Old Town part 1
VANALINN -TOWN HALL SQUARE, VANA TURG, PIKK

The city center is called Keslinn district. It has a very well preserved, romantic and beautiful Old Town (Vanalinn) with large parts of the city wall intact, beautiful embassy buildings, nice restaurants and tall church towers. The Old Town is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The center of the Old Town is the Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square).

TOWN HALL SQUARE (RAEKOJA PLATS):
Raekoja Plats, Town Hall Square, is the heart of the Old Town. You can find many restaurants here, and the Town Hall (right).

 
Town Hall Square   The Town Hall   Town Hall Square
   
Town Hall Square  

Town Hall Square

  The Town Hall
Town Hall Square (miniature effect)  


Town Hall Square (toy camera effect)

Town Hall Square (fisheye effect)

 
Town Hall Square   Town Hall Square   Town Hall Square

 
Town Hall Square   Town Hall Square. In the center is Europe's oldest working pharmacy.   Town Hall Square
 
Tallinn Raekoda, The Town Hall at Town Hall Square. It was built between 1402-04. It is the oldest town hall in the Baltics and Scandinavian region, and the only intact gothic town hall in Northern Europe. The tower is 64m high.

 
The gable of the Town Hall, Vana Turg   Vana Turg, intersection Viru and Vene   Olde Hansa (right), a really good medieval restaurant I tried at Vana Turg near Raekoja Plats.

 
Olde Hansa has jokers to attract restaurant customers   Olde Hansa medieval shop   Olde Hansa medieval shop

 
Olde Hansa Restaurant   Olde Hansa Restaurant menue (in Swedish!)   Olde Hansa local medieval dish with cinnamon beer
The gable of Tallinn Raekoda (Town Hall)  


Olde Hansa antique shop


Town Hall Square (fisheye effect)

 

Great Guild Hall (left), Suurgildi plats

  Great Guild Hall houses the Estonian History Museum.   Great Guild Hall, built 1407-10 as the home of Tallinn's wealthy merchants.

 

Holy Spirit Church (Püha Vaimi Kirik), a medieval lutheran church, built in the 14th century

  Holy Spirit Church clock   Holy Spirit Church and souvenir stores

 

A lane showing the Estonian history on the ground near Town Hall Sq.

  "The history lane"    

 

VENE STREET:
Vene towards St Nicholas Orthodox Church.

 

Vene street towards Niguliste Church

  Souvenir shop, Vene street.   Vene street
Vene street  


Olde Hansa antique shop


Town Hall Square (fisheye effect)


St Nicholas Orthodox Church (Nikolai Kirik), a classicist church from 1827.

 

Part of the City Wall, Vene street

  Side street, Vene street.   Side street, Vene street

 

Vene street (fisheye effect)

  St Nicholas Orthodox Church, Vene street.   Side street, Vene street
PIKK STREET:
Pikk, a nice street with medieval houses.

 

Pikk street

  Pikk street   Merites Old Town Hotel at Tolli street
St Olav's Church, Tallinn's tallest building, seen from the short Oleviste street. Upon completion in 1519, the church was the world's tallest building with its 159m tall spire! But a fire brought it down 1625, the current spire is 124m tall.  


St Olav's Church (Oleviste Kirik)

St Olav's Church. It is possible to walk the stairs of the tower and reach an outdoor observation terrace.

St Olav's Church, Estonia's tallest building, is situated on the North end of the Old Town.  


St Olav's Church (Oleviste Kirik)

Inside St Olav's Church..

St Olav's Church, Tallinn's tallest building, has a white interior.  


St Olav's Church (Oleviste Kirik)

Inside St Olav's Church.

 

St Olav's Church interior

  St Olav's Church interior   St Olav's Church interior

 

Swedish embassy, Pikk street

  Kanuti Gildisaal   Historic buildings and a police car, Pikk street

 

Jugend building, Pikk street

  Coffee ferris wheel   Streetscape, Pikk

 

Intersection Pikk/Olevimägi streets

  Amber ship - the Baltics are obsessed with amber!   House of the Blackheads (right) and the Swedish Embassy (left)
House of the Blackheads, a wellknown building on Pikk. The Brotherhood of Blackheads leased it in 1517. There is a building with the same name in Riga.  


House of the Blackheads

The gate to the House of the Blackheads


The beautiful jugend pharmacy building on Pikk street.

 

 

FAT MARGARET CITY GATE:

 

The Northern City Wall gate

  Estonian Maritime Museum, part of Fat Margaret's tower/city wall   Fat Margaret's tower
Fat Margaret's tower, The Northern City Wall gate  


Harbour building and ferris wheel

Fat Margaret's tower, North City Wall gate

 

LAI STREET:
Lai street with Pollum Mandusministeerium (left) and St Olaf's Church (right).

 

Side street to Lai

  Lai street   A side street to Lai: One of the City Wall towers
Lai with St Olaf's Church.
Lai looking south towards St Nicholas Church.

 

Niguliste (St Nicholas Church) seen from Lai

  Loodusmuseum, Lai street   Old Theater, Lai

 

Lai street

  Medieval lane next to Lai   Tourist train

 

Open gallery, Lai street

  Open gallery and St Olav's Church, Lai street   There are also some nightclubs at Lai
Toompea Hill seen from Lai  


Lai

Waterfall at Lai, next to Toompea Hill