While walking through Tallinn Old Town, you will surely notice that there are hardly any trees here. This is explained by a ban dating back to 1443 – in those days, fires in Reval were not uncommon, and dry leaves only contributed to their ignition and spread. Wooden houses standing close together caught fire one after another like matches. Therefore, it was decided – to prevent fires, no trees were to be planted within the fortress walls.
The only exception was two linden trees, which you can find near one of the houses on Lai Street. The mansion beside which they stand once belonged to Burgomaster Johann Hook, a close friend of Peter I. It is said that during his visits to Estonia, the great sovereign often dropped in on Hook for a cup of tea or coffee. And once his arrival happened to fall on a hot day: the friends were drinking tea on the terrace by the house, and the tsar complained that the sun was beating down far too strongly, asking why there was not a single tree nearby to provide shade. To this, Burgomaster Hook lamented the long-standing ban, but what bans could there be for the Russian emperor? Peter I granted Hook special privileges and personally allowed – no, even ordered – two linden trees to be planted by the house!
Years passed, the trees began to die of old age, but in memory of that unusual royal gift, it was decided to plant new linden trees in their place, and they still provide shade today to everyone strolling along Lai Street.
