Vikipeedia:GLAM/Kynnap/en/4

Chapter 4

Return of the Estonia's Blue-Black-White

On September 22, 1944, Soviet troops invaded and conquered Tallinn. The blue-black-and-white flag that had been flying in the Pikk Hermann tower for only 3 days and was replaced with a USSR flag. When the Supreme Council of the Estonian SSR passed the Language Act in January 1989 by which Estonian became the state language and February 24th was declared Independence Day once again, the way was opened for the use of the old symbols of the Republic of Estonia. In the evening of February 23, the Estonian SSR flag was lowered in the Pikk Hermann tower, and on the early morning of the next day, the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, on February 24, 1989 a blue-black-and-white flag was hoisted on the tower once again over more than 45 years.

The following series of photos depict a blue-black-and-white hoisting on Toompea on the morning of February 24, 1989. The event was prepared for several days. Mountain climbers Mikhail Sobelman and Alexei Kovalchuk went to clean Pikk Hermann tower form moss and branches. They also took blue-black-and-white flag to the tower and prepared it for hoisting. Künnap had also cleaned the walls and so he was aware of what was happening before.