Old Town Tartu

Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia. A curious fact: although the city was founded in 1030, there are no buildings in Tartu established earlier than the 18th century, as older constructions were destroyed in a big fire in 1775.

On the main square of the old town you will find:
– Town Hall which three times a day produces a lovely chime of 18 bells
– a “falling” house bent over due to an architect’s mistake
– a fountain with a sculpture of kissing students, which has become a symbol of the city

One of the main attractions of Tartu is its university founded in 1632. Its main campus was built in 1804-1809 in the style of classicism. The building has preserved wall paintings made by students in the 19th century. The University Botanical Garden is the oldest in the Baltic countries, it’s more than 200 years old. In the library, you can see the manuscripts of the 16-18 centuries, the original note of Casanova and a Goethe’s watercolor painting.

Within a five minutes walk from the main square there is Janovskaya Church. This is a Gothic cathedral with carefully preserved clay sculptures on the facades. If you climb its tower, you can see fragments of the panorama of the old and new city.

Tartu can be reached from most Estonian cities by bus or train.
By car, the road from Tallinn will take about 2,5 hours, from Riga – 3,5 hours.

Estonia