14.6.2025 | Culture

Author Paavo Matsin’s Journey to Tartu, a City of Culture and Flavours

Text Susanna Poikela
Photos Paavo Matsin, Laila Kaasik / Tartuff, Susanna Poikela

Even on his foreign gigs, author Matsin always misses his favourite restaurant, München.

First of all, I would like to highlight the beer restaurant, München, located right opposite the main building of the University of Tartu. It is undoubtedly my favourite place in Tartu, because it has everything: a magnificent neoclassical university building can be seen from the window, Bavarian beer flows from the taps, and you often meet fraternity members in student caps in the main room. The restaurant also has fraternity coats of arms on the walls.

Once you’ve eaten your fill, I recommend a walk to the Botanical Garden to see the palm trees and fish. A river cruise on the Emajõe River is also an atmospheric experience. It is also worth visiting the art exhibitions and the Toy Museum in Tartu.

In the Botanical Garden of the University of Tartu, you can imagine yourself in the tropics.

What events or festivals do you recommend in Tartu in the summer?

The Tartuff romance film festival in August is worth experiencing. The films are shown in an open-air theatre on the Town Hall Square. Next spring, it is worth coming to Tartu at least on May Day Eve, when the fraternity parade is held and the whole city is taken over by students.

The Love Film Festival is an outdoor event on Tartu’s Town Hall Square.

Where do you like to eat?

My absolute favorite is also the restaurant München, which serves Bavarian dishes with German music in the background. In the summer, you can also dine outside, and the service is the best in town.

If you don’t feel like German food, you can get French delicacies at Crepp, the French café. I would especially highlight the Urve Café, located a little outside the city centre, on the other side of the Emajõe River. The café, located in a former officers’ club, serves delicious and hearty dishes as well as retro-style sweets and pies according to Mrs. Urve’s recipes.

The cultural crowd has also found its way to the Urve Café. It has organised numerous literary events, and even masquerades. The café is located in a decadent urban landscape in a high-ceilinged room decorated with magnificent columns. I especially recommend lunch at Urve. You can enjoy schnapps and vodka with your meal, and then happily return to the city.

How would you describe the city of Tartu and its spirit?

Tartu is above all a city of culture and academia. Every autumn, many young people come here to spend the best years of their lives. Unlike Tallinn, Tartu is pleasantly compact and cozy. The city has many outdoor cafés, a river flows through it, and the general appearance is neoclassical. You can get everywhere in Tartu on foot. The spirit of Tartu is the spirit of culture and youth!

Paavo Matsin

Paavo Matsin is an Estonian writer, literary critic, and theologian. He has published seven novels, of which “Gogol’s Disco” and “Lenin’s Waltz” have been published in Finnish. Matsin is known for his original style and works that combine historical elements. In his free time, he enjoys good food, beer, and the company of his cat, Holms.