Tallinn’s medieval Old Town (pictured here in 1924) is one of the best preserved in Europe, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. But the city has seen difficult times over the past century.

Declared the capital of Independent Estonia in 1918, it would soon be caught up in the broader sweep of 20th century history, occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941-44 and then the Soviet Union until 1991. Today, however, Tallinn is a thriving modern metropolis, home to more than half the Estonian population.

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Incredible vintage photos of European capitals in the 1920s