102 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp116–17

Clock at Holy

Spirit Church

Outdoor tables of the cafés around Town Hall Square

Great Guild Hall^3

Suurgildi hoone

Pikk jalg 17. Map D3. Tel 641

1630. @ 5, 40. v 1, 2, 3, 4.

      11am–6pm Thu–Tue. & =

      
      

      Estonian History Museum #
      Mar–Oct: 11am–6pm Wed–Sun;
      Nov–Feb: 11am–5pm http://www.eam.ee

      
      

One of the most important

buildings in medieval

Tallinn, the Great Guild

Hall was constructed in

1417. It was owned by a
      power ful union of wealthy
      merchants and was mainly
      used as a gathering place for
      the members of the Great
      Guild. The starting as well as
      the end point of most festive
      processions of Tallinn, it
      was sometimes also rented
      out for wedding parties and
      court sessions.
      The late-Gothic building
      has retained its original
      appearance through the
      centuries, although
      the windows were
      remodelled in the
      1890s. The Great
      Guild Hall’s majestic
      interior provides the
      perfect setting for
      a branch of the
      Estonian History
      Museum. The
      museum’s collection
      of historical artifacts
      covers Estonian history from
      the Stone Age to the mid-19th
      century in fine detail. The
      exhi bits, which include
      everything from jewellery to
      weaponry, are accompanied
      by explana tory texts in
      Estonian, Russian and English.

Town Hall 1

Tallinna raekoda

Raekoja plats 1. Map D3. Tel 645

7900. @ 5, 40. v 1, 2, 3, 4. # Jul–
      Aug: 10am–4pm Mon–Sat (by appoint-
      ment). & 8 - http://www.tallinn.ee/
      raekoda

One of the most revered
symbols of Tallinn, the Town
Hall dates back to 1404. Its
high-pitched roof is supported
by two tall gables and a late-
Renaissance spire crowns the
slender octagonal tower. The
windows and crenel lated para-
pet complete the building’s
impressive appear ance. Inside
the building, it is possible to
see the Citizens’ Hall and the
Council Hall, although most
visitors head straight for the
tower and the 115-step ascent
to the top. Facing the Town
Hall is the Town Hall Square
(see pp100–101), with a
vaulted arcade running along
its north façade. Small cafés
put out tables here in summer.

Holy Spirit

Church^2
Pühavaimu kirik

Pühavaimu 2. Map D3. Tel 644

1487. @ 5, 40. v 1, 2, 3, 4.

      May–Sep: 9am–5pm Mon–Sat;

      
      

      Oct–Apr: 10am–3pm Mon–Sat. &
      5 3pm (in English). http://www.eelk.ee/
      tallinna.puhavaimu

      
      

Considered one of the most
beautiful churches in Tallinn,
the Gothic building of the
Holy Spirit Church served as
the Town Hall chapel before

being converted into a church.

Its whitewashed exterior

includes the oldest public

clock in Tallinn, with carvings

dating from 1684. The step-

ped gable is topped by a

striking Baroque tower. The

spire was nearly des troyed by

fire in 2002, but was

restored within a

year. Inside, the

church is a treasure

trove of religious

artifacts and archi-

tecture, from the

magnificently intri-

cate Baroque pews

to the Renaissance-

era pulpit. The sub-

lime altar triptych,

The Descent of the Holy Ghost

(1483), by Berndt Notke, is

the main high light. The

church has a special place in

Estonian history, as the first

sermons in Estonian were

delivered here in 1535

following the Reformation.

Altar of the Holy Spirit Church, Old Town