Tourist Attraction in Tallinn:
Oleviste kirik

The church of Sant'Olav, is a Gothic church in Tallinn, Estonia. With its tower of 124 m high it is one of the tallest buildings in Europe. There was a church in this place since the 12th century, which has been reported only since 1267. However, it was rebuilt between 1438 and 1519 in Gothic style, according to the influences of the Baltic Gothic, using as typical building material the typical bricks . It is named after the patrons of sailors, King Olaf II of Norway, sanctified in 1031. Numerous fires and catastrophes hit it over the centuries, and so it was repeatedly restored and rebuilt. For example, the storm of 1625 hit the soaring tower of 159 meters, at the time the highest in the world. The last reconstruction of the building dates back to 1829-40 following a fire that devastated the church in 1820. The austere interior is divided into three aisles with robust arched gables holding heavy white plastered walls. Stellar times, with their 31-meter high, are the highest in the Baltic. At the bottom of the nave is the beautiful Chapel of Santa Maria, erected between 1513 and 1523. During the period of Soviet occupation, from 1944 to 1991, the KGB required the building. Since 1991 the church has resumed its religious activity, Lutheran faith. It is the tallest building in Tallinn. With a height of 159 meters, it was the tallest building in the world until 1625, when the tower was severely damaged by a fire caused by a lightning strike that caused a partial collapse to reduce its height. After the nineteenth-century restoration, the tower reaches 124 meters today, and remains among the highest towers in Europe. Originally it was the signaling function of navigation, which explained the unusual high height for the Estonian town. During the Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1991, the KGB demanded and used the Tower of Sant'Olav as a watchdog for the coast and the city as well as as a radio tower. The panoramic platform at the top of the tower offers the opportunity to admire a remarkable view over the medieval city, coming to see, on clear, clear days even the Finnish coast, which is about 70 kilometers from the Estonian town.

Attractions in Tallinn