Baltics - Part 1 Great Continental Railway Journeys

'I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

'that will take me beyond the heart of Europe.'

I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,

dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

for the British tourist.

'The guide told the traveller where to go, what to see

'and, most importantly, how to navigate the thousands of miles of

'track criss-crossing the Continent.

'Now, a century later,

'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of optimism and energy,

'but also of high tension.'

I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,

couldn't know that its way of life

would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

I'm using my Bradshaw's to explore some of Europe's northern reaches.

100 years ago, the few Britons who ventured through these parts

found beautiful cities and natural wonders.

I'm beginning a rail journey through the Baltic Sea region,

passing through Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

A century ago, those countries

long vulnerable to domination by their larger neighbours

were nationally self-conscious,

although part of the Tsar's vast empire.

They chafed against attempts to make them conform to Russian ways.

If Russia went to war with Germany, they would fight over the Baltic,

but, out of the chaos, new independent states might emerge.

The Bradshaw traveller might have sensed hope for the future.

'My journey starts in Riga, capital of Latvia.

'Then I travel north, crossing the border into Estonia,

'bound for Tartu, the nation's cultural capital.

'Heading back to the Baltic Sea,

'I'll explore the medieval city of Tallinn,

'before crossing the Gulf of Finland

'to visit the daughter of the Baltic, Helsinki.

'Journey's end will be Tampere, known as the Manchester of Finland.

'This time, I'm caught up in a macabre medieval tournament...'

They're striking at each other with their swords.

They're using their shields to strike each other's throats.

'..I learn how song has shaped Estonian history...'

For us, music is what we believe in.

'And take an invigorating dip in the Baltic Sea...'

Argh! It's...

absolutely freezing!

My first stop will be Riga.

Bradshaw's tells me it's about five miles inland, up the River Dvina.

"Among the Russian Baltic cities,

"it's second only to St Petersburg in commercial importance."

Indeed, there had been a population explosion in Riga,

making it one of the Russian Empire's largest cities

and its busiest port.

I am excited to be setting foot in Latvia

for the first time in my life.

I imagine early-20th-century travellers also feeling the thrill.

The city's position on the estuary of the River Dvina, or Daugava,

helped to turn Riga into a trading centre.

But her fortunes and identity were defined by her powerful neighbours -

the rival empires of Germany and Russia.

An intriguing reference in my Bradshaw's

is that among the inhabitants are many Germans -

not Russians but Germans.

And here I am, in the Town Hall Square.

Bradshaw's points out the lofty tower of the Church of St Peter's

and the Hall of the Blackheads of Riga.

And now you look at it, it's as German as sauerkraut.

Latvia fell wholly under Russian control

by the end of the 18th century but, prior to that,

the country had been ruled by German Christian crusaders.

The 14th-century Brotherhood of Blackheads

was a Riga guild for German merchants.

But that German footprint soon fades away once you leave the old town.

'I'm keen to learn more about the history of the city

'with historian Juris Berze.'

-Hello, Juris.

-Hello.

-I'm Michael.

-Juris. Nice to meet you.

-What a lovely tram!

-Yes, indeed.

It's a lovely original vehicle

from one of the first Riga tramlines of 1901.

-Magnificent.

-Yes, absolutely.

-Looks like I am being put to work here.

-Yes.

We've got to change the points, I assume, like that.

Ah, done. Good.

-And now...we have to change the wire, yeah?

-This and this.

-From this wire to that wire?

-Yes.

-OK, here we go.

-Pull the ring towards the end.

-Yeah.

I've got to go onto this wire here.

-OK.

-Good, thank you very much. We're ready to go.

It runs very well for such an old tram.

Well, because it has been well-maintained.

It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

What sort of city was Riga in 1913?

It might appear to be just one large construction site,

with dozens of new, modern and sophisticated,

mostly Art Nouveau style, apartment buildings,

going up just on every other street of the city centre.

Riga was experiencing an industrial boom.

According to my Bradshaw's, its population reached 300,000 in 1911.

By 1913, it exceeded half a million.

Riga was growing into one of the largest Russian imperial cities.

It was well-connected by railways to even distant parts of Russia,

which greatly facilitated transportation of raw materials

to those dozens of newly built factories.

