Viru Gate (Viru varavad)
Viru Gate (Viru varavad) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Tallinn. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Tallinn Tallinn guide
About Viru Gate (Viru varavad)
Two round red-roofed towers frame the Old Town's busiest entrance, the picturesque surviving fragment of a much larger medieval gate complex mostly demolished back in 1888.
The Viru Gate (Viru varavad) towers are the surviving part of the medieval eastern gate into Tallinn's walled Old Town. The gate belonged to the town wall built through the 14th century; it is first mentioned in 1359, and was originally called Savivarav, the 'clay gate', after the clay pits in the Viru area. In 1446 the older wooden structures were replaced by a stronger two-storey stone gatehouse, and it was then that the two characteristic round flanking towers appeared, though sources differ on the exact date.
Much of the outer gate complex, including the main square gate-tower and parts of the barbican, was demolished in 1888 to make way for a horse tramway and road. The two round corner towers, capped with conical red-tiled roofs, were preserved and now frame the main pedestrian entrance to the Old Town. Reconstructed for the 1980 Summer Olympics sailing regatta and again in 2003, the surviving towers are registered as a trademark of Tallinn and stand within the UNESCO-listed Old Town.
Did you know? The two surviving round towers were only the corner watchtowers of a far larger gate complex; its main square gate-tower and much of the barbican were pulled down in 1888 for a tramway and road.
How long is a visit to Viru Gate (Viru varavad)?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Viru Gate (Viru varavad). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Viru Gate (Viru varavad) worth your time?
Viru Gate (Viru varavad) is among the 21 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Tallinn, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Tallinn
Day 1 of the Tallinn in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Viru Gate (Viru varavad)
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