Tartu City Museum, Tartu, Estonia

The Tartu City Museum was established in 1955 for collecting, studying and displaying the objects connected with town history as well as other sources. The permanent exhibition “Dorpat. Yuryev. Tartu”, staged at the Tartu City Museum in 2001, is a museological interpretation of the history of Tartu. Also the exhibition of Tartu peace treaty of 1920 is updated to be a permanent.

The museum building itself is a Classicist style structure built as a town palace in 1790. The building is popularly called Catherine´s House. The legend has it that Empress Catherine II made a short stay there. However, this legend is not true.

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Tartu City Museum

User Reviews

Tanel Karja (2 years ago)
Suurepärane saal esinejatele, huvitavad ja vahelduvad näitused.

Николай Лагуткин (2 years ago)
Небольшой, но очень интересный музей. Большая экспозиция посвященная Тартусскому договору и образованию независимой Эстонии.

Kaja Kivisikk (2 years ago)
Tutvu linna ajalooga....

Maussie InTheBaltics (3 years ago)
Tartu linnamuuseum (Tartu City Museum), located in the centre of town, in the suburb of Ülejõe, is a grand building from the late 18th century. The building stands out for its interior, including a hall in Louis XVI Early Classical style. It is a small museum with entry fee 4euro per person, interesting for those studying or curious about the history of Tartu, it has original artifacts and the beautiful hall which can be hired for events ...it would make a beautiful reception venue for a small bijoux wedding or special event or birthday.....See it @ least once.....~ : )

Hans Damen (4 years ago)
Not a top attraction, but a nice place to spend an hour or so.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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