But the facade of prosperity masked a recent period of unrest,

sparked by deepening economic crisis in Russia.

On 9th January 1905, in St Petersburg,

more than 100 people were killed

when the Imperial Guard opened fire on a peaceful demonstration.

Certainly, the massacre at St Petersburg had

a serious consequence in Riga

and maybe, unlike anywhere else in the region, in the eastern Baltics,

Riga had tens of thousands of proletarian-class people

who, of course, were very eager to improve their living conditions

as well, and they went on the streets to demonstrate

and to demand a better life.

Four days later, a large crowd of workers

from Riga's textile mills and docks marched

onto the frozen Daugava River.

What they did not expect,

that the soldiers lined up along the embankment, would open fire,

not to let them enter the city centre.

And when that happened,

the ice partly broke and many people got drowned.

It was a big tragedy.

It's clear that more than 70 people were killed and 200 injured,

but no-one knows how many drowned.

The uprising was an important moment

in Latvia's long struggle for independence.

Finally, following the Allied victory in the First World War,

Latvians got their first taste of liberty.

It's a very impressive monument.

Well, I would not exaggerate to say

that this monument is the symbol of Latvian freedom,

the symbol of the hopes and passion of the people of this country.

The lady on the top of the monument is named Milda by people.

She is an allegory to freedom,

while the three golden stars are the symbols

of the three historic provinces of Latvia.

The 42-metre-high monument was built to honour soldiers killed

during the Latvian War of Independence in 1918.

And although it was almost demolished in 1940,

following the Soviet occupation,

it has remained a symbol of Latvian liberty.

This street is called Freedom Street today,

but in the course of the 20th century,

the name of the street has been changed several times.

So until the First World War, for the period of 1913,

it would be called, by the Tsar, Alexander Street.

After the establishment of the Latvian state,

it was then renamed Freedom Street or Brivibas Iela.

During the Nazi occupation, it was called Adolf Hitler Strasse,

while when the Soviets re-entered the country,

they preferred to change the name to Lenin Street.

But in the year 1991, as the Latvian state was re-established,

it was once again started to be called Freedom Street.

So, really, the recent history of Latvia

can be read in the name of this street.

Absolutely. You're absolutely right. It is more than symbolic.

'Today, independent Riga is a cultural hub.'

And in the middle of this proud city, in hangars

originally built to house zeppelin airships, is the central market.

The perfect place to pick up a picnic for my journey.

If I could stay, there would be many more treasures to see,

since Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage city.

But I must press on north to Estonia.

This line was built in the 19th century

to connect Riga with St Petersburg,

at a time when all Baltic trains ran towards Russia.

So even today, if you want to travel

between the Baltic capitals of Riga and Tallinn,

there are no through services.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello, do you mind if I sit here?

-Sure.

Um...

BOTTLES CLINK

-That's a promising sound, isn't it?

-Empty bottles?

-No, no, full bottles.

-And what else have I got in here?

-Oh.

-What is this?

-In Latvian, it's called "vobla".

-Vobla. Ah.

-Yes.

-And is it good?

Yeah, it's good with beer.

-With beer, OK.

-Yeah.

Would you like to explain to me how you eat this thing?

You don't need to eat it, if you like. You need to chew it.

-Chew it, yes.

-Yes.

-I can believe that, yes.

You want to take off the head.

FISH CRUNCHES

-Nice crackling sound as the head comes off.

-Yes.

-Quite smelly.

-Yeah.

-It's quite a tough old fish.

-Yeah, yeah.

Argh!

Mmm.

Mmm, it's not bad.

-It's very tough, isn't it?

-Yes, it is tough.

-Very, very...

And it's also really salty. That's why you need beer.

That's why I need beer. Let's have some beer.

-And is it unusual to eat it on a train?

-Very unusual.

MICHAEL LAUGHS

The first time in my life eating fish on a train.

-We're heading for Estonia, but we have to change at Valga.

-Yeah.

-Mmm.

-No through train.

-No, not yet. Building.

Well, in the phase of development, early phase of development.

-Is that right?

-Rail Baltica.

