Town Hall Square

Tartu, Estonia

The central Tartu Town Hall Square is surrounded by buildings built in the classical style. Since 1998 the square is decorated by the "Kissing Students" fountain. Throughout centuries the centre of town activity has been Town Hall Square, the history of which goes back to ancient times. At that time the market place was the square lying between the fortress on Toome Hill and the harbour on the banks of the Emajõgi River. This tradition persisted for centuries.

The Town Hall of Tartu is located in the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) edge. The current Town Hall is the third one on the same site. It is designed by Johann Heinrich Bartholomäus Walter from Rostock, Germany. The construction started in 1782 and was finally completed in 1789. The opening ceremony was held, however, already in 1786. The building represents the most earliest classicism style, but there are also features of Baroque and Rococo styles.

Reference: Tartu Tourism Information

Comments

Your name



User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.