Medieval Tallinn

Medieval Tallinn

Among the many places of interest in medieval Tallinn the most important are Raekoja Square and the fortified walls.

Raekoja Square, also called Town Hall Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the city. It is the main square in the medieval area of Tallinn and is located in the Old Town.

Raekoja Square is the beating and beating heart of the Old Town, where the market takes place and since 1441, during the Christmas period, the Christmas Market is organized.

Tallinn City Hall is a historic building built around the early 1400s and is now the only structure in northern Europe to have been built in the Baltic Gothic style. The spire of the Tower was destroyed during the Bombing of Tallinn in 1944, and then rebuilt after 6 years, in 1950. 

In Raekoja Square is the Raeapteek, currently the oldest operating pharmacy in Europe. It was opened around 1415 and was among the first to sell the first tobacco imported from America to the public.

The medieval walls of the Estonian capital are among the best preserved in Europe and this makes it one of the major tourist attractions of the city. Repeatedly threatened with invasion or under siege, Tallinn was forced to protect itself with over 2 km of walls almost 16 meters high and 46 towers (some of these functioned as gates) visible from every part of the city and from the sea.

One of the ancient gateways to the city is the Viru Gate built in the fourteenth century. Most of the complex was demolished in 1880 to make room for city traffic, but the two towers have fortunately remained almost intact and have since become one of the symbols of the city.

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