Come here 2020, then you can reach from Tallinn to Berlin directly.

'Exciting times, because this high-speed train project

'will, for the first time ever,

'integrate the Baltic States into the Western European rail network.

'While I allow the vobla to settle, there's time to enjoy the scenery.'

I've arrived in Valga on the border between Latvia and Estonia.

This is an Estonian train. Actually, I'm IN Estonia.

I've arrived here without any passport control or customs.

Nowadays, frontiers count for so little,

but the station is still quite grand,

reminiscent of a time when frontier towns mattered.

I'm looking forward to exploring Estonia in the morning.

A new day, and I'm heading to the cultural capital

of Estonia, Tartu, about an hour away.

My first stop today will be Tartu,

which Bradshaw's tells me is an important university city.

That could be a good place to investigate

the origins of Estonian national feeling.

What was it that first made Estonians

lift up their patriotic hearts?

CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG

Tartu is an historic university city,

rather like Britain's Oxford or Cambridge.

Which may explain why, in 1869,

it became home to the first ever Estonian National Song Festival.

CHOIR SINGS TRADITIONAL ESTONIAN SONG

A celebration of the Estonian nation's language and culture,

in defiance of German influence and Russian rule.

# Ta lendab lillest

# Lillesse

# Ja lendab mesipuu poole

# Ja touseb... #

This love of singing is in the Estonian DNA

and visitors to Estonia at the turn of the 20th century

would have heard the sound of thousands of voices

on National Song Festival day.

MUSIC: Ta Lendab Mesipuu Poole

'I'm heading to the lower town

'with its dramatic 13th-century ruined cathedral

'to hear a choir, made up of singers from Tartu.'

# Nii hing, oh hing

# Sa raskel a'al

# Kuis ohkad sa isamaa poole

# Kas kodu sa

# Kas vooral maal

# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole

# Kuis ihkad isamaa

# Poole. #

APPLAUSE

That was absolutely marvellous. You're all singing with your hearts.

What were you singing about?

It was about, um, our fatherland, flying back to the bee house,

so it's like...imaginary fatherland for him or her.

And this is, yeah,

a really important song in Estonia and for Estonian singers.

All the singing festivals usually end with this song.

-How did you feel singing that song?

-It was really holy-like.

-For us, music is what we believe in, for Estonians.

-What is it?

What does it mean to you in your life? Is it very important?

Music is almost everything to me,

especially to sing with all my friends

and the crowd stands up and everyone cries and it's amazing.

# Kuis ihkad isamaa poole. #

The extraordinary power of the voice was proved again by Estonians

in August 1989, when Estonia was united in song

in what's become known as the "Singing Revolution".

I'm meeting Tartu University professor Marju Lauristin,

a former senior politician in the Estonian parliament

who played a pivotal part in the revolution.

So, Marju, what role did singing play

in liberating Estonia from the Soviet Union?

I would say that it played a very important role in two senses.

One is direct one, meaning singing,

and the first big this kind of political singing night

was in June '88, in Tallinn, in the big Song Festival arena,

when young people started to gather spontaneously,

singing patriotic songs, waving national flags,

which then were prohibited still in the Soviet Union.

And it was like the start of the whole Singing Revolution.

And then, after that, very soon,

we had the first political gathering at the Song Festival,

with speeches, already demands for independence, for democracy.

And during Soviet time, Soviets, in this sense,

they didn't understand the meaning of that.

And they alluded, "Oh, it's ancient tradition, 19th century,

"it doesn't matter."

But this vocal and peaceful cry for freedom

led to a striking demonstration of solidarity.

The Baltic Chain is the most spectacular event

of the Baltic Singing Revolution.

People standing on the roads through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,

holding hands, together demonstrating

their willingness for freedom.

Two million Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian people joined hands

to create an unbroken human chain, stretching 360 miles,

from Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, to Tallinn.

It was a spectacular thing because people, really,

they came from every place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,

with cars, with bicycles.

Everybody knew where is this kilometre they have to reach

and find other people and it has also become the symbol now

for the younger generation.

They feel that it was very special, feeling this kind of unity.

-And you were there.

