Maiden Tower was first mentioned in 1373. It is the only preserved bigger defense tower on the medieval town wall of Tallinn with a rectangular shape, in addition to two gate towers. The town side of the tower was without the stone wall and its storeys separated by wooden ceilings. The medieval name of the tower Meg(h)ede torne probably derives from that of the building master, Hinse Meghe. The name evolved to become in German Magdeturm or Madchenthurm in the 19th century, referring to a maid or a young lady, from here also Estonian Neitsitorn ('virgin tower'). The tower housed residential dwellings and ateliers until the 1960s. Between 1968 and 1980, the tower was restored to its former estimated height and a popular cafe was opened there. Maiden Tower reopened in 2013 after thorough renovations, this time as a museum and cafe. An outer defence wall has been preserved on the external side of the tower. On the disintegrated upper part of the wall there was a parapet with gun ports, artillery gun ports were added to the lower part of the wall towards the end of the Middle Ages. This is a special type of outer defence wall, which was necessary for the additional protection of the foot of the wall, since originally there was a deep valley in front of the fortifications.

Type of Data Point - Publicly Available Information

Maiden Tower - Tallinn - Public Info

Visit page of the element - Maiden Tower - Tallinn

Inserted: 23-08-2022 14:08:12