WELCOME TO TALLINN!

We have a great pleasure in welcoming you in Tallinn, Estonia at the 2003 Annual Conference of IAML.

We have waited to this for many years. Now we finally have the chance to let you experience the very special atmosphere of Tallinn – both medieval and modern, constantly changing and timeless at the same time. Once you have been here you will remember the ancient town wall, the red roofs and old church spires towering together with modern city buildings as well as the gleam of light July nights. We would like you to experience a rich and meaningful conference programme, emotional get-together with colleagues and friends, memorable concerts and some most beautiful fragments of Estonian nature.

The Estonian Branch of IAML, together with the patroness of 2003 Conference, the First Lady of Estonia, Mrs. Ingrid Rüütel, look forward to welcoming you to Tallinn!

Aurika Gergeležiu
President, IAML Estonia

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONFERENCE VENUE

All sessions will take place at the
Conference Centre of the Reval Hotel Olümpia
Liivalaia 33
Tallinn 10118

REGISTRATION

The registration deadline is May 1, 2003. After that date a higher registration fee will be charged. The registration form should be accompanied by a copy of the payment order.

The registration fee for conference participants is 165 EUR before May 1, and 210 EUR after that date.

Accompanying guests are welcome at a reduced fee of 90 EUR until May 1, 2003, and 110 after that date. This fee gives entry to the Opening Ceremony at the House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, Wednesday afternoon tours, both concerts and the reception at the National Library of Estonia.

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellations are possible until May 1, 2003. The amount paid will be reimbursed after deduction of bank charges. After that date, only very seriously motivated cancellations (with proof of illness, accident) will be so refunded.

The Conference Office is in room EPSILON and is open as follows:
Saturday: 14:00-18:00
Sunday: 9:30-18:00
Monday, Tuesday: 8:30-18:00
Wednesday: 8:30-14:00
Thursday, Friday: 8.30-18:00

Phone: (+372) 631 5580
Fax: (+372) 631 5335
E-mail: emky@nlib.ee

PHOTOCOPYING AND COMMUNICATION

Photocopies
All works to be copied for working sessions can be left to the Conference Office. For personal needs you may order copies from the Reception of the Conference Centre.

E-mail
Personal computers are at your disposal in the Conference Office.
Those who stay at the Reval Hotel Olümpia can also use computers in its Business Centre (first 15 minutes for free).

Telephones
Public card-operating telephones are available at the Conference Centre. Phone cards and stamps can be purchased from the newsstand in the hotel lobby.

NAME TAGS

Please make sure that you wear your name tag at all Conference events.
Name tags of the Organizing Committee and Conference Office staff are distinguished by colour.

PROFESSIONAL VISITS

During the week visits to libraries and archives in Tallinn will be arranged for small groups. Further details of these visits will be announced on the conference venue notice board. Those willing to participate should add their names to the relevant lists.

TRAVELLING TO TALLINN

Tallinn is easy to access, either from air, sea or land. The airport, harbours, bus and train stations are all located within a few minutes of the city centre.

By plane

There are direct flights between Tallinn and 12 European airports. Tallinn airport is just 3 km from the city centre. Transport to downtown is either by taxi (ca 70-80 EEK) or by bus No. 2 which runs every 20 minutes (tickets 15 EEK from driver).

There is a daily ferry service between Tallinn and Stockholm and wide variety of ferry, catamaran and hydrofoil connections with Helsinki. Three times a week ferries also operate between Tallinn and Rostock. Ferry terminals are located in the city centre, just a bit outside of the Old Town area. Transport to downtown is either by taxi (ca 35-45 EEK) or by bus No. 2 which runs every 20 minutes (tickets 15 EEK from driver).

By bus

International bus lines Eurolines connect Tallinn to Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Baltic States. International bus lines arrive at and leave from Tallinn’s Central Bus Station, located ca 1 km from the Reval Hotel Olümpia. Taxi from the bus station to the city centre costs about 35-45 EEK. Take bus nr. 17, 17A or 23, 23A for Olümpia and Lembitu and tram nr. 2 or 4 for hotel Central.

