Everything about Tartu totally explained
Tartu (historical names:, from original name
Tarbatu, ) is the second largest
city of
Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital
Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it's home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned
university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the city is the centre of southern Estonia. The
Emajõgi River, which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, crosses Tartu. The city is served by
Tartu Airport.
Historical names
As Tartu has been under the control of various rulers throughout its history, there are various names for the city in different languages. Most of them derive from the earliest attested form, the Estonian "Tarbatu". In
German,
Swedish and
Polish the town is known as, a variant of "Tarbatu". In
Russian, the city has been known as Юрьев (
Yuryev) after
Yaroslav I the Wise and as Дерпт (
Derpt), a variant of
Dorpat (however, since 1917 the Estonian name
Tartu is used). Similarly, the city has been known as
Tērbata in
Latvian, again a variant of "Tarbatu".
History
Beginnings
Archaeological evidence of the first permanent settlement on the site of modern Tartu dates to as early as the
5th century AD. By the
7th century, local inhabitants had built a wooden fortification on the east side of Toome Hill (
Toomemägi).
The first documented record of the place was made in
1030 by chroniclers of
Kievan Rus. Yaroslav I the Wise, Prince of
Kiev, raided Tartu that year, built his own fort there, and named it
Yuryev (literally "Yury's" - Yury being Yaroslav's Christian name). Kievan rulers then collected tribute from the surrounding ancient Estonian county of
Ugaunia, possibly until
1061, when, according to chronicles, Yuryev was burned down by another tribe of
Chudes (
Sosols).
Germans in Dorpat (Tartu)
During the period of
Northern crusades in the beginning of the 13th century the fort of
Tarbatu (or
Tharbata, Tartu) was captured by the crusading
Livonian Knights and recaptured by Estonians on several occasions until, in
1224, it was besieged and conquered from troops of the
East Slavic prince
Vyachko for one last time by the German crusaders. Subsequently known as Dorpat (
Tarbatum), Tartu became a commercial centre of considerable importance during the later
Middle Ages and the capital of the semi-independent
Bishopric of Dorpat.
In 1262 the army of Prince
Dmitri of Pereslavl, son of
Alexander Nevsky launched an assault on Dorpat, capturing and destroying the town. His troops didn't manage to capture the bishop’s fortress on Toome Hill. The event was recorded both in German and
Old East Slavic chronicles, which also provided the first record of a settlement of German merchants and artisans which had arisen alongside the bishop’s fortress.
In the 1280s Dorpat joined the
Hanseatic League. In medieval times Tartu was an important trading city. As in all of Estonia and Latvia, the largely
German-speaking nobility, but in Tartu/Dorpat (as in Tallinn) even more so, the Baltic German bourgeoisie, the
literati, dominated culture, religion, architecture, education, and politics until the late
19th century. For example, the town hall of Dorpat was designed by an architect from
Mecklenburg, from the city of
Rostock, while the university buildings were designed by another German. Many, if not most, of the students, and more than 90% of the faculty members were of German heritage, and numerous statues of notable scientists with German names can still be found in the city today. Most Germans had to leave during the first half of the 20th century.
Polish and Swedish rule
In the
16th century,
Livonia and Tartu both came under
Polish rule, and a
Jesuit grammar school was established in the city in
1583. In addition, a translators' seminary was organized in Tartu and the city received its red and white flag from the Polish king
Stephen Bathory.
The activities of both the grammar school and the seminary were stopped by the
Polish-Swedish War (
1601). Tartu then became
Swedish in
1629, which led to the foundation of the university in
1632 by King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.
Tartu in Imperial Russia
With the
Treaty of Nystad in
1721, the city became part of the
Russian Empire and was known as
Derpt. Due to fires in the
18th century which destroyed much of the medieval architecture, the city was rebuilt along
Late Baroque and
Neoclassical lines. During the second half of the
19th century, Tartu was the cultural center for Estonians in the era of
Romantic nationalism. The city hosted Estonia's first song festival in
1869, as well as the
Vanemuine, the first national theatre, in
1870. It was also the setting for the foundation of the Society of Estonian Writers in
1872.
In
1893, the city was officially retitled to the ancient Russian name
Yuryev. The university was subsequently
russified from
1895 on with the introduction of compulsory
Russian in teaching. The Russian imperial university was relocated to
Voronezh in
1918, but the Estonian
University of Tartu opened in
1919.
With Estonian independence after
World War I, the city officially became known by the
Estonian name
Tartu.
Soviet influence
At the end of
Estonian War of Independence following World War I, a peace treaty between the
Bolsheviks and Estonia was signed on
2 February 1920 in Tartu. The treaty meant that
Bolshevist Russia renounced territorial claims to Estonia "for all time." However, as a result of the
Nazi-Soviet Pact of
1939, the
Soviet Union occupied Estonia and Tartu in 1940.
During
World War II, a large part of the city as well as the historical
Kivisild (Stone Bridge) (built by
Catherine II of Russia in
1776-
1778) over the
Emajõgi were destroyed by the fighting Red Army, partly in
1941 