its Russian-speaking residents and education in Russian, how it evaluates the results of World War II and the role of Estonian fascists in the war, as well as the facts of desecration and dismantling of monuments.

The Estonians themselves try to explain the situation as follows. In their opinion, the fact is that Estonia is not Belgium or another distant Western European country for which Russia is a distant land. The Estonian government believes that Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union, which is expressed in the sensational transfer of the Bronze Soldier monument to Soviet soldiers, and in the deliberate limitation of the scope of use of the Russian language, and in the failure to grant citizenship to the Russian-speaking population of Estonia.

Regarding the attitude that a tourist from Russia who comes to Estonia will feel towards him, representatives of the tourism industry have the following opinion. Most likely, this will be a coldly polite attitude on the part of the service staff, and tourists from Russia will most likely not feel any particular friction or unpleasant moments.

Estonia is trying to sit on two chairs: on the one hand, the restrictions on the rights of the Russian-speaking population are persistent. on the other hand, business strives to pursue a policy of attracting Russian tourists. For this purpose, information centers provide reference literature in Russian. Travel portals on the Internet have a Russian version. Most cafes have menus in Russian. At the same time, Russians should not forget about the unpleasant experience of traveling through the modern Baltic states, including Estonia: “we do not serve the occupiers”!

In general, the Russian language in Estonia is understood by the older generation, who studied it at school, and young Estonians communicate with foreigners in English. In the tourism industry, as a rule, there is a local Russian-speaking employee on staff to communicate with Russians. Sometimes waiters and salespeople have special badges with flags indicating the languages ​​in which they can communicate, including Russian. In general, we believe that even if a tourist from Russia does not encounter open rudeness, he will certainly be made to feel alienation and unfriendliness - Estonians always single out Russian tourists from among the rest. Most likely, this will come back to haunt them...

2018-01-18T08:18:20+05:00 koleso obozreniyaNegative / CrimeEvents, commentsRussian tourists, EstoniaWhat should Russian tourists expect in Estonia? In preparation for the final of the “Estonian Song” competition, held on February 21, 2015 in Tallinn, the Estonian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (ERR) released several videos, one of which can be considered a visual aid for Estonian children on how and in what language they should communicate with Russians. The main idea is in Russian...koleso obozreniya koleso obozreniya [email protected] Author TuZhur travel magazine