Walking inside the wall
The same wooden passage the guards used, with its arrow slits.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tanya1980 — CC BY-SA 3.0
A tower in the northern sector of the Tallinn town wall, one of three connected towers between which you can walk along the covered wall passage — and that passage is the reason to visit. The odd name is a literal translation: the tower stood behind the neighbouring Dominican convent, so it was named for its position rather than its function. Tallinn's tower names are all practical in this way — the Sauna Tower was named for the bathhouse beside it, and Kiek in de Kök, meaning peep into the kitchen, was named because its guards could see into the houses of the lower town from the top. What makes this section different from entering a single tower is the continuity: you walk inside the wall itself along the wooden passage the guards used, seeing the arrow slits, the roof and the stonework from within. The system becomes comprehensible when you move through it rather than look at it from the street. Practical points: entry is on a ticket covering all three towers and the passage between them. The visit is half an hour to an hour. The stairs are steep and narrow and the passage is low in places. Hours are seasonal — check before going.
The same wooden passage the guards used, with its arrow slits.
Named for standing behind the convent rather than for its function.
Another tower named because its guards could see into the town's houses.
Gümnaasiumi street, Old Town, Tallinn
From outside you see the wall as a stone face with cone-roofed towers, which is a fine free sight. From inside you see how it worked: the width of the walkway, the height of the arrow slits, and how a guard moved between towers without descending to the street. The two complement each other, and the ticket costs little.
One or two is enough. The towers become repetitive quickly, and this section's ticket gives you three plus the passage together, which is the best value. Add Kiek in de Kök if the bastion tunnels interest you, and stop there.
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