After a long hard climb, a photo from Harjumaa, West

Photographer's Note

After a long and tiring flight of steps, I got on top of the church tower of St. Olav, which offers the best view over the old town of Tallinn. For those who want to venture into this climb, you are guaranteed by the presence of a nurses station on arrival at the top.
St. Olaf’s Church or St. Olav's Church (Estonian: Oleviste kirik), is believed to have been built in the 12th century and to have been the centre for old Tallinn's Scandinavian community before Denmark conquered Tallinn in 1219. Its dedication relates to King Olaf II of Norway (a.k.a. Saint Olaf, 995–1030). The first known written records referring to the church date back to 1267, and it was extensively rebuilt during the 14th century.
n 1590, the total height of the church tower was 115–125 m. The tower has been hit by lightning around ten times, and the whole church has burned down three times throughout its known existence. According to some sources it was the tallest building in the world from 1549 to 1625, but this claim is controversial: one account of the final rebuilding states the church was formerly "ten fathoms" higher, but paintings depict a spire similar in proportions to the current one; moreover, several different fathoms were in use in Estonia at the time and it is uncertain which was meant. After several rebuildings, its spire is now 123.7 meters tall. (wiki)

DOPO UNA LUNGA E FATICOSA SCALATA

Dopo una lunga e faticosa scalinata,sono arrivato in cima al campanile della chiesa di Sant'Olav,da cui si gode la miglior vista sulla città vecchia di Tallinn. Per chi vuole avventurarsi in questa scalata,siete garantiti dalla presenza di una postazione infermieristica all'arrivo in cima.
La chiesa di Sant'Olav (estone Oleviste kirik) è una chiesa gotica di Tallinn, in Estonia. Con la sua torre di 124 m d'altezza è uno degli edifici più alti d'Europa.È la costruzione più elevata di Tallinn. Con un'altezza di 159 metri, fu l'edificio più alto del mondo fino al 1625, anno in cui la torre rimase gravemente danneggiata da un incendio scaturito da un fulmine che ne causò un crollo parziale riducendone l'altezza. Dopo il restauro ottocentesco, la torre raggiunge oggi i 124 metri, e resta comunque fra le torri più alte d'Europa.
All'origine aveva la funzione di segnale per la navigazione, il che spiegava l'altezza tutto sommato inusitata per la cittadina estone.
Nel periodo dell'occupazione sovietica dal 1944 fino al 1991, il KGB requisì ed utilizzò la Torre di Sant'Olav come punto di sorveglianza della costa e della città nonché come torre radio.
La piattaforma panoramica in cima alla torre offre la possibilità di ammirare un notevole panorama sulla città medioevale, arrivando a scorgere, nelle giornate limpide e terse persino la costa finlandese, che dista circa 70 chilometri dalla città estone.

pierrefonds, jjcordier, holmertz, snunney, jhm, poutpout, papagolf21, rychem, ikeharel, cornejo, Gigidusud, mcmtanyel, pajaran, gervaso, photoray, tyro, PiotrF, lgir, danos, ChrisJ, unclehotshot, adramad, ricardomattos, adores, ourania, daddo, Didi, josepmarin, Angshu, fritzi007 ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

carlo62 (81029) 2015-08-25 15:01

Ciao Luciano
solo a leggere i numeri mi gira la testa!!!
Non so come tu sia riuscito ad arrivare fino in cima e a fare le foto.
In ogni caso si tratta di una gran bella vista, la presenza delle nuvole ha dato un bel tocco alla foto.
Buonanotte
Carlo

pierrefonds (93579) 2015-08-25 15:24

Bonsoir Luciano,

L'étendue de la ville donne de la profondeur à la composition. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails des maisons, des immeubles et des églises. La bonne luminosité met en valeur la beauté des couleurs. Bonne soirée.

Pierre

jmdias (91967) 2015-08-25 18:05

luciano

very beautiful this view of the old part of the town. looks like a toy-city like those ones we could build with bricks made of wood. very beautiful details we can enjoy from here. TFS.

hugs

jorge

npecanhuk (79319) 2015-08-25 18:43

Ciao Luciano!
Wonderful city! I'd love to visit it some day!
Very beautiful, attractive and pleasant-looking picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, vertical format, chosen pov and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Saluti,
Neyvan

sabermonajati (11533) 2015-08-25 20:48

hi
excellent view from old texture with red roofs you captured.
regard
saber

macjake (92631) 2015-08-25 23:28

Hi Luciano
i bet it was well worth it right?
When you visit these towns, i ALWAYS look for the tower views, they often have the best photo opportunities.
the lighting may have been a bit harsh, but look at all those colors! and best of all, the composition and the flow of the scene works so well, its a natural progression from top to bottom.

