Tower Fat Margarita. Estonia. Tallinn city. Tower Fat Margarita Baltic capital with thick margarita

Fat Margarita Tower (Tallinn, Estonia) - expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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To the right of the Sea Gate, the main entrance from the port beyond the city wall of Tallinn, there rises an elegant slender turret, and to the left - a huge, frightening-looking structure that clearly does not harmonize with it. This is a cannon tower, erected according to the rules of the 16th century fortification, three centuries later than the fortress itself, when the defense of the port water area required the use of heavy long-range artillery. At first, it was simply called New and only over time, under the influence of city tales, it was renamed Fat Margarita.

Legends and witchcraft

The tour guides tell tourists about the great love of the fisherwoman Margarita and the artisan Herman. Some evil witch did not like their bright feeling and she turned the guy into the tallest tower of Toompea castle - Long Herman, and his beloved became Tolstoy Margarita.

But there is another version - the girl did not meet the beauty standards of that time, she was too thin. And the witch conjured up that she had only to circle around any local fat woman in order to take away all her stoutness. But Margarita got carried away and became a huge tower. Nowadays, many girls believe that if you go around her in a circle, then witchcraft will work again and they will lose weight.

New life of the old tower

The ancient structure still looks very formidable today. The gray walls, 6 m thick, are cut through with loopholes; near them, cast-iron and bronze cannons of impressive size and weight are laid out on the lawn. Inside, there is an exposition of the Estonian Maritime Museum, an interesting collection of nautical charts, ancient navigation devices, ship models, photographs and documents that tell about the long and complex history of mankind's development of maritime affairs.

(Paks Margareeta) with 155 loopholes, 20 meters high and 25 meters in diameter, was built in 1510-1529 by the Westphalian master Hert Koning to protect Great Sea Gate, originally connecting the port of Tallinn with Toompea Hill along the line of the modern Pikk Street, which were built in 1265 by order of the Danish Queen Margaret, the then ruler of Tallinn.

Tower wall thickness Fat Margarita is almost five meters, which at the time of construction guaranteed protection from even the most massive artillery shells. Even today the tower complex Fat Margarita and Great Sea Gate makes a serious impression - one can imagine the respect he inspired friends and foes four hundred years ago.

Defending the entrance to the harbor and city, the tower Fat Margarita protected Tallinn's income from sea trade. The ensemble of the tower and the Great Sea Gate is decorated with the small coat of arms of the city of Tallinn, carved in stone, located between two embrasures above the Great Sea Gate. The heraldic emblem depicts a battle shield with a cross topped with a knight's helmet, supported by two griffins.

Tallinnians jokingly say that the tower Fat Margarita is a wife Long Hermann... The comic comparison emphasizes the striking discrepancy between the sizes of the "spouses" Long Hermann is almost 46 meters, but the diameter is much more modest than that of the "wife" - some 9.5 meters. Installed "relatives" at different ends of Old Tallinn: Long Hermann on Toompea Hill in the Upper Town, and the tower Fat Margarita - in the very north of the Lower City, near the sea harbor.

Tower "Fat Margarita" - warehouse, prison, museum

However, arms progress moved inexorably forward, and soon the huge tower ceased to be of a fortification value. In almost all European cities, the disused fortress towers could not be thought of other than as warehouses, prisons and, later, museums. Exactly the same fate befell the tower Fat Margarita the city of Tallinn: until 1917 it was a city penitentiary institution, and even acquired a special prison extension in this capacity. In the days of the revolution it was in the tower Fat Margarita one of the most violent clashes in Tallinn occurred, during which crowds of sailors, soldiers and workers destroyed the prison guards and opened the doors of the tower.

The Maritime Museum in the Fat Margarita Tower

Today in the tower complex Fat Margarita and Great Sea Gate the Estonian Maritime Museum is located with an impressive collection of ancient weapons, maps and tools, as well as a cafe with a good observation deck on the roof, from where you can admire passenger ferries entering the port of Tallinn.