By train

Tallinn has train connections with Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Vilnius and Riga. The railway station is situated near the Old Town and harbour. A taxi to the city centre costs around 45-50 eek. Another option is to take tram No. 1 or 2 (tickets 15 EEK from driver).

VISA INFORMATION

Visitors arriving in Estonia must have valid national passports. Estonia requires visas from all nationalities except citizens of most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA. For more information or to check the visa status of your country, please check the website of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation reservations should be made on the included form, which should be sent to the Organizing Committee together with the registration form. Prices are listed on the Accommodation Reservation Form.

Reval Hotel Olümpia * * * *

Reval Hotel Olümpia is an elegant business and conference hotel which is situated in Tallinn´s business centre, only a 10-minute walk from the medieval Old Town and a 10-minute drive from the airport and harbour. Many rooms of the 26-storey hotel have a beautiful view over the old town and the sea.

Reval Hotel Central * * *

Reval Hotel Central is situated conveniently at the very centre of the city, only a short walking distance from medieval Old Town and about 15 minutes walk to the Conference Centre

Rooms have been reserved also in one smaller hotel at more economical prices.

Hotel Lembitu

5 minutes walk to the Conference Centre and to the Old Town. The number of rooms in this hotel is limited and will be offered on a “first come, first serve” basis.

EXHIBITION

Professional and commercial exhibition will take place in the foyer of the Conference Centre.

MEALS

Restaurants and cafés can be found in Reval Hotel Olümpia and around. A wide variety of places either for quick lunch or for dinner, both international and ethnic cuisines, can be found in the city centre. Your Conference kit contains information about places where to eat nearest to the Conference venue.

CURRENCY

National currency: Estonian kroon (EEK). Fixed exchange rate: 1 EUR= 15.65 EEK. Most of the larger hotels, stores and restaurants accept Visa, MasterCard and Eurocard. Diner’s Club and American Express are less common. However, it is advisable to carry some Estonian kroons with you. There are plenty of ATMs everywhere in Tallinn. All banks offer currency exchange services. Exchange offices can also be found in larger hotels, the airport, harbour, railway station and major shopping centres. Traveller’s checks can be exchanged in most banks.

CLIMATE

July and August are the warmest months, with average about 20°C and daily highs reaching 25°C. However, since Tallinn is located by the sea, the weather can be windy and changeable, and some rain is likely.

CAR RENTAL

There are several car rental companies operating in Estonia, rental services can be ordered also through most major hotels and travel agencies. Some companies offer also one-way rentals within the Baltics.

TALLINN TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE

The Tallinn Tourist Information Centre is located in the centre of the Old Town.
Niguliste 2/ Kullassepa 4
Tallinn 10146

Ph: (+ 372) 645 7777
Fax: (+ 372) 645 7778
E-mail: turismiinfo@tallinnlv.ee

The Information Centre is open:
Mon-Fri 9:00-20:00
Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMME

Mustpeade Maja - House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads
(Pikk 26, Old Town)

Opening Ceremony
Formal welcome by our patroness, the First Lady of Estonia, Mrs. Ingrid Rüütel. Musical welcome by early music ensemble Cantores Vagantes is followed by a reception.

Niguliste Museum-Concert Hall (Niguliste 3, Old Town)

Concert “Crossover organ and overdrive guitar”

Andres Uibo (organ), Ain Varts (electric quitar), Jüri Leiten (trumpet)

Transcriptions for organ and overdrive guitar – a musical journey through the history of music - concentrates on Baroque, and through Classicism and Romantism finally reaches Estonian contemporary music.

Niguliste (St. Nicholas) Museum-Concert Hall is also renown for its collection of art, including masterpieces of two Lübeck masters from the 15th century: the initial fragment of the famous painting “Dance Macabre” by Bernt Notke, and the high altar by Herman Rode, to name but two.

