This large paved plaza, once the staging ground for 'spontaneous' displays of Soviet enthusiasm, is now used for summer concerts, skateboarding, impromptu ball games and watching events on the big screen at the southern end. The square sits just outside one of the former town gates, the remains of which are preserved under glass near the northwestern corner. A gigantic glass cross at the square’s western end commemorates the Estonian War of Independence.

The cross, which cost €7 million, is not beloved by Estonians. More striking is the 19th-century St John's Lutheran Church, which dominates the eastern end of the square. Nearby a memorial stone honours Solidarity, the trade union which played a large role in the downfall of Communism in Poland. Both this and the nearby Chopin Bench (which plays concertos by the composer) were gifts from the Polish embassy.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bastion Passages

0.12 MILES

Tours exploring the 17th-century Swedish-built tunnels connecting the bastions that ring the town walls depart from the Kiek in de Kök tower. Over the…

2. Kiek in de Kök

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This stout, five-storey cannon tower was one of Tallinn’s most formidable defences when built in the 15th century. Its name (amusing to English ears) is…

3. Niguliste Museum

0.16 MILES

Dating from the 13th century, the imposing St Nicholas' Church (Niguliste kirik) was badly damaged by Soviet bombers in 1944 and a fire in the 1980s, but…

5. Helios Hall

0.19 MILES

This novel gallery has come up with a way around the difficulty of borrowing great paintings from their home galleries: simply project images of…

6. Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood

0.19 MILES

You'd have to be really devoted to phaleristics (the study of medals and military insignia) not to resent the steep admission at this niche museum, but it…

7. Adamson-Eric Museum

0.2 MILES

Erich Carl Hugo Adamson, a towering figure of 20th-century art in Estonia, is celebrated in this reverent little museum in a historic house with which he…

8. Photo Museum

0.22 MILES

Only enthusiasts are likely to find much of interest in this little museum housed in the former town prison. Exhibits include selections of the wider…