Estonian Maritime Museum (Eesti Meremuuseum, Pikk address, 70) - its exposition presents various navigational instruments and devices, maps, a collection of models of old ships, models of the main Baltic lighthouses, the steering wheel of an English steamer "Auk"that sank during the First World War and much more. In total, about 70 thousand exhibits are kept in the museum's storerooms, but due to lack of space, only a small part of them are exhibited. IN Maritime Museum there is also a layout of the infamous cargo-passenger ferry "Estonia"that sank on the night of September 27-28, 1994 in the Baltic Sea between Stockholm and Tallinn, killing or missing 852 of the 989 passengers and crew on board - the largest peacetime shipwreck in Europe ...

Address: Estonia, Tallinn, st. Pikk
Coordinates: 59 ° 26 "33.1" N 24 ° 44 "58.7" E

Short description

In the Lower City of Tallinn, surrounded in the Middle Ages by defensive fortifications, numerous fragments of walls, gates and towers have been preserved.

Big Sea Gate and Tower Fat Margarita from a bird's eye view

The Great Sea Gate located in the northern part of Old Tallinn, next to the harbor, may well claim the title of "the most impregnable defensive structures". The defense ensemble with watchtowers protected the city from pirate raids and contributed to the prosperity of the trading harbor, attracting the attention of overseas merchants.

The Great Sea Gate, originally connecting the port of Tallinn with Toompea along the current line of Pikk Street, was built in 1265 by order of the Danish Queen Margaret. In the 16th century, during the reconstruction of the Sea Gate, the Westphalian craftsman Gert Koning added a gun tower with 155 loopholes to it. This squat tower, only 20 meters high, thanks to its thick walls - from 4.5 to 5.2 meters - was a formidable weapon against attackers. For its impressive size - 25 meters in diameter - the tower was named "Fat Margarita".

View of the Fat Margherita tower from the side of Rannamae street

Defending the entrance to the harbor and the city, the Fat Margarita served as the guardian of Tallinn's income. The artistic value of the ensemble is enhanced by the small coat of arms of the city carved in stone, located on a dolomite slab, between two embrasures, above the Great Sea Gate. The heraldic emblem is made in the form of a battle shield with a cross, supported by two griffins and topped with a knight's helmet. In the Middle Ages, a guard was on duty at each loophole of the tower.

In connection with the development of artillery, the medieval fortifications were replaced by bastions and reduits, and the Fat Margarita tower, having lost its defensive significance, began to be used as a barracks, a warehouse, and from the 1830s there was a prison within its walls. In 1905-1917, political prisoners were held in the prison. In 1917, the Estonian proletarians set fire to the tower. However, "Tolstoy Margarita" was lucky - on April 23, 1981, a branch of the Estonian Maritime Museum was opened in the tower restored by Polish restorers.

View of the Great Sea Gate from Pikk Street

"Fat Margarita" and "Long Herman" - a funny couple

Estonians often joke that “Fat Margarita” is the wife of “Long Herman”. The reader must have guessed that Long Hermann is also a tower. "German" reaches 45.6 meters in height, but its volume is much more modest than that of the wife of "Margarita" - only 9.5 meters in diameter. It should be noted that the "long boy" and "fat girl" are located far from each other, in different parts of Old Tallinn.

The Maritime Museum within the walls of the Fat Margarita Tower

Reminding guests of the city and Tallinn residents of the terrible times, "Fat Margarita" stores 70 thousand exhibits in its museum funds, but in view of the limited area, only a small part of them are exhibited. The Maritime Museum of the Tower (Pikk Street, 70) presents a rich collection of old ship models, navigational instruments, models of the most important Baltic lighthouses, the steering wheel of the English steamer Auk, which sank during the First World War, barrels, ropes, anchors and other items related with the sea and sailors, fishing tools, etc.

