Tallinn Town Hall: The Medieval Square

Tallinn Town Hall is a two-storey historic building in Tallinn's Old Town, also called Vanalinn, beside Town Hall Square. It stands on the south side of the medieval market square and is the oldest town hall in the whole Baltic Sea region and Scandinavia. Before visiting, save this page so you can look up the square's setting when you reach the Old Town.

What is Tallinn Town Hall?

The building measures 36.8 metres (121 ft) in length, with a west wall 14.5 metres (48 ft) long and an east wall 15.2 metres (50 ft) long. It has two storeys and a spacious basement. From the square, its placement on the southern edge of the market area is the detail to notice first: this is not a detached monument away from the life of the town, but a civic building set directly against its medieval public space.

Why is Town Hall Square central to Tallinn Town Hall's story?

Town Hall Square is described as the core, or beating heart, of the city. Its role was practical and public at once: merchants traded there, daily needs were exchanged, the town's laws were made, and celebrations unfolded in the same setting.

The Tales of Reval Virtual Tour places these scenes in the 15th century, when social position strongly shaped what people could do and whom they served. The wheel of life is presented through three major classes: the clergy, the nobility and the peasants. That social order gives the building's square a sharper context: decisions, trade and public festivities took place in a world where the class into which you were born largely defined your life.

What stories should you look for at Tallinn Town Hall?

The tour returns to the square and brings its story back to merchants, laws and festivities. The grandest celebration is the May Fair, whose major event is an archery competition. It is a useful detail to keep in mind while you stand beside the town hall: the square was not only a place for administration and trade, but also a stage for public spectacle.

One figure gives that spectacle a personal stake. Thomas, a young fisherman's son, watches the city's champions compete each year. He secretly practises archery and hopes to become the King of archers himself. The source leaves his story unfinished, so the question of what happens next belongs to the route rather than this page.

How can you explore Tallinn Town Hall?

Tales of Reval Virtual Tour uses Tallinn Town Hall as stop 1 of 16. Begin in Town Hall Square, take in the building's position beside the medieval market space, and follow the route's stories as they connect the setting with the people and social boundaries of 15th-century Reval. The tour also lets you collect the stories of the clergy, nobility and peasants on its map.