A Trip to the Estonian Parliament

One of the interesting parts of the internship experience here is getting a firsthand look at how and where Estonian policy is made. On Thursday, we were lucky to get a tour to the Estonian parliament.

The Parliament of Estonia (a.k.a Riigikogu) is an important institution in Estonia: all important state-related questions pass through it. Not only does the Parliament approve legislation, it also appoints high officials, including the prime minister, the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the president. The parliament is located in Toompea Castle in the Old Town. By structure it has 101 seats, made up of opposition and coalition party members.

(Photo: A bird's eye view of the Parliament Room. Dmitri Lipovski/U.S. Embassy Tallinn)

The castle where the Parliament is located is very unique in both symbolic and historical perspectives. According to legend,the whole hill of Toompea was made by the Linda (Kalev’s wife), who built it boulder-by-boulder with her own hands. The ancient stronghold was probably one of the first inhabited areas of what later became Tallinn. The internal design is also interesting, as there is a mixture of classicism and expressionism. For example, the hall chandelier was imported from Belgium in 1935; oak tables were made ​​in Estonia in the same period, and in the hall carpet was woven in the Soviet period in Tajikistan.

Our tour ended at the Conference Hall, which was a well-lit and well decorated room: after renovation in 1935, the walls are now left with smooth slabs of artificial marble. At the right corner you can see four Estonian flags displayed. When we asked why the display did not include a coat of arms and/or Navy/Army flags, our guide explained that it is illegal to display the Estonian coat of arms and the flag in the Parliament building at the same. Until the summer of 2000, the Government of the Republic of Estonia met in the Conference Hall.


It was also fun to guess why the Estonian Parliament has 101 seats. Rumor has it that that because the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) has 100 seats, Estonia wanted to be a little bit better and as a result created 101 seats for the parliament.

All in all, it was a great, educational trip, which we would recommend to everyone who visits Estonia!

-Post by Aylin Erdogan and Dmitri Lipovski