Narva Town Hall

Narva, Estonia

The town hall is one of the three buildings in Narva survived from World War II. The Baroque-style building was built by the order of Swedish king Charles XI. The project of the master George Teuffel from Lubeck formed the basis of the building, the construction of which started in 1688. After three years, at the latest in 1691, the building was finished when a gold-plated forged weathercock in the form of a crane was put at the top of the tower (it was made by master Grabben).

During the World War II, the Town Hall was severely damaged: the tower, the roof, the flooring were destroyed, the stairs and the figures at the portal got considerable damages. During the renovation works in the Town Hall (1956-1963), the tower was rebuilt, and the building attained the new roof; the facade and the portal were reconstructed, and the grate that connected stairs and handrails was restored.

Reference: Narva Museum

Comments

Your name


Address

Rüütli 1, Narva, Estonia
See all sites in Narva

Details

Founded: 1688-1691
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Swedish Empire (Estonia)

More Information

www.narvamuuseum.ee
www.inyourpocket.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Hermann Castle (0,4 km)
Ivangorod Fortress (0,7 km)
Orthodox Resurrection of the Christ Cathedral (1 km)
Alexander Church (1 km)
Narva Art Gallery (0,4 km)


Vasknarva Castle Ruins (49,6 km)

User Reviews

Kristjan Variksoo (5 months ago)
The clock was completely wrong.
Helen Vaikma (2 years ago)
Narva had a beautiful Old Town with scenic old streets and houses. Sad that there's almost nothing left after the WWII. This is a place where you can almost imagine how it looked like before. City Hall was finished in 1671, Stock Exchange in 1704.
Here to Help u (2 years ago)
Well made and looks very similar to how it was before.Before it was build I remember being I child and playing in this underground catacombs. Very spacious lounge .On our next visit we will check the cafe as many people have recommended. Would be nice to have RATUSHA open too.
Elvis (2 years ago)
The building looks like it would be very pretty it is also pretty run down which is a pity.
Lady N (2 years ago)
Narvas city hall has historical spirit and looks quite old. Overall it brings impression that you have visited the past century- time back. Hall has own medieval magic.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2021 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.