-I was there but I wasn't in the forest,

because I happened then to be the

vice speaker of the Estonian parliament

and I was standing on the top of Parliament House.

We have the big tower called Tall Hermann,

and I was saying, "Freedom, freedom, freedom," in three languages.

It was a very big moment in my life.

After such stirring conviviality,

I resume the journey alone, on a train taking me

to the principal city of this remarkable country.

My next stop will be Tallinn, which Bradshaw's tells me

is a naval port and capital of Estonia,

with a gothic cathedral from 1329.

It attracts many tourists looking for its medieval sites.

There are good views from the heights.

The city looks out due north over the Gulf of Finland.

Until the late 20th century, that view was skewed to the East,

but now very much to the West.

This brand-new high-speed Swiss-built train

contrasts sharply with the early Russian steam trains.

Tallinn is on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland.

First settled more than 3,000 years ago,

it's one of the oldest cities in Northern Europe.

Tallinn has a magnificent collection

of medieval and other historic buildings

and on a late spring day, when it's warm, everybody's out,

it feels like the whole city is at a party.

And it turns out that's exactly right,

because within these fairy-tale walls and towers,

Tallinn is celebrating its week-long annual festival,

Tallinn Old Town Days,

when the city is taken over by an entertaining mix of markets,

concerts and even medieval tournaments.

I've walked into a medieval joust

and what is clear is that these people are taking it seriously.

They're really fighting.

They're striking at each other with their swords,

they're using their shields to strike each other's throats.

They really mean to win.

Why are you here? What is all this about?

Well, it's a sport competition.

Knight fighting.

It's part of Old Tallinn Days' events and we come to fight,

participate, compete and take all the gold.

-Where have you come from?

-Israel.

Here you can see people from Ukraine, Belarus,

Russia, Poland, Finland, and in other events,

you can see people even from America and Latin America.

It seems to be very brutal.

-You really hit each other with your swords.

-Yes.

-You really knee each other.

-It's martial arts.

-So, it looks like your nose got a bit damaged.

-A little bit.

-It's a small one.

-What happened to your nose?

My mask, it touched my nose and, like, press a little bit.

The fight's getting very close to us here.

-It's really professional fight.

-Ah! They're down.

At the time of my guidebook,

visitors to Tallinn were drawn here

less for the knights in shining armour,

more for the city's seaside appeal.

'Trains from nearby St Petersburg

'brought Russian holidaymakers into the Estonian city.

'But while the Baltic Sea is calm, it can also be very cold.

'In harsh winters, swimmers contend with swathes of ice.'

Amongst the attractions of Tallinn, according to Bradshaw's,

bathing in the Baltic Sea.

You'd have to be a lunatic to go in before midsummer.

Hello!

'But these fine men in trunks are cold-water thrill-seekers,

'who belong to the Tallinn Ice Swimming Club.'

So I assume that you prefer swimming in the summer

when it's nice and warm.

-No, actually, summer is the saddest time for us.

-Why?

It's just not cold enough

and we don't get this kind of cold kick from swimming

if it's zero or even minus one.

Some people compare it with narcotics, to get this ice "high".

On this spring day, the temperature in the Baltic Sea

hovers around 11 Celsius - pretty cold by British standards.

-Ready?

-Ready.

-OK.

Argh!

Argh!

Argh! It's...absolutely freezing!

Argh!

'Perhaps I shouldn't give myself

'such a hard time, because amongst these swimmers is Henri Karma,

'an ice swimming champion.

'He's swum just over 2km in water that was only zero degrees.'

My new, rather mad friends,

have been out in the sea now for ten minutes.

I can tell you that the Baltic Sea delivers quite a kick

but, luckily, the Baltic region also supplies an antidote called balsam.

'A traditional spirit of herbs and vodka.'

Mmm.

Said once to have revived Catherine the Great,

and I don't think she'd been in the sea.

'Next time, my travels continue through the Baltic countries

'and Finland, when the bell tolls for me.'

Is it dangerous for the hearing, do you think?

No, no. It takes away headache.

That's an enormous noise!

'I hone my barbecue skills...'

My sausage has burst a bit there. Is that all right?

'..and find peace on the water.'

Completely different and special moment.

Subtitles by Ericsson