Raekoja plats 1
Tel. 645 7900
Bus: 5, 40 Trolley: 1, 2, 3,
4
Open: July- Aug: 10am- 4pm Mon- Sat
www.tallinn.ee/raekoda
Tallinn Town Hall is a building in Tallinn, Northern Europe's only
preserved Gothic style town hall. It was founded in the 13th century and
is the oldest surviving town hall in Northern Europe.
The
building, located on the south side of the former market square, is 36.8
meters long, 14.5 meters wide in the west and 15.2 meters in the east.
The building has two floors and a spacious basement. Vana Toomas, a
weather vane located on the top of the Tallinn Town Hall tower since
1530, has become one of the symbols of Tallinn. The height of the tower
above the ground is 64 meters.
The Tallinn Town Hall building is
located on Town Hall Square. Kullassepa street, Dunkri street and
Vanaturu kael lead to the town hall. Behind the Town Hall is Raekoja
Street, which is one of the shortest streets in Tallinn.
Tallinn
City Hall was the office building of Tallinn Town Hall, the
self-governing body of the medieval Tallinn Sub-City. The entire city's
political, economic, and even social activities were managed from the
town hall. The town hall was often a courthouse and a place to introduce
goods; sometimes it was also used as a theater room. The city government
worked in the city hall until 1970, but the city hall is still the
representative building of the city government. The town hall also
welcomes visitors as a concert venue and museum. As part of the Old Town
of Tallinn, the Tallinn Town Hall has been on the UNESCO World Heritage
List since 1997.
The Tallinn Town Hall with its large meeting
room was first mentioned in the real estate register in 1322 as a
consistorium, which at that time had a gigantic warehouse (cellarium
civitatis). Some of the walls and a total of seven windows in the
basement and first floor have been preserved from these storage rooms.
In 1364 it was called a playhouse (teatrum), in 1372 it was called a
town hall (rathus).
The town hall was built next to the former
market square. Part of the walls of the first town hall has been
preserved in the eastern part of the modern town hall. In the 1370s, it
got its current length as a result of reconstruction. Covered with a
board roof in 1374, the building was probably a one-story stone building
with a basement, the attic of which was used as a storage room. The
north facade of this long and narrow building is now the back wall of
the arch, where you can still see the windows with simple sash frames
from that time.
In 2005, Tallinn City Hall received the Cultural
Heritage Award of the European Union, the Europa Nostra medal.
The Tallinn Town Hall is the only Gothic-style town hall that has
survived in Northern Europe.
In written sources, the Revel
Town Hall was mentioned for the first time in 1322 as a consistory
(consistorium). At that time it was a one-story limestone building.
At the end of the XIV century, when the commercial importance of
Reval in the Hanseatic League increased, the town hall began to
expand. The XV century was the time of the greatest cultural and
commercial flourishing of Reval. During the reconstruction of the
town hall in 1402-1404, it was expanded into an arcade, ceremonial
halls were built on the second floor, and the building acquired a
representative tower. In this form, the town hall met the
requirements of a wealthy Hanseatic city and through the centuries
brought to us the skill of the then local masons and the delicate
taste of craftsmen who arrived from a foreign land.
In 1530,
a weather vane was installed on the tower of the town hall, which
the townspeople began to call Old Thomas. City guard Toomas has
guarded the city for almost 500 years. Spillways in the form of
dragon heads are an excellent example of the high level of forged
products of Reval masters. They were made in 1627 by the local
coppersmith Daniel Poeppel.
During the inspection on February
15, 2016, the condition of the town hall was assessed as good.
The basement hall of the town hall was used as a wine cellar. The
magistrate wanted the sale of wine to take place under his strict
control and, first of all, in the wine cellar. The excise tax on wine
gave a large income to the city treasury. In the Middle Ages, wine was
considered a valuable drink, consumed only during major holidays or for
church needs. In the basement hall there are the oldest windows of the
town hall - these archaic windows can be recognized by the stepped
window sills. At one end of the room, an old fireplace mouth has been
preserved.
The room above the basement, the trading floor, was
also called the wine cellar in the old accounting books, although it was
apparently also used as a place to store and display more valuable
goods.
The most luxurious rooms are located on the main floor of
the town hall. This is the burgher's hall, or vestibule, and the most
important room of the town hall is the magistrate's hall.
The burgher hall, or vestibule, served in the Middle Ages as a room
for solemn receptions and holidays of the townspeople. Traveling
musicians and actors who arrived in the city also performed here.
The burgher hall is characterized by an abundance of light. The
pylons that carry the Gothic vaulted hall are decorated with a Christmas
tree pattern rich in colors. The original painting of the pylons is
visible on both sides of the column from the side of the main staircase.
In the hall, attention is drawn to the magnificent city coats of arms
and located above the door leading to the magistrate's hall, an
inscription with a reminder:
From the summer of the Lord 1651.
Ratman, whoever you are, entering this house to fulfill your duty, leave
behind the threshold all personal worries: anger, resentment, enmity,
friendship, flattery; dedicate yourself and your cares to society, for
what you are to others - just or unjust, so you will appear before the
Lord's court.
The magistrate's hall is the most important room in the town hall.
Here the city magistrate, or city government, gathered. The first
mention of the city magistrate is found in the charter of the Danish
king Eric V dated May 15, 1248. In his decisions, the Rewal magistrate
proceeded from the Lübeck law, which was widely used in the Hanseatic
cities. The magistrate decided everything in Rewal, from taxes to
jewelry and clothing, establishing who could wear what. In the Middle
Ages, ratmans were not paid remuneration for their work, so only the
wealthiest merchants, members of the Great Guild, could be members of
the magistrate. In the 15th century, the magistrate consisted of
fourteen ratmans and four burgomasters, or chairmen of the magistrate.
Since within the boundaries of the city the magistrate also had
judicial power, the magistrate's hall was also used as a courtroom. This
appointment is emphasized by the red color of the walls in the hall and
the murals with a judicial theme.
In the hall of the magistrate,
the abundance of symbols surprises. The most important works of art in
the town hall speak of morality, justice, honesty, wisdom and justice.
Directly connected with justice are six paintings by the Lübeck artist
Johann Aken on biblical themes dating back to the 17th century.
The kitchen prepared dishes for big holidays. In the kitchen corner
was a large walled chimney resting on a stone corner post. The chimney,
demolished in the 19th century, was reconstructed in 2004.
The
kitchen equipment also included a lavatory - a niche for washing hands
with a small window. A long chute made of natural stone opened directly
onto the street. The town hall received water from a well located on the
market square, rainwater was also collected in large barrels.
At
the end of the kitchen wall was a toilet for ratmans. The medieval
toilet system was uniform throughout the house and is still relatively
well preserved. At the entrance to the tower, pay attention to the
toilet room of the tower watchman.
Each ratman was entrusted with precisely defined responsibilities
related to the management of one of the areas of city life. Ratmans
involved in city accounting and economic issues worked in the city
treasury. Later, this representative building was turned into the office
of the mayor of the city.
Two of the paintings in the city
treasury are gifts to the Tallinn City Hall. This is a portrait of the
Swedish Queen Christina as a child and a portrait of Charles XI in his
youth. Other paintings, also depicting the crowned faces of Europe, are
included in the collection of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. In the
corner of the hall from the side of the square, a part of the medieval
floor is visible.