Toompea Castle (Castrum Danorum)

Medieval castle on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, originally founded by Danes in 1201 — today the seat of the Estonian Parliament.

Toompea Castle on Cathedral Hill in the heart of Tallinn dates back to a Danish foundation in the early 13th century — hence its Latin name Castrum Danorum, Castle of the Danes. It formed the military core of the emerging city of Tallinn and changed hands between Danish, Livonian, Swedish and Russian rule over the centuries. Today the castle houses the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu), making it one of Europe's most unusual parliament buildings: a medieval fortress as the heart of modern democracy.