Trip to Tartu

Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia and is considered the intellectual capital of Estonia because of the biggest and most prestigious university  – the national university of Estonia and the only classical university in the country. It was founded under the name of Academia Gustaviana in 1632. Tartu is a typical university town, similar to Oxford and Cambridge in the UK. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi (“Mother river”), which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, Võrtsjärv and Peipsi. 

Tartu is also the birthplace of the famous Estonian song festivals and is home for the oldest theatre in Estonia – Vanemuine. The downtown has many beautiful historical buildings as well as modern architecture and nice parks.

The Estonian National Museum was founded in Tartu in 1909 on the initiative and with the support of the nation – with the task to protect and develop the history and culture of Estonia. Today, Estonian National Museum preserves the feeling of continuity and tradition. The museum is the generator and developer of cultural dialogue which links the past and the future. The current building, opened in October 2016, was built after the concept of a dynamic international team of young architects – the new museum building at Raadi is as an imaginary extension to the one-time aircraft runway, as the Raadi Estate had been transformed by the Soviets into a military base and airfield for nearly half a century.

Tartu will be the European Capital of Culture in 2024

09:00 – 11:45 Meeting at Otsa street. Tallinn-Tartu (short stop at Paia rist or elsewhere for toilet and quick coffee). Short overview of Estonian history.
12:00 – 13:00 Visit to ERM (Estonian National Museum) – permanent exhibition “Encounters”.
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Visit in ERM continues
15:00 – 16:30 Walk in Toomemäe and downtown. The oldest university in our region – Alma Mater Tartuensis (1632)
16:30 – 17:30 Tartu’s past present and future. Tartu as European Cultural Capital 2024.
17:30 – 20:00 Back to Tallinn. Wrap up session, quizzes and language games.