In Tallinn's market square, the Town Hall and its famous weathervane, Old Thomas, have triumphed over centuries of conflict and change
The stone-built Town Hall of Tallinn dominates the old city’s gigantic central square. As the only Gothic town hall in Northern Europe, this amazing building dates back 700 years, and its crowned dragon waterspouts and a soaring tower make it the city's most recognisable landmark.
Medieval Surroundings
The area around the hall is the oldest part of the walled city of Tallinn. It has a long history and a picturesque appearance, with carved doorways and swinging merchants’ signs still decorating the shops and houses which line the winding lanes.
Up until Tudor times, Tallinn was an important port. It was full of wealthy merchants, and its grand Town Hall reflected this prosperity. In later centuries, the city declined and was neglected for hundreds of years as Estonia lived under various foreign occupations. The Town Hall shared in these ups and downs, and underwent many changes over the centuries. Already large by medieval standards, the original hall was extended in the fifteenth century, the tower was added, and a new spire was created in 1627. The, there was more rebuilding in the nineteenth century. By the 20th century, though, the Town Hall was draped with pictures of Lenin and, like the rest of Tallinn, was rather the worse for wear under Communist rule.
An expensive and sensitive restoration took place after Estonia became free again. Now the Town Hall is used for all kinds of public events, and guided tours of its interior are popular with visitors.
Inside the Town Hall
Inside, it has been modernised to fit today’s needs, but great efforts have been made to preserve as many of its interesting interior features as possible. These include many works of art and some spectacular wood carvings, such as a frieze with all kinds of animals, monsters, maidens and plants, and a couple of wonderful benches, whose side posts depict the stories of Samson’s fight with the lion, and the lovers Tristan and Isolde.
Visitors may notice that many of the interior doors in the town hall are in sparkling, glossy black lacquer. This is partly a design statement, and partly a tribute to the town’s piano makers, who created the doors by using the same technique as they use for the casing of their glossy black grand pianos!
Old Thomas
The hall’s 64 metre tower is topped by an unusual weathervane in the shape of a man wearing doublet and hose. His name is "Old Thomas". He has come to symbolise Tallinn, but he was a real person.
In the fifteenth century, he came to the notice of local noblemen by gatecrashing one of their shooting contests and winning it with his humble bow and arrow. At first, the noblemen couldn’t decide whether to punish him or reward him, but eventually they made him the town guard. He was a great success, and the metal figure of him was made in 1530.
In fact, the Old Thomas on the town hall is a copy erected in 1996. The original is in the Tallinn City Museum, having been shot down in 1944 by enemy action. It’s worth taking a look at the original figure in the museum just to see the detail – he has a huge and very impressive handlebar moustache.
As well as having Thomas to care for the town, the city used to have its own guards who were stationed in the tower. They would ring an alarm bell if they spotted danger.
Rest and Relaxation
Tallinn is proud of its medievalism, and many restaurants around the town hall offer “medieval” food. The most authentic of these are Olde Hansa, at 1 Vana Turg, which has a rollicking, candlelit atmosphere, and The Chateau at Lai 19, a smoke-blackened cellar decorated with countless antlers and lit with candles stuck in heaps of wax.
In summer, a medieval themed market in the square sells such unusual goods as amber necklaces, intricately woven and traditionally knitted garments, and Estonian smoked cheese. With its street entertainers, noise and bustle, it must warm Old Thomas’s metal heart to see how the area round the town hall has come back to life.
Anyone interested in reading about another medieval town might like to try The Christmas Fairy of Nuremberg