lovely shot my friend
cheers
craig

jjcordier (79299) 2015-08-25 23:28

Luciano
L'effort valait le coup car la vue sur la ville est splendide. Ta composition verticale est excellente.
Amicalement
JJ

COSTANTINO (93441) 2015-08-25 23:30

Ciao Luciano,
Bellissima panoramica vista dal alto,bella profondita,ottimi colori,ma come sei salito cosi in alto?
carissimi saluti
Costantino

shreya2000 (2809) 2015-08-25 23:57

Dear Luciano,

Good panoramic view of the town. the roofs of the maximum buildings are alike. I can't understand abot this. The two tall churches are good to see and can be spotted easily from the roofs. nice colours.

Regards,
joginder

emka (139218) 2015-08-26 0:11

Ciao Luciano, it was well worth effort to climb this tower. 123 meters tall, not bad. I didn't climb it. I do not remember if it was open winter or I just didn't know about this possibility, what a pity! Marvelous view from above. I love these red roofs.

WArm regards Malgo

Fis2 (142685) 2015-08-26 1:20

Dzienñ dobry Luciano!
Piêkny widok, wonderful towers.
Good framing and colors.
Roofs are impressive!
Have a nice day my friend
Krzysztof

Nicou (188486) 2015-08-26 1:44

Hello

fantastique vue plongeant sur cette ville sueprbe vue quel rendu sur les toit tout en rouge et cette église et son clocher qui ressort sueprbe vue et compo.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

holmertz (83352) 2015-08-26 2:20

Hello Luciano,
Can the nurses at the top treat a heart attack? ;-). You were lucky to be fit enough for the tough climb, because the view is superb. There are so many fine buildings and roofs to watch, and two other nice churches, very different in style and showing Latvias position between east and west. The colours and light are superb, but to be honest I find this photo a bit over sharpened. I made a copy of it and added some blur and it turned out very nicely. Nobody else has mentioned this so I thought it my duty to do it ;-). I hope you won't mind.
Best regards,
Gert

snunney (130965) 2015-08-26 2:49

Hello Luciano,
A splendid sight to be greeted with after an arduous climb. I like very much the soft diffused light and the agreeable colours. Perfect clarity enabling us to appreciate the lovely architecture in superb detail.

chrisnet (23062) 2015-08-26 3:51

Hello Luciano,
Good vertical framing for this beautiful town, I like the position of the Church on the focal point, clarity, sharpness and colors are excellent.
Regards
Christian

jhm (191377) 2015-08-26 4:46

Ciao Luciano,

I think that your climbing certainly has rewarded.
What a lovely panorama view about the city.
Colours and subject, make your picture very attractive
Very well composition and presentation.
Nice done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

poutpout (3538) 2015-08-26 4:54

Bonjour Luciano
Cette ascension n'aura pas été vaine..Quel vue magnifique...Le point de vue met l'architecture en évidence..La lumière et les couleurs sont parfaites..

Robert

papagolf21 (145112) 2015-08-26 5:38

Bonjour, cher Luciano,
Cette vue plongeante sur la ville est excellente. Les couleurs sont splendides.
Les détails généraux sont magnifiquement reproduits.
Très bonne journée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Sergiom (115636) 2015-08-26 6:20

Bonjour Luciano,

Cela valait vraiment la peine de grimper un peu pour avoir un aussi beau point de vue sur Tallinn. Le regard suit la rue en contre bas à travers ces belles rangées de maisons aux toits rouges.

Amicalement

Serge

dkmurphys (77034) 2015-08-26 6:40

Hi Luciano,
Superb panorama, I've heard that the Baltic countries are lovely. Hope you had a great time.

Daniel

Silvio1953 (191261) 2015-08-26 7:11

Ciao Luciano, immagino che prima di scattare la foto di abbiano dato l'ossigeno, duro arrivare li con pancia e vertigini, ma, visto il risultato, ne valeva la pena: magnifica panoramica da cui spiccano due stupende chiese, ottima prospettiva e magnifico cielo, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

rychem (68021) 2015-08-26 8:50

Fantastic view of the city and the weather was perfect! The dept is simply great and the city picturesque, spendid photo
regards Ryszard

cornejo (61182) 2015-08-26 11:26

Ciao Luciano, vista eccellente di questa bella e interessante della città, molto ben catturato con grande pov in questa grande e bella immagine. Un'immagine interessante con edifici interessanti, molto buona nitidezza, profondità e qualità. Un grande lavoro ben fatto, complimenti il mio amico. Grazie per aver condiviso questo bel lavoro.

