Knights

Let me tell you, how my journey to Eastern Europe went on. In Warsaw I decided to visit Poznan on my way to Berlin. Why Poznan? Just because I liked the name. In sports “pose” is a running method. In marketing Posner  is a psychologist famous for his models for attention. Probably the most difficult topic in Cognitive Neuroscience.

Arrived in Poznan I first found out, that they were building a new train station, later I found out that there are several concepts to ameleorate the postwar and socialist conditions (Osiedles). I was living in an old town hostel next to the Poznań University of Business and the shopping center Stary Browar, sometimes awarded as the best of the world. For easter there were changing exhibitions of technological easter eggs and rabbits. Being the only one guest I did not know how to evaluate the depressed situation there. Some days later I found out, that the owner, a mountain climber, was killed a few days before my arrival. Then I was learning about their adventurous projects. Liked the military extreme runs, some of them were participating in.

Remarkable that nearly a fifth of the inhabitants of the city are students. And somehow I walked in one of the several university campuses nearly every day. In economics I dealt a bit with market segmentation in tourism. In medicine with brain anatomy, to get hints about how we make decisions, in technology I with the creation of coworking spaces. All together a wonderful mixture to combine with Posners and other attention models in a young and vivid ambience.

Was loving the lake of malta with its scenery and manifold sporting venues. In the swimming pool I was a bit irritated because they change the lengths of the basin at some days and times. There is a timetable with the relevant information.

An extraordinary experience was the multisensual and virtual reality xd cinema in Galeria MM obviously not existing anymore.

Never to forget a new pope was elected while I was in the city. I spend the evening in a cafe, waiting for the white smoke and habemus papam. When the bells started ringing I had a stroll through the festive old town.

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Digitalization and History

On my birthday, February 4th I took the ferry from Helsinki to Tallin, a wonderful medieval city. There I was doing a city tour to get an understanding of the amazing history and recent developments. The old town has a very medieval character with knights standing around everywhere inviting you to the various restaurants. Old Hansa is probably the most famous one, remembering of the early trade.

At the town hall square there is the oldest pharmacy of Europe. I strolled along the nice alleys and the winterly seaside. The way along the beach is leading to Pirita, the place where the sailing events of the Moscow Olympics 1980 took place. Today Estonia is one of the most digitalized countries in the world and is also offering digital residency with many benefits. As a souvenir I bought a fur pilot hat in one of the many second hand stores and went on to Riga three days later.

The most famous event was the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallin) in 1219, when the Kingdom of Denmark conquered the non-christian ancient Estonia and was rewarded with the northern part of the country by pope Celestine III. In this battle obviously the danish flag fell from the sky as a sign of intervention by god. In other versions the estonians helped the danish against the german crusaders. It is the oldest national flag of the world. Tallin became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1248. The confederation of guilts and trading towns in northern Europe was subject to the Investiture Controversy between Guelphs and Ghibellines, also advantageous for Valdemar II of Denmark. After rebellions in the northern danish part, 1346 the territory was sold to the livonian order that governed the southern part.

When the livonian order lost influence after reformation in 1561, the northern part came under swedish controll, to receive protection against Russia and Poland. The southern part came under control of Poland-Lithuania.

Swedens defeat in the great northern war led to the capitulation of Estonia and Livonia, and integration in the Russian Empire. The lutheran baltic german minority continued to controll most of land and businesses. The abolishment of serfdom by Alexander I in 1819 led to a national awakening. The russification 1889 led to revolts, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917 and national autonomy. As a consequence of the division of Europe between Germany and Russia, Estonia came under soviet influence in 1939, under control of Germany in 1941 and became the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944, with an exile government in Sweden. 1994 the armed forces of Russia left Estonia. 2004 Estonia joined the NATO and European Union after a referendum.

Pictures.