Town Hall of Tallinn is one of the most famous city sights. It is located in the Old City. During the Middle Ages, this building was the main city administrative building. Only representatives of the nobility, who resolved issues related to the life of the city, could get into it.
Today, this unique historical building consists of several parts, some of which are in the use of the city authorities, and the rest function as museum halls.
Town Hall in Tallinn turned 610 in 2014.
General Description
The City Hall is the only Gothic city government building in Northern Europe that has survived to this day. Today, any tourist can almost completely examine all the premises of this interesting historical building: from the basement to the tower, which can be reached by a spiral staircase,consisting of 115 steps.
This majestic building is located in the middle of the main square in the Old City. It was erected in two years (1402 - 1404). Initially, all the premises were intended for holding various meetings of burgomasters. And today, the Tallinn Town Hall is used to receive noble people, the president and hold solemn concert events. The famous Old Thomas, which has been a symbol of Tallinn since 1530, flaunts on the weather vane of the spire of the representative town hall.
In the summer, the town hall serves as a museum that any tourist or traveler can visit. Here you can enjoy the splendor of this attraction. Particularly admired are the interiors of the bright meeting rooms. The painted ceilings, atypical wood carvings, and the most unique collection of works of art are delightful here.
From the height of the tower, a magnificent picturesque city panorama opens up. The rooms located in the attic and basement are used for exhibitions.
History
Tallinn Town Hall (see photo in the article) is the only building of this style that has been preserved almost unchanged. The first mention of it dates back to 1322. At that time it was a small one-story building built of limestone. By the end of the 14th century, the important commercial importance of Tallinn (at that time Revel), which was a member of the Hanseatic League, had grown greatly, so it became necessary to expandadministrative building. Spacious halls for ceremonial events appeared. The tower, 64 meters high, was added to the building in 1483, and in 1530 a weather vane in the form of a guard was erected on the spire, which the townspeople called Old Thomas.
In the future, this majestic building was overgrown with various decorations. In 1627, the town craftsman Daniel Peppel made metal weirs in the shape of dragon heads, which are a typical example of the high skill of the blacksmiths of Reval, who created their works in the Middle Ages. A small reconstruction of the town hall was made in the 17th century, after which a spire appeared on the tower (late Renaissance style). In the middle of the same century, a new entrance appeared, thanks to which the central gate began to be located from the front of the building, in the very center. The eastern façade and windows of the town hall were transformed in the 19th century.
During the Second World War, during the forced spring bombardments of 1944, necessary to liberate the city from the Nazi invaders, the town hall was partially destroyed. But post-war restoration work has given the building its original appearance.
Halls and rooms
Tallinn Town Hall consists of several halls that are open to the public when there are no official events.
- Magistrate's Hall - the main room of the town hall. Earlier meetings were held there. Today exhibited works of art, thematically related to justice. The most valuable of them are paintings by Johann Akean (Lubeck artist of the 17th century).
- Burger's Hall - a room for ceremonial receptions. Here there were foreign ambassadors, for whom performances of itinerant musicians and actors were arranged. The walls of the hall are decorated with copies of picturesque tapestries depicting scenes from the stories of King Solomon.
- Merchant's Hall - a room where Tallinn merchants gathered to make their deals. A map of trade routes still hangs on the wall and there are chests along the walls.
- Trading and basement halls - premises used as wine cellars. Now there is a permanent museum exhibition.
There are rooms in the building designed for the kitchen and the treasury. And today the atmosphere of the Middle Ages is presented in the kitchen room. It is also worth noting that at the end of the kitchen in the old days there was also a toilet for ratmans. Moreover, the sewer system throughout the building was unified and perfectly preserved. The Treasury was eventually turned into the office of the city mayor. Of particular value are the children's portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden and the image of King Charles XI of Sweden in his youth.
Tower
The most interesting thing in the Town Hall of Tallinn (the photo is presented in the article) is the tower towering over the territory of old Tallinn, or rather, the views from the site where the bell tower is located (34 meters high).
You can climb the tower for 3 euros, you have to climb steep steps, but it's worth it. The views from above are amazing. True, this site is small and inspectthe neighborhood comes through narrow windows-loopholes. The city guards used this observation platform to find out if a fire was breaking out somewhere and if enemy troops were approaching. In case of danger, they beat the alarm bell, made in 1586 by the Tallinn master Hinrik Hartmann. Until recently, the ringing of the bell was heard every hour (the number of strokes corresponded to the time). This was done by hand. But now the bell is controlled by the clock (on the facade of the town hall) using an electronic system.
Town Hall for tourists
In summer, anyone can climb the tower and admire the fabulous surroundings. From the height of the tower, a wonderful view of the Town Hall Square and the surroundings opens up.
The Museum of Photography operates in the building. You should pay attention to the pillars of this ancient building. One of them in the Middle Ages was used as a "shameful". This is reminiscent of the fetters and chains built into the stone. With their help, the hands of criminals were shackled, due to which they were unable to move.
Tallinn Town Hall is open for visitors to visit the internal halls and premises all year round. They offer interesting and exciting excursions here.
Legend
According to the legend, in the Middle Ages in Tallinn, every spring, competitions of the best city archers took place on the square near the Great Sea Gate. The most accurate shooter who managed to hit the target (a wooden parrot) was rewarded with a silver cup. Once, when the knights, lined up in a row, pulled their bows, the targetsuddenly fell, pierced by an unknown arrow. The shooter turned out to be a simple poor young man Toomas. He was scolded and forced to put the parrot in place.
Sanctions against the young man were limited to this, he was even offered to become a guard. And in those days it was a great honor for the poor. But Toomas subsequently fully justified the trust, constantly showing heroism in battles (the Livonian War). Closer to old age, he grew a magnificent mustache and became very similar to the brave warrior who towered in the form of a weather vane on the famous tower of the Tallinn City Hall. And since then they began to call him Old Thomas.
Café at City Hall
There is a very interesting place on the Town Hall Square in Tallinn - a tavern located inside the historical building itself. Cafe "Three Dragons" is decorated in a medieval style. And the inscription over one of the doors "Let's play in the Middle Ages" attracts tourists to this unique cafe.
Being here, you can fully plunge into the atmosphere of medieval life.
Reviews
Town Hall of Tallinn, according to many tourists, seems rather ascetic and harsh. But a walk along it leaves a lot of quite vivid and unforgettable impressions. This interesting historical place gives a complete sense of past life.
There are a lot of positive reviews about the expositions of the museum halls and about the surrounding environs that open from the tower platform. Positive and enthusiastic reviews about this unique attraction located in Tallinn -cafe in the City Hall.
How to get there?
Town Hall address: Estonia, Tallinn, Raekoja plats 1, 10114.
In order to get to the town hall, you should find the Old Town. There is no public transport on it, so you need to get off at the nearest stops: Linnahall, Vabaduse väljak and Virul. Next, you should take a walk to the very central part of the Old Town, where you can immediately see the city hall. You can visit it on weekdays and on Saturday from June 26 to August 31, from 10 am to 4 pm. On other days, it can be viewed only by prior arrangement.