Buona sera e felice resto della settimana.
Tutto il meglio dal sud della Spagna.
Angel.

williewhistler (16606) 2015-08-26 11:52

Hello Luciano,
a truly spectacular view across the red roofed buildings toward the interesting architectural features of the two churches that are so well placed to balance each other on the skyline.
Best regards Les.

cristina1 (1155) 2015-08-26 11:54

Ciao Luciano,

gran bella vista e che bei colori.
Mi piacciono molto i tetti delle case the danno un tocco di fiabesco.
Hai fatto molto bene a fare la scalinata perchè fa bene alla salute!!!!!
Per il resto concordo con Carlo e Silvio!!!

Buona serata
Cri

P.S.: io adoro i vicoli!!!!!!!!!

boa (8039) 2015-08-26 13:01

Hi Luciano,
I am impressed that people climb the steps up to the top of churches during a hot day. Personally I prefer to have a cold beer at a nice restaurant:D I must admit that the view up from here is impressive, perhaps I do the hard work next time I visit Tallinn.. Good view of the historic parts of this beautiful city, harsh light but still a good shot, tfs!

Have a nice evening/

Boa

Tue (71910) 2015-08-26 13:06

Hello Luciano,
Tallinn is such a charming city and the view from this church tower is a really lovely one. A classic view of the city, very successfully executed. Nice light and colours and you had a great sky too as background here.
Lars

Gigidusud (21669) 2015-08-26 15:18

Ciao Luciano,
Cela valait la peine de souffrir, la vue sur les toits de la ville et ses clochers est magnifique. Une très jolie lumière et un format vertical bien choisi. Bravo, tu as mérité un bon plat de pâtes au gambas! ;)
Amicalement,
Gigi

mcmtanyel (54589) 2015-08-26 20:21

Hello Luciano,
Your hard exercise paid off and you got a brilliant (all puns intended) view of the city. The cityscape is interesting, a combination of chaos and order both at the same time.
Regards,
MT

Matyas (0) 2015-08-27 0:37

Ciao Luciano! Fantastic POV and DOF. Wonderful cityscape vertical cityscape. Nice weather. Marvelous lightness and colours. Good shot. Splendid effect. Good luck!

ikeharel (98834) 2015-08-27 7:56

Worth the effort of climbing, Luciano, a fine roof-tops view over town.
In good contrast, the black towers of the churches stand prominently and imposing.
Fine sight, well collected.
Buona serata,
Ike

pajaran (92178) 2015-08-27 9:00

Dobar dan.
Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst sa istorijom i opisom ...
Lepo pokazan deo grada, crveni krovovi i tornjevi crkve, dobra ostrina, kontrast i perspektiva, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa oblacima koji dolaze.
Lepi krovovi i toranj crkve.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje, srecno.
Paja.

Good day.
Nice view, interesting and good text with a history and description ...
Nice shown part of the city, the red roofs and towers of the church, good sharpness, contrast and perspective, nicely captured the moment with clouds coming.
Handsome roofs and church tower.
Nice afternoon and all the best, good luck.
Paja.

gervaso (27395) 2015-08-27 9:17

Hello, Luciano!

I see it's certainly worth climbing the tower due to this fantastic view of the city! The architecture of the houses is beautiful, and there are two highlights in the photo: this great tower on the left, and those beautiful domes on the right! Excellent composition! Very good job!

photoray (13981) 2015-08-27 10:25

Howdy Luciano,

Interesting heavenly view from the top of St. Olav's tower, for the light pastel hues of the Tallinn tile roofs leading the eyes to two more classical churches rising above.

Thanks for sharing,
Cheers,
Ray

tyro (29026) 2015-08-27 11:57

Ciao caro Luciano,

What an interesting note you have written, particularly about this tall tower and these presence of a nurse station at the top!

And what a beautiful aerial view of the city below in this finely composed photograph, the tall distant spires standing out against a clear blue sky and the bright red roofs filling the foreground.

