Top Historic Sights in Valga, Estonia
Explore the historic highlights of Valga
St. John's Church
The St. John’s (Jaani) church in Valga is one of the most beautiful churches in Estonia. The construction started in 1787, but it was not completed until 1816. The church represents Baroque and Classicism styles. It was built according to the design of architect Christoph Haberland and it is the only church in Estonia with an oval ground plan. The unique organ has been preserved in its original shape and it is the o ...Valga Town Hall
The Town Hall was built in 1865 and its high half-hipped roof, skylights and turrets make it one of the most outstanding examples of historicist architecture in Estonia. There is a memorial tablet to Johannes Märtson, who was the mayor from 1902 to 1917, in the foyer of the Town Hall.Stefan Bathory Monument
Valga is first mentioned as a meeting point of tradesmen in the Riga Credit Book of 1286, but it got its city rights only in 1584 from the king of Poland, Stefan (István) Bathory, who was originally Hungarian. To commemorate this, a monument to Stefan Bathory was opened opposite St John's church in the centre of the town in 2003.Valga Orthodox Church
The Orthodox church of Saint Isidore was built between 1897-1898 and it was designed by V. J. Lunski. The church has five octagonal cupolas and represents the neo-classicism style.Valga Roman Catholic Church
The church was built of natural stone and bricks in 1907. Lithuanian and Polish railway workers were actively involved in building the church. The church operated until 1940 and from 1945, the building was used as a warehouse and later as a gym. The extension of the church was built in 1995 and the church was renovated.Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Lübeck Cathedral
Lübeck Cathedral is a large brick-built Lutheran cathedral in Lübeck, Germany and part of the Lübeck UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1173 Henry the Lion founded the cathedral to serve the Diocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat from Oldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into a Gothic-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle.
On the night of Palm Sunday (28–29 March) 1942 a Royal Air Force bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of the quire to collapse and destroying the altar which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the truss of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. An Arp Schnitger organ was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medieval polyptychs. In 1946 a further collapse, of the gable of the north transept, destroyed the vestibule almost completely.
Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of the Marienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.
The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and the guilds.
The 17 m crucifix is the work of the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II. Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate the rood screen are also by Notke.
Since the war, the famous altar of Hans Memling has been in the medieval collection of the St. Annen Museum, but notable polyptychs remain in the cathedral.
In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle are Baroque-era memorials by the Flemish sculptor Thomas Quellinus.