Tartu

About

Founded in the 5th century, Tartu grew to be an important trade center and regional capital in the late Middle Ages. After capturing the town in 1625, Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus founded Tartu University 7 years later. Today, the University’s large student population imbues a youthful passion to Tartu’s charming streets - a sentiment memorialized by a statue of kissing students in the heart of the town square. Exploring the compact city center, visitors are treated to an array of eye-catching architecture, from the University’s classicist ensemble, to districts of quaint wooden buildings. At the Estonian National Museum, the most modern museum in the Baltic and Scandinavia, visitors can learn about the country’s history in a 350-metre-long glass ramp rising from the runway of a former soviet airfield. The AHHAA Science Center is equally large and modern, filled with hands-on exhibits and workshops, where visitors can experience the joy of discovery.