Gorgeous sunlight, fine vibrant colours and stunning details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

PiotrF (42716) 2015-08-27 16:27

Ciao Luciano,
Very attractive view of the old part of the town. perfect captured, great perspective, excellent clarity and superb warm colours. Interesting and detailed notes.
Very nice work.
Regards
Piotr

lgir (7363) 2015-08-27 23:09

Ciao Luciano,

jolie perspective sur la ville grâce à une bonne profondeur de champ. La couleur vive des toits et l'excellent piqué de l'image donnent un effet très carte postale.
Bien vu
Amicalement
Laurent

fds (9945) 2015-08-27 23:46

un altra splendida esecuzione caro amico sui tetti di questa bellissima capitale ed un altro grande documento per m che non ho mai visitat le repubbliche baltiche
ciao e buon fine settimana

danos (110395) 2015-08-28 5:02

Ciao Luciano,
great the panoramic view of this section of the town from the top of the church tower of St.Olav.The beautiful houses with the red tiles and the two churches on the backdrop to dominating the scene making it even more effective.Excellent the light and the colour management of the scene.

HAve a good WE,Danos

ChrisJ (152428) 2015-08-28 5:48

Ciao Luciano

It's reassuring that there is an emergency clinic at the top of the steep stairs! They need one in Stepanplatz in Vienna, which has over 330 steps. I visited Tallinn last year and liked it a lot. The tower at left and the newly refurbished Orthodox church at right add complementary focal points and frame the image well. Tfs.

eldancer1 (36343) 2015-08-28 7:23

I think the climb was worth it! Awesome panoramic view of this town especially the beautiful architectures. The clouds really help the composition. Good lighting and sharp details. Well done, thanks for making the climb and tfs.

unclehotshot (4004) 2015-08-28 9:43

Ciao nepotino moi.
Grazie per le tue parole gentile :)
La foto tua di oggi e molti interessante ed bella da vedere. Ce una luce particulare che illumina tutti i tetti rossi (mi spaglo spesso riguardo a mascile/feminile - ma non questa volta ;)) Le nuovole sono anche belle. Non hai scielto il "frame" longo, ma in vece quello alto. Secondo me hai fatto bene. Mi gusto il crpooing.
Ciao ne e buon fine settimana
Frank

adramad (62704) 2015-08-28 9:48

Hello Luciano.
A fantastic view, which stands out for its charm, the uniformity of the roofs, the winding road that starts in the foreground gives a nice perspective, culminating in sight, with the splendid towers background.
Magnificent colorful, managing brightness and sharpness, are also perfect to enjoy with the details.
Well seen and captured.
You enjoy a good weekend.
All the best.
Luis.

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2015-08-28 10:45

Ciao Luciano,
valeva sicuramente la pena la sfacchinata, molto bella la vista, luce non facile ma alla fine hai portato a casa un bello scatto.
Vedo che gli edifici hanno sia tetti spioventi che tetti piu' simili ai nostri.
ciao
Alessandro

ricardomattos (12135) 2015-08-28 16:30

Ciao Luciano,

A beautiful view, which one can see the beautiful colored facades and roofs in these beautiful red and brown. The climb was exhausting but it was worth the shot.

Congratulations

Ricardo

Cricri (176) 2015-08-28 23:34

ciao Luciano
Bon choix du POV sur la ville aux toits rouges, intéressantes architectures, bon format, belle présentation
belle journée
cricri

mkamionka (53796) 2015-08-31 5:18

Ciao Luciano,
beautiful sight indeed, I would love to have the opportunity to climb the stairs. Great POV which I did not see before from this lovely town. It seems you have a lot of fun traveling through the Baltic states. You had a great light at the top, which contributed to amazing atmosphere. I like the architecture too especially the two churches, but I can also spot the towers of the city walls.
Excellent work!
M

mauro61 (53411) 2015-08-31 8:32

Ciao Luciano,
una delle più belle riprese di questo genere viste per taglio e qualità.
Ben resa l'architettura con i campanili e la chiesa ortodossa che svettano sulla scena.
Buona serata
Maurizio

Periko (8081) 2015-08-31 14:30

Hi Luciano
Another good point of view again. Nice towers and domes over the vast field of red roofs. Fine architecture and well chosen vertical format.

TFS
Pedro

adores (46979) 2015-08-31 16:52

Hi Luciano!
I'm sure it's not easy to go all the way up to enjoy this view:)! But it's really worth it, you got a very nice shot, with a very good pov, colours and details. The city looks really beautiful!

ourania (51103) 2015-09-01 7:57

Ciao Luciano,
ho l' impressione di volare sopra questa citta' meravigliosa, la profondita' e la chiarezza della tua foto sono davvero stupende e si puo' studiare tutti i dettagli e controllare il volo con ottima precisione. La splendida luminosita' rende la vista ancora piu' gradevole ed invitante, colori ed ombre fanno un gioco molto interessante. Complimenti e grazie!
Tanti saluti e buona serata,
Ourania

daddo (28698) 2015-09-01 16:40

Ciao Luciano. Una città meravigliosa. Non è strano che re guerrieri possono diventare santi, non importa quanto sangue che hanno versato. Chiesa e politica sono fratelli gemelli. I colori del tetto sono temperati di colore salmone piacevole. La chiarezza dell'immagine è eccezionale come è il DOF. Ti auguro una settimana stimolante (forse non troppo eccitante in questo pazzo mondo dove tutto può accadere.)Ciao. Klaudio.

