Tallinn: Old Town in Depth - Part 4

The next few sections list some of the more important sites you may want to visit. This is then followed by a description of a walk you can take which will ensure you see all the sites.

Tallinn Town Hall

Nothing says power like the impressive, Gothic Town Hall that dominates medieval Tallinn' s main square.

It was built in 1402-1404 as a meeting place for the ruling burgomeisters and has been a showpiece of the city ever since. Currently, the Town Hall, which is the only intact Gothic town hall in Northern Europe, is used mainly for concerts or for entertaining visiting kings or presidents.

If you look closely at the top of the spire you will spot the Old Thomas weather vane, a symbol of Tallinn that has been standing at attention here since 1530.

In July and August, the Town Hall is open to visitors as a museum. The structure' s interior is truly impressive, featuring colourful meeting halls, vaulted ceilings, intricate wood carvings and some of the city' s most prized art treasures, including the famed Tristan and Isolde carved bench. Also from June to August visitors can climb up the 64-metre tower to get some amazing Old Town views, or head down to the cellars for the occasional exhibition. Entrance is free if you have a Tallinn Card.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

This spectacular, onion-domed structure perched on top of Toompea Hill is Estonia' s main Russian Orthodox cathedral. It' s also by far the grandest, most opulent Orthodox Church in Tallinn.

It was built in 1900 when Estonia was part of the tsarist Russian empire, the cathedral was originally intended as a symbol of the empire' s dominance over this increasingly unruly Baltic territory.

The cathedral was dedicated to the Prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, who led the famous Battle of the Ice at Lake Peipsi in 1242, which halted the German crusaders' eastward advance. It was deliberately placed in this prominent location right in front of Toompea Castle, on the same spot where a statue of Martin Luther had previously stood, to show the mainly Lutheran locals who were in charge.

Now with the controversy long since faded, what' s left is simply an architectural masterpiece. Designed by respected St. Petersburg architect Mikhail Preobrazhenski, the church is richly decorated in a mixed historicist style. The interior, filled with mosaics and icons, is well worth a visit.

The church' s towers' hold Tallinn' s most powerful church bell ensemble, consisting of 11 bells, including the largest in Tallinn, weighing 15 tonnes. You can hear the entire ensemble playing before each service.

Continued in part 5