Estonia
Toompea Castle
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Perched on a limestone cliff and towering over the rest of the city, Toompea Castle has always been the seat of power in Estonia.
Ever since the German Knights of the Sword first built a stone fortress here in 1227-29, every foreign empire that ruled Estonia used the castle as its base. Today, appropriately, it's home to Estonia's Parliament.
The castle has been revamped countless times through the centuries, but still retains the basic shape it was given in the 13th and 14th centuries. From its front, visitors can see a pink, Baroque palace dating to the time of Catherine the Great.
