A Journey Through Time in Tartu

Text Stewart Johnson
Photo City of Tartu / Risto Lehiste

As Tartu prepares to begin construction on its Siuru Cultural Centre in the heart of the city, archaeological excavations must first be carried out. On 12 June, there will be two tours of one hour each available to the public. Visitors will be escorted into the active dig site, but only if you have a ticket, and the number is very, very limited, so get yours now!

The Siuru Cultural Centre itself is a massive project that will bring together several cultural institutions in Tartu into one venue, including the Tartu Art Museum and Central Library. Currently known as Kesklinna Park, or Downtown Park, the large plot is rather underused by the public, yet it rests in the centre of the city of Tartu. The completed Siuru, named for a mythical blue bird, is expected to fill the gap, linking Vabaduse Boulevard, Küüni Street, next to the Kaubamaja shopping centre. Kaubamaja itself was built over the previous central market, which was destroyed in the Second World War. The market was famous for its pillars, and in the modern Kaubamaja building, you can see tall pillars in honour of the old market.

Tartu is a medieval city, and parts of it were occupied by humans long before the medieval era. The deeper you go into this archaeological dig site, the farther back in time you will go. The current findings have yet to be released to the public, so who knows what you might see? Human remains? Ancient architecture? Maybe even fragments of a meteorite or evidence of ancient alien technology? Probably not that last one, but if you’re lucky, the site might have remains from the era of the Plague, and the disease itself is still active, waiting for new hosts.

Two visits will be available, at 15:00 while the archaeologists are still at work, and another at 17:30, after their workday has finished. The very limited number of tickets are available here. Tickets cost €9, but with a Museum Card they are free, yet you must still acquire one via the link above. As it is an active dig site, visitors will be required to wear a bright vest and a hard hat, which will be provided upon arrival.

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archaeology archeology Events In Tartu History medieval Tartu Siuru