Kaarli kirik – St. Charles Church (Toompuiestee 4)

Concert of Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conductor Paul Hillier, will present composers from countries around the Baltic Sea with a strong representation from the choir’s native Estonia: Arvo Pärt, Urmas Sisask, Cyrillus Kreek.

Concert will be followed by a reception at the National Library of Estonia.

If you have not signed up for the Farewell Dinner or have not specified your dietary requirements, you can do that by Tuesday, July 8, 14:00 the latest.

EXCURSIONS
Wednesday, July 9 – 14:00

All buses depart from in front of the Reval Hotel Olümpia at 14:00.
Please note: do not be late as the buses leave precisely on schedule. Do not forget your tour cards which must be shown on boarding the bus.

1. Tour of the city of Tallinn & its surroundings
We start our excursion from the Kadriorg Park with its Baroque Kadriorg Palace from the 18th century, built by the Russian tzar Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I. Then a visit to the famous Song Festival grounds and the ruins of the St. Birgitta’s Convent (15th cent.), with a scenic view of the sea on the way. A drive back to the centre of town with views of the medieval town walls and fortifications. The bus leaves us up at the Dome Hill where we visit the Dome Church (13-18th cent.), enjoy great views of the downtown area and the sea. Then we descend down the narrow cobbled streets to the old downtown, visit the Gothic Town Hall (15th cent.), the medieval merchants’ houses and the Holy Ghost Church with its famous Bernt Notke Altar (15the cent.). The tour ends at the Dominican Monastery (13th cent.) with a program called “The medieval cloister, a step back for 700 years”. We walk through the monastery in torchlight, we are served Estonian liqueur “Vana Tallinn” and told the legends and history of the monastery.

2. Rocca al Mare Open Air Museum
This tour starts with a bus ride to the 30 meters high Türisalu Clint on the north-western coast line. Our main destination is the Estonian Open Air Museum in Rocca al Mare. As its name – Rock by the Sea – tells, it lies on a shore, about 10 km from the city centre. The 84 ha area of beautiful nature exhibits examples of the 17-20th century Estonian rural architecture, brought to the spot from around the country: farm houses, a wooden church, a schoolhouse, windmills, watermills, saunas, all with historical interiors. The visit ends with refreshments at the Kolu Tavern (1840) where the atmosphere is enriched by folk musicians and dancers.

3. Lahemaa National Park
Tour to the Lahemaa National Park, a beautiful nature reserve on the Estonian northern coast, about an one-hour drive from Tallinn. The Lahemaa National Park was founded in 1971 to protect the characteristic North-Estonian landscapes and the national heritage of the area, and to preserve harmonious relations between man and nature. A visit to the Palmse manor house complex . A short guided walk in the romantic manor park with a swan pond, a unique bathhouse and a Palm House. After that a short drive on the beautiful, curvy country roads to the coast through ancient forests, villages and fields, passing the neighbouring Sagadi manor house. Arrival at the historical fishermen’s village Altja, located directly on the beach, a walking tour in the village and to the beach. Afterwards, Estonian beer and traditional Estonian snacks are served at the 200 years old village tavern Altja Inn.

4. West Coast summer resort Haapsalu
The main destination of this trip is Haapsalu, the old health and holiday resort located 100 km from Tallinn. On the way there we pay a visit to a unique country house - studio in Taebla, built by Ants Laikmaa, an outstanding Estonian painter. The houses are surrounded by a park where trees and bushes are planted by Laikmaa and his friends – writers, artists, musicians. In Haapsalu the biggest landmarks are the ruins of the Episcopal Castle and the Dome Church. In the late summer nights the full moon reveals a dark secret of the past by showing a figure of a White Lady in a church window... She has become a symbol of Haapsalu. As a health resort Haapsalu is famous for its therapeutic mud and warm sea waters. The families of Russian aristocracy have spent their holidays there as well as artist Nikolai Roerich and composer Pjotr Tchaikovsky. The tour ends with a promenade by the sea and a refreshments at the beautiful Kursaal.