View of the Great Sea Gate and the Fat Margaret Tower from the west

From the observation deck, located on the roof of the "Fat Margarita" tower, amazing views of the street. Pikk,

When I first saw the panorama of the old part of Tallinn, I was struck by the abundance of towers and spiers towering over the main buildings. It is noteworthy that all these buildings, be it the Town Hall, St. Olaf's Church or the Dome Cathedral, are, to one degree or another, the hallmarks of the Estonian capital.

At the same time, going down to the Lower City, I was convinced with my own eyes that his face is defined not only by the majestic spiers visible from afar. So, for example, it is difficult to imagine the Old City without the fortress walls, which, unfortunately, have not been completely preserved. But even those areas that have survived to this day are enough to be mentally transported several centuries ago at one glance at them.

If we talk about the defensive towers of the Tallinn fortifications, then most of them are executed quite succinctly and are in many ways similar to each other. But there is one among them, which significantly stands out against the background of other elements of the fortification system of the Old City. So, the Fat Margarita tower.

The story of Tolstoy Margarita

The tower was built at the beginning of the 16th century. Since it was located at the northernmost point of the city wall, it is quite logical that the tower is a mini-bastion from which, if necessary, it is possible to conduct massive shelling of the enemy, and thanks to the increased thickness of the walls, its defenders were much more secure than those who led fire from the walls.

The tower is adjoined by the Great Sea Gate, built two centuries before Tolstaya Margarita. They got this name because they are closest to the port of Tallinn, and merchants and foreign ambassadors who arrived in the city by sea entered through them.

About the name of the tower

I could not find accurate information about the origin of her name, but there is a legend about two lovers who were cursed, which did not allow them to be together after midnight. No wonder they say that the happy hours do not notice, because once they stayed together longer than usual and when, realizing this, they rushed to run in different directions, it was already too late. As a result, a young man named Herman turned into the "Long Herman" tower of the Toompea castle, and the girl Margarita became the heroine of my story today.

How to get to the "Fat Margarita" tower

First of all, we should get to the historic part of the city. The Fat Margaret Tower (in Estonian Paks Margareeta) is part of the surviving fortifications of the Old City and is located on its northeastern border. The address where the tower is located is st. Pikk, 70.

The tower is within walking distance from the railway station and the port, and the average travel time is 15 and 10 minutes, respectively. In addition, the Linnahall tram stop is right next to the tower. The cost of one trip is 1.2 euros, unless, of course, you are the holder of the Tallinn Card, which will be discussed below.

Estonian Maritime Museum

Today the main exposition of the Estonian Maritime Museum is located inside the tower. The exhibits collected there are in one way or another connected with the history of navigation, as well as research into the depths of the sea and underwater archeology. Among the exhibits stands out a mast with a sail, installed in the center of the tower and reaching almost to the ceiling of the upper tier.

The signatures under the exhibits are made in five languages, including Russian, and among the curious artifacts I was impressed by the first diving suits.

Observation deck of Tolstoy Margarita

In addition to the exposition, visitors to the Maritime Museum have the opportunity to climb to the observation deck of the tower. Of course, in terms of height, it is significantly inferior to the tower of the Olaviste Cathedral, but thanks to this fact, from it you can look at the historical part of the city not only from top to bottom, but also from bottom to top.

Opening hours of the Estonian Maritime Museum

The museum is open to the public every day from 10.00 to 19.00, while most of the expositions in the Old City end at 18.00.

The entrance ticket cost is:

• for adults - 5 euros,
• for minors and students - 3 euros.

You can visit the museum free of charge with a TallinnCard. It entitles you to free admission to several dozen museums in the Estonian capital, the right to free use of local transport, the right to receive discounts in some shops and restaurants, and a number of other pleasant bonuses. The validity period is 1, 2 or 3 days, and the cost is 32, 42 and 52 euros, respectively.

The card can be purchased at the Tourist Information Center, near the Niguliste Church, at ul. Niguliste, 2.

