Museum sights in Tartu
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Toomemägi (Cathedral Hill)
Rising behind the Town Hall, Toomemägi is a splendidly landscaped park, with walking paths meandering through the trees. This hill is the reason for Tartu's existence, functioning on and off as a stronghold from around the 5th or 6th century. Atop the hill is the imposing Gothic cathedral Toomkirik (dome church) built by German knights in the 13th century.
The cathedral was rebuilt in the 15th century, despoiled during the Reformation in 1525, used as a barn, and partly rebuilt in 1804-07 to house the university library, which is now the Museum of University History. Inside you'll find a reconstructed autopsy chamber and other exhibits chronicling student life.
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Toy Museum
Set in one of Tartu's oldest buildings (dating back to the 1770s), the Toy Museum is a big hit with the under-eight crowd. Dolls, model trains, rocking horses, toy soldiers and tons of other toys on display date back 100 years. If all those unobtainable toys have unearthed your inner child, there's a playroom upstairs for more hands-on activity.
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Tartu University
Tartu University was founded in 1632 by the Swedish king, Gustaf II Adolf. Lined with Corinthian columns, the impressive main building dates from 1803. More fascinating is the Student's Lock-Up, where 19th-century students were held in solitary confinement for various infractions. One of these rooms, complete with original graffiti, is open for viewing.
North of the university on the continuation of Ülikooli stands the magnificent St John's Church, dating back to at least 1323. The church is unique for its rare terracotta sculptures in niches around the main portal. It lay in ruins following the Soviet bombing raid in 1944. Today, it is once again open - after a lengthy…
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Estonian National Museum
Tartu, as the major repository of Estonia's cultural heritage, has an abundance of first-rate museums. Among them is perhaps the country's best: the Estonian National Museum traces the history, life and traditions of the Estonian people. Don't miss the regional displays of folk costumes and exhibits of uniquely handcrafted tankards. Temporary exhibits here are also noteworthy.
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Tartu Art Museum
Near the Town Hall is the wonderfully crooked building housing the Tartu Art Museum, former home of Colonel Barclay de Tolly (1761-1818), an exiled Scot who distinguished himself in the Russian army's 1812 campaign against Napoleon. Foundations laid partially over an old town wall have given the building its pronounced lean.
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Tartu Cathedral
Atop Cathedral Hill is the imposing Gothic Tartu Cathedral. It was built by German knights in the 13th century, rebuilt in the 15th century, despoiled during the Reformation in 1525, used as a barn, and partly rebuilt between 1804 and 1807 to house the university library, which is now the Museum of University History.
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A Le Coq Beer Museum
The A Le Coq Beer Museum at the brewery briefly covers the history of beer-making, but focuses mainly on the machinery and techniques A Le Coq has used to churn out their trademark beverage since 1879. You get your chance to sample their brew at the end - have some patience!
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Tartu University Art Museum
The Tartu University Art Museum contains mainly plaster casts of ancient Greek sculptures, made in Europe in the 1860s and 1870s, and an old mummy. The rest of the collection was evacuated to Russia during the war and has never returned.
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Tartu Sports Museum
The Tartu Sports Museum chronicles much more than Estonian Olympic excellence. There's a display of the life of a 19th-century postman and early-20th-century bodybuilders, and interactive tug-of-war on the 2nd floor.
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Museum of University History
The imposing Gothic Tartu Cathedral houses the Museum of University History. Inside you'll find a reconstructed autopsy chamber and other exhibits chronicling student life.
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19th-century Tartu Citizen's Home Museum
Amid period furnishings, the 19th-century Tartu Citizen's Home Museum shows how a burgher from the 1830s lived.
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