Great Guild Hall

Tallinn, Estonia

Since the 14th century craftmen’s guilds were significant brotherhoods who drove interests of their members. The big guild of Tallinn was an union of wealthy merchants. Their base was the Great Guild Hall in downtown, opposite the church of Holy Spirit. The building itself was built in 1407-1410 and is a well-preserved sample of Medieval construction.

Today the Great Guild Hall houses a museum presenting Estonia's history from prehistoric times right up to the end of the 20th century. Films and interactive displays show how people here lived, fought and survived over the last 11,000 years.

References: Tallinn Tourism

Comments

Your name



Address

Pikk 17-19, Tallinn, Estonia
See all sites in Tallinn

Details

Founded: 1407-1410
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sam Tambago (3 years ago)
The Great Guild Hall, nice place to know Estonia's history.
Andrei Darin (3 years ago)
Nice little museum. Has a large coin collection.
Marko Uibo (3 years ago)
Really modern museum and it's a perfect size. You get nice and interesting overview in sensible time, so it's a good idea to step in while having a walk in the Old Town.
Prince FR (3 years ago)
A nice museum in the old centre of Tallinn. The museum present a good overview of the estonian history since the last ice age and is well worth a visit even if you're in a bit of a hurry.
Michael Buckland (3 years ago)
An intriguing and captivating stroll through the history of Estonia! We spent about an hour here which was enough time to check everything out. Well out together and a great insight into the history of the Estonian people from 9000 BC through to today.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.