Instead of a conclusion

Traveling around countries and cities, I have long noted for myself that every medieval fortress has one or more details that are a kind of visiting card of one or another fortification. The sea gates of old Rhodes, the Bokar bastion and the Mincheta tower in Croatian Dubrovnik, finally, the Spasskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin - if you wish, this list can be continued for a very long time, and if you set the goal to bring it to the end, it will inevitably include the Long Herman and Fat Margarita towers in Tallinn.

All people who first look at the panorama of the Estonian capital see a rather interesting feature of the city. Whichever way they look, various towers will be visible. It does not matter what kind of structure it is: the Church of St. Olaf, the Dome Cathedral or the sea gate, all these structures have massive towers. That is why they are a certain hallmark of Tallinn.

When a tourist descends to the lower city, he can see with his own eyes how majestic all these structures with spiers at the top look. It is very difficult to imagine Old Tallinn without large fortress walls, which have not survived to our time, as they were 300 years ago. However, even what has survived is enough to fully experience the power of the Middle Ages.

Most of all defensive structures in Tallinn look somewhat the same, however, there is one structure that stands out strongly against the general background - this tower is called Fat Margarita.

According to the surviving documents, the Fat Margaret was built in the 16th century. At that time, the tower was located at the extreme northern point, and due to its location, at one time it served as an excellent place for conducting aimed fire at all the invaders, of which there were many in the Middle Ages. The walls of the tower are quite massive and very powerful, all inside were very well protected from various attacks, so there were many archers there, striking their targets.

Tolstaya Margarita is adjacent to the Great Sea Gate, which was erected 200 years before the construction of the tower. Naturally, they acquired this name because of the close proximity to the port, where all kinds of merchants, ambassadors and other personalities came. All seafarers who arrived in the city passed through this structure.

As for the name of the tower, there are no supporting documents of its origin. However, there is one fairly popular legend about two lovers. This young couple was cursed, they could not see each other after midnight. But, as it happens, they were so carried away by each other that they forgot about time. When the couple noticed that it was already past midnight, they began to run from each other in different directions, but it was already too late. The young man's name was Herman, he turned into the "Long Herman" tower, and the girl's name was Margarita, so she turned into the "Fat Margarita" tower.

Estonian Maritime Museum

This museum is the main one in the country in terms of maritime themes. All the exhibits that are located here are directly related to the history of the development of navigation. There are also various artifacts necessary for the underwater exploration of the seas. The first diving suit is quite interesting; many tourists pay special attention to it.

The pride of the museum is a large mast with a sail. It was installed in the center of the tower, and the extreme point of the mast almost reaches the very top of the Fat Margarita.

It should be noted separately that all the plates near the exhibits are written in five languages \u200b\u200bat once (including Russian).

Observation deck

Here is not only the best maritime museum in the country, but also an observation deck. All visitors to this museum have the right to visit this site. It is worth noting that it is far from the highest in the city, however, tourists have the opportunity to see the historical part of the city from a new perspective, because it is located a little higher even from this tower.

Address on the map

This attraction is located slightly north of the Old Town. Fat Margarine is located at:

• Pikk tänav 70

How to get to the "Fat Margarita" tower

Walking distance to the tower from the train station is only 10 - 15 minutes walk. The tourist needs to focus on the northeastern part of the Old Town. If a person gets from another place, then in this case, you can use a tram, very close to the tower there is a tram stop - Linnahall. It should be noted that a tram ride costs 1.2 Euro.

Working hours

Depending on the season, the museum and the observation deck are open until different times. from May 1 to September 31, Fat Margarita is open from 10:00 to 19:00, from October 1 to April 30, the museum opens as usual, but only closes one hour earlier, at 18:00.

May to October

• Monday-Sunday: 10:00 to 19:00

October to April

• Monday-Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Ticket prices

The cost of an entrance ticket for an adult is 6 euros, a child and student ticket is 3 euros. If the tourist has, then in this case the entrance to the museum and the observation deck is completely free.