Welcome to the Old Town of Tallinn

The St Nicholas church

The St Nicholas church was founded in the 13^th century by German merchants. It was dedicated to St Nicholas, who was the patron saint of seamen and merchants. By the end of the century the church was ready. It is the only fortified church in Tallinn and the space above the aisles could be used as warehouse. During the 15^th century the church was made larger, because the merchants had become wealthier. The church caught fire during the 1944-year Soviet air-raid and was re-opened only as a museum and a concert-hall.

The most important art treasure of Medieval Tallinn is a painting in dance macabre-style, by Bernt Notke. It is called The dance of Death. The exhibited painting in the St. Nicholas church is about 5 meters long and 1,5 meters high and it is only a part of the real painting. The idea of the picture is that death in inevitable and in front of death everyones equal. The masterpiece features Death in a round dance with the powerful and miserable of the world. It starts with the Pope and there are also an emperor, empress, king and a cardinal, but at that point the row ends.. It's all that's left of the painting. The masterpiece is probably Notkes own copy of the analogue from Lübecks St Mary church, which was destroyed in World War II. Probably the weirdest exhibit in St Nicholas churchs history has been the mummy of duke de Croy. During the Northern war he was captured by the Swedes, who then released him for his word of honor in Tallinn. But the duke wanted to enjoy life. He had more and more debts and when he died unexpectedly, the duke wasnt buried, because the people who he owed wanted their money back. He was forgotten and discovered 100 years later and since his body had mummified, he was made into an exhibit and was shown to the visitors. By the end of the 19^th century he was finally buried.

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