Great Guild Hall

On the north side of the Church of the Holy Spirit (Puhavaimu Kirik) is the small and picturesque square of  Suurgildi Plats where the Great Guild Hall and Tallinn’s oldest operational cafe, Café Maiasmokk are located. The Cafe offers a great chance for a short breather. The interior has remained almost unchanged for more than a century. On the northwest side of the square is the historic landmark of the Great Guild Hall, The Great Guild Hall was built in 1410 to serve as the seat of the most powerful and rich merchants of the Hanseatic League.

The Gothic building was used over the centuries for various reasons that ranged from trade to cultural events and exchanges, from church services to court hearings and lavish government parties. Towards the end of the 19th century, it served as Tallinn’s Stock Exchange Building and right before the turn of the century as the first film exhibition venue in Tallinn.

Its heavyweight historic value was perfectly paired with its role as a museum after 1952. The Estonian History Museum and specifically the Grand Guild Hall became 2014 the first to be awarded the European Heritage Label based on its intriguing story of European “integration” in medieval times. Along with the permanent exhibition “SPIRIT OF SURVIVAL – 11,000 years of Estonian history” giving you the whole range of Estonian history you could also take a look at the temporary exhibition renewed every six months with a new topic of focus. More