For centuries, Tallinn’s coastline was shaped less by leisure and more by defence, industry, and technology. Submarine factories, coastal fortresses, and restricted naval zones turned the sea into a controlled, often inaccessible space.

This walk explores how and why Tallinn closed itself off from the sea — and how it later reopened it. Following the shoreline from former submarine yards and military installations to today’s open promenades, we look at the technical logic behind coastal fortifications, naval infrastructure, and large-scale engineering projects, and how their original purposes still influence the city’s layout.

Rather than presenting the coast as a finished redevelopment story, the tour treats it as an ongoing transformation: a space where military engineering, industrial decline, and contemporary urban planning overlap, revealing how a once-restricted coastline is being returned to the city — step by step.