Didi (61569) 2015-09-02 3:54

Ciao Luciano
L'effort a été très bien récompensé
Magnifique vue plongeante sur les toits de la ville
Très belle vue sur les églises
Je reviens dans un mois
Sincères amitiés

Graal (103038) 2015-09-02 6:45

Ciao Luciano,
very nice post card from Tallin. Good POV and composition. Friends all told you. Photo I like, too.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

josepmarin (59383) 2015-09-03 4:58

Ciao Luciano,
precioso panorama de esta magnífica ciudad, con la bella arquitectura de las iglesias y sus tejados rojos, desde un alto punto de vista.
Perfecto encuadre vertical, gran nitidez de imagen, bella luz, y alta calidad de colores.
Me gustan mucho esas nubes en el cielo.
Una foto fantástica, caro amico.
Un abbraccio,
Josep

claudeD (47754) 2015-09-04 6:42

Hello Luciano,

wonderful view over the roffs of Tallinn showing much and interesting architecture details. Very good sharpness and clarity. I like the view very much.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

silviab (2555) 2015-09-04 7:31

Ciao Luciano,
i tetti mi piacciono particolarmente come soggetto fotografico, ma non sempre è facile trovare il giusto punto x lo scatto. Qui la vista d'insieme è perfetta, con le sfumature di rosso in primo piano, interrotte dal verde e, a finire, nel grigio-azzurro.
silvia

janneman (3903) 2015-09-04 10:38

Must be a beautiful city!
I like htis vertical colourful compostion of all these roofs.

Regards, Jan

Rafer (0) 2015-09-05 3:31

Hola Luciano¡¡ espectacular imagen con mil detalles y excelente profundidad...un saludo desde España...Girona..Figueres..

pili51 (1853) 2015-09-05 13:02

Hola Luciano,
La vista è splendida e si fece uso intelligente per ottenere una bella foto, molto ben bilanciata e con quei tetti che rende un modello interessante.
Sembra un luogo affascinante da visitare.
Complimenti!!! è una bella composizione.

Un caro saluto da Barcelona, ;)
Pili

Angshu (56760) 2015-09-10 22:12

Ciao Luciano
A fine crisp view of Tallinn from high up. I note with interest the patterns of the roofs...all are not the same, some a flatter than the others. The steepeles aof the two churches make attractive viewing
Lovely work!
Have a great WE
Cheers
Angshu

fritzi007 (14698) 2015-09-11 1:34

Hello Luciano,
very good perspective and information about Tallinn, thank you!

Best regards and have a nice day
Wolfgang

amaryllis (37039) 2015-09-12 1:57

Bonjour
une très belle vue lumineuse sur la ville, les édifices , les toits et façades des maisons
une belle réalisation et cadrage réussi
Juliette

mayjayne (7380) 2015-09-19 23:44

Dear Luciano,

Aren't all these hard climbs up to the highest points that can offer us a fantastic views worth it? :) Although there are many such shots, I love this one because the colours are so lovely and pleasing, and with the delicate clouds forming a nice background, this looks like a wonderful place to be, and you have captured the feeling so well!

TFS,
May

tulipan7 (804) 2015-11-11 6:17

I've been there but didn't climb the tower so thanks for this view...
Probably because of light I find the colors a bit odd (particularly reds...) but not entirely unpleasant... Otherwise, very clear photo with good depth... I also love the clouds in the sky...
Final verdict - I think I like this photo even though plenty of red color makes it look somehow 'bloody'...

Hanssie (11018) 2016-03-06 3:00

Thus, it was not for nothing that you climbed
the tower for us, see what an amazing view, thank you:-))
There's is such a good sharpness and light, great photo !

kiks (12805) 2016-05-18 6:59

What a view. Beautiful place and i love the contrast of all the red roofs with the grey/blue sky.
tfs
KIKs

Miguel82 (35896) 2019-11-11 13:23

Luciano, the top of the church tower offers a stunning view of Tallinn as well as a deep visual field. Another church tower and bulbous domes appear in the bg. The pink roofs make the city attractive seen from above. Vivid colors, good image quality, instructive photo note, regards.