5. Scenery, sounds and the starry sky
We are taken 60 km from Tallinn to Kõrvemaa wilderness, into the midst of bogs and marshes (wetlands cover 20 % of Estonia’s land mass). Walking through the bog on a board walk gives a rare chance to see untouched nature and a scenery that is no more common in Europe. After the hike refreshments are offered at the old tavern in Jäneda. The trip ends with a visit to the Estonian composer-astronomer Urmas Sisask who shows his Music Observatory and performs his music.

POST-CONFERENCE TOURS

Saaremaa– Estonia’s largest island

July 12 - 13

Bus departs at 8:45 from in front of the Reval Hotel Central and at 9:00 from in front of the Reval Hotel Olümpia

This tour takes us to Estonia’s biggest island Saaremaa (Ösel). Saaremaa’s capital is Kuressaare, which was given city rights in 1653 by Duke Magnus, brother of the Danish king. The old town of Kuressaare was completed already by the end of the 17th century. The most important landmark in town is the Episcopal Castle, built in the 13th century, which is the best-preserved medieval citadel in the Baltic States. Kuressaare is also known as a health resort with its therapeutic mud resources. Saaremaa has for ages been a great vacationing place by the mainlanders. We drive by beautiful sandy sea shores and grim rocky shores, experience the harsh northern beauty of the low, rocky lands. One cannot pass the juniper trees without remembering the thousands of good-smelling juniper knives and spoons sold all over Estonia. The juniper has become a symbol of the island, with dolomite, limestone and the windmills. We have an opportunity to visit a peculiar windmill hill of Angla and the Eemu windmill on Muhu island, which is one of the few mills that is still grinding grain. The churches of Saaremaa are also unique - we get to see the medieval Karja church (14th cent.), the smallest of its kind in Saaremaa and with unique dolomite sculptures; and the Valjala church, the oldest building in Saaremaa (13th cent.). We enter the grounds of the rarest geological phenomenon in Estonia - the awe-inspiring black pond of the Kaali meteorite crater and a field with smaller craters, most remarkable in Eurasia. The Kaali meteorite was the last gigantic meteorite to fall into more densely populated areas of the world. There should be still time to see a World War II battle field of Tehumardi and drive to Sõrve peninsula, the very southern tip of Saaremaa where under clear skies one can see the Latvian shores on the horizon. On our way back we stop over on Muhu island and walk around its well preserved old fishermen’s village of Koguva with its thatched roofs and strong stone fences, and learn about its unique history. We also see the manorhouse complex at Pädaste. The ferry takes us back to mainland and the journey ends in Tallinn around 21:00.

Cost per person: 135 EUR (single room), 115 EUR (double room). Prices include ferry and coach travel, accommodation, sightseeingtours and all entrances.

Riga – the capital of Latvia

July 12 – 13

The tour begins with a 5-hour coach drive through Estonia and northern Latvia. It encompasses the most significant sights of Riga and begins with a drive along the central boulevards of Riga, enjoying the view of the City Canal parks, the Bastion Hill, the Powder Tower, the Art Nouveau buildings of the beginning of the 20th century, the Freedom Monument, the Opera House, the Daugava River with its bridges. During the walking part of the tour you will enjoy the beauty of the ancient Hanseatic city, while strolling through the cobble-stoned picturesque streets of the Old Town and view the many wonderfully restored buildings, now housing cosy restaurants, cafés, bars and souvenir shops.

The Ethnographic Open Air Museum is one of the show-pieces of Latvia´s cultural heritage, founded in 1924. Situated 10 km from Riga centre in a pine forest on the banks of Jugla Lake, the museum consists of some 90 traditional rural buildings: farmhouses, windmills, fishermen´s huts and churches that have been assembled here from the four provinces of Latvia: Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Latgale, Zemgale. During summer weekends folk dances and concerts are held at the museum. Pre-booked meal opportunity in the museum pub Priedes Krogs. Journey ends in Tallinn around 21:00.

Cost per person: 140 EUR (single room), 120 EUR (double room). Prices include coach travel, accommodation in 4* hotels (HB), sightseeingtours and all entrances