Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

Great Guild Hall

Top choice

LoginSave

The Great Guild Hall (1410) is a wonderfully complete testament to the power of Tallinn's medieval trade guilds. Now a branch of the Estonian History Museum, its showpiece exhibition is 'Spirit of Survival: 11,000 Years of Estonian History', illustrating the history and psyche of Estonia through interactive and unusual displays. There's also the old excise chamber, with numismatic relics stretching back to Viking times; the basement, exploring the history of the Guild itself; and sections on Estonian music, language and geography.

The major exhibition poses such questions as ‘Is Estonia the most secular country in the world?’ and ‘Have Estonians been happy in their own land?’ (The answer to the latter is 'no', apparently – statistics suggest they’re one of the least happy peoples in Europe.)

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Tallinn, Estonia - March 19, 2015: St. Nicholas Church (Niguliste kirik) and cupola of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The St. Nicholas Church was founded and built around 1230-1275. Today it houses a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia.

    Niguliste Museum

    0.19 MILES

    Dating from the 13th century, the imposing St Nicholas' Church (Niguliste kirik) was badly damaged by Soviet bombers in 1944 and a fire in the 1980s, but…

  • Wind mill isolated on the sky; Shutterstock ID 184358495; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Estonian Open-Air Museum

    3.82 MILES

    This sprawling ethnographic and architectural complex comprises 80 historic Estonian buildings, plucked from across the country and resurrected in…

  • Art Museum of Estonia, Kumu, Kadriorg, Tallinn, Estonia

    Kumu

    1.83 MILES

    This futuristic, Finnish-designed, seven-storey building is a spectacular structure of limestone, glass and copper that integrates intelligently into the…

  • Tallinn Town Hall at dusk

    Tallinn Town Hall

    0.09 MILES

    Completed in 1404, this is the only surviving Gothic town hall in northern Europe. Inside, you can visit the Trade Hall (whose visitor book drips with…

  • Tallinn, Estonia - July 04, 2016: Kadriorg - baroque palace built for Peter the Great in 1718 now houses the Art Museum of Estonia's foreign collection.; Shutterstock ID 471676259; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Kadriorg Art Museum

    1.62 MILES

    Kadriorg Palace, a baroque beauty built by Peter the Great between 1718 and 1736, houses a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia devoted to Dutch, German…

  • TALLINN/ESTONIA - SEPTEMBER 20, 2014; The Estonian maritime museum in Seaplane harbour. The Tank.; Shutterstock ID 343328918; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Seaplane Harbour

    0.92 MILES

    When this cavernous, triple-domed building was completed in 1917, its reinforced-concrete shell-frame construction was unique in the world. Resembling a…

  • Telliskivi Creative City

    Telliskivi Creative City

    0.57 MILES

    Once literally on the wrong side of the tracks, this set of abandoned factory buildings is now Tallinn's most alternative shopping and entertainment…

  • Picturesque alley in spring time Kadriorg park in Tallinn, Estonia.; Shutterstock ID 623721986; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Kadriorg Park

    1.53 MILES

    About 2km east of Old Town, this beautiful park’s ample acreage is Tallinn’s favourite patch of green. Together with the baroque Kadriorg Palace, its 70…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Holy Spirit Lutheran Church

0.02 MILES

The blue-and-gold clock on the facade of this striking 13th-century Gothic church is the oldest in Tallinn, dating from 1684. Inside are exquisite…

2. Draakoni Gallery

0.04 MILES

In among the guilds, beneath a fabulous sculpted art nouveau facade, this commercial gallery hosts small, often stimulating exhibitions of contemporary…

3. Town Council Pharmacy

0.05 MILES

Nobody's too sure of the exact date it opened, but by 1422 this pharmacy was already onto its third owner, making it the oldest continually operating…

4. Town Hall Square

0.06 MILES

In Tallinn all roads lead to Raekoja plats, the city's pulsing heart since markets began setting up here in the 11th century. One side is dominated by the…

5. Nuku

0.07 MILES

This state puppet-museum's collection is a wonderful introduction to the art of puppetry from many different cultures and eras. There's enough interactive…

6. Tallinn Town Hall

0.09 MILES

Completed in 1404, this is the only surviving Gothic town hall in northern Europe. Inside, you can visit the Trade Hall (whose visitor book drips with…

7. Town Hall Tower

0.09 MILES

Old Thomas (Vana Toomas), Tallinn’s symbol and guardian, has been keeping watch from his perch on the town hall's weathervane since 1530, although his…

8. Photo Museum

0.1 MILES

Only enthusiasts are likely to find much of interest in this little museum housed in the former town prison. Exhibits include selections of the wider…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "estonia/tallinn/old-town/attractions/great-guild-hall/a/poi-sig/1275603/1342792",
  "position": "superzone"
}