Abstract
The historic centre of Tallinn, Estonia with its medieval old town heritage has become an internationally recognised tourism destination. It has undergone major regeneration in the course of ownership reform which made business investment possible. This transformation of the city has revived relatively deprived quarters of Tallinn’s medieval Old Town after Estonia regained its independence in 1991. Alongside the first wave of gentrification in Tallinn, private and public investments influenced the refurbishment and restoration of historic buildings. This has enhanced these buildings for residential and various socioeconomic and cultural practices, especially tourism. However, with increased popularity, mass tourism, fast commercialisation and scarce public restoration funding are endangering the socio-spatial qualities of this unique medieval heritage space. Gradual regeneration of adjacent more recent historical areas and a modern city centre, conducted in the frame of expansive urban developments in Tallinn, is linked to the city’s rapid growth and inward investments. The plan albeit is to work towards solutions that integrate Tallinn’s Old Town into neighbouring urban areas to diversify urban attractions.
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Michelson, A., Paadam, K., Ojamäe, L., Leemet, A., Loorberg, J. (2020). Old Town Tallinn: Medieval Built Heritage Amid Transformation. In: Wise, N., Jimura, T. (eds) Tourism, Cultural Heritage and Urban Regeneration. The Urban Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41905-9_5
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