National symbols of Estonia

It was taken down from the most symbolic location, the tower of Pikk Hermann in Tallinn, on 21 June 1940, when Estonia was still formally independent.

The State Assembly of the independent Republic of Estonia adopted the three lions officially by its resolution on June 19, 1925.

For the first time since a hiatus that lasted decades, the coat of arms adorned by three lions of the city of Tallinn was used as a historical element in the Old Town Days of 1988.

Upon the passing of the Law, proposals were made in the Riigikogu on possible interpretations of the images on the coat of arms.

A consensus was reached on the suggestions offered by Leopold Raudkepp: The Estonian national anthem "My Native Land..." is a choral-like melody arranged by Fredrik Pacius, a Finnish composer of German origin, in 1843.

In Estonia, Johann Voldemar Jannsen's lyrics were set to this melody and sung at the first Estonian Song Festival in 1869.

During the decades of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the melody was strictly forbidden and people were sent to Siberia for singing it.

However, even during the worst years the familiar tune could be heard over Finnish radio; it was played every day at the beginning and end of the program.

In choosing it, several considerations were taken into account: general popularity, decorative appearance, easy applicability as an artistic motif, and domestic origin.

The plant grows commonly in rye fields, creating a strong connection in the minds of Estonians between the flower and their daily bread.

Thus, at the 100th anniversary of the Estonian Song Festival (1969), all the cornflowers used as decorations were painted over with red and presented as "carnations".

The choice of the barn swallow as a national bird was mainly the result of a campaign conducted by ornithologists at the beginning of the 1960s.

Research on limestone and its well-preserved fossils has for centuries brought Estonian scientists international renown.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why numerous scientists supported the declaration of limestone as the national stone of Estonia.

In the online poll to select a national fish, which attracted 50,000 voters, the pike (Estonian: haug) won by about 500 votes.

A panel of judges overruled the vote on the grounds that as a traditional staple of the Estonian diet, the Baltic herring has been more important for more people through the country's history.

In 2018, a wolf (Estonian: hunt) was selected to be Estonia's national mammal (see et:Eesti rahvusloom).

Among them are the Old Thomas weathervane on the spire of Tallinn's Town Hall; Toompea Castle, together with its mighty watchtower Pikk Hermann and the Hermann Castle on the western bank of the Narva river, which has long constituted a border between the East and the West.

The highest denomination, the five hundred kroon note, carried an image of the barn swallow in full flight.