Gallery: Flag raising ceremony marks Estonia's 105th Independence Day

Estonia's blue, black and white flag was raised at 7:33 a.m. at Pikk Hermann Tower at Toompea on Friday to mark the start of Estonia's 105th Independence Day.

Crowds gathered at the foot of the tower in the Governor's Garden and in the street below to watch the ceremony and sing the national anthem.

Independence Day always starts with a ceremony at sunrise.

This year, the event was also attended by NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Kaja Kallas, Ursula von der Leyen and Jens Stoltenberg at the flag raising ceremony on Independence Day 2023. Source: Priit Mürk/ERR

President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas (Center) gave a speech and Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Urmas Viilma said a blessing.

Hele Palumaa, a Student of the Drama School of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, read the Estonian Declaration of Independence.

Former presidents, the government, MPs, representatives of constitutional institutions and the diplomatic corps, the Estonian Flag Association and the leadership of the Defense Forces and the Defense League also attended the ceremony.

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Editor: Helen Wright

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