Editor's Choice: Tartu

Tartu's essential landmarks highlight the city's role as Estonia's intellectual and cultural hub. The Estonian National Museum preserves ethnographic heritage, while the AHHAA Science Centre stands as the largest of its kind in the Baltics. Historic architecture includes the 14th-century Brick Gothic St. John’s Church and the 1913 Devil’s Bridge on Toomemägi hill. Specialist museums cover diverse history, from the Baltic's largest toy and sports museums to the somber Soviet-era prison cells in the Gray House. The University of Tartu’s influence is visible in the 1803 botanical garden and whimsical literary statues.

Erzianj jurnalist / CC BY-SA 4.0

Estonian National Museum

The Estonian National Museum founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and…

Klarqa / CC BY-SA 4.0

AHHAA Science Centre

Science Centre AHHAA is a science centre located in Tartu, Estonia, and is currently the largest science centre in the Baltic states.

Guntars Mednis / CC BY-SA 3.0

St. John's Church

St. John's Church, Tartu is a Brick Gothic Lutheran church, one of the landmarks of the city of Tartu, Estonia.

Anvelt / CC BY-SA 3.0 ee

KGB Cells Museum

Located in the basement of the Gray House, the former NKVD and KGB headquarters, this museum features original prison cells and interrogation rooms. Exhibits document the history of the Estonian resistance movement and the Soviet-era deportations to Siberia.

Amadvr / CC BY-SA 3.0

Botanical Garden of the University of Tartu

University of Tartu Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden in Tartu, Estonia. It belongs to the University of Tartu.

Oop / CC BY-SA 3.0

Tartu Toy Museum

Tartu Toy Museum is the biggest toy museum in the Baltic States, located in Tartu, Estonia.

Ivo Kruusamägi / CC BY-SA 4.0

Devil's Bridge

Kuradisild is a dark concrete bridge located on Toomemägi in Tartu, Estonia, built to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov…

Eesti Spordimuuseum / CC BY-SA 3.0

Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum

The Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, founded in 1963 and modernized in 2020, is the largest sports museum in the Baltic states.

Alastair Rae / CC BY-SA 2.0

Oscar Wilde/Eduard Vilde Statue

This 1999 bronze sculpture by Tiiu Kirsipuu depicts an imaginary meeting between Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and Estonian writer Eduard Vilde. Though the contemporaries never met, the artwork portrays them sharing a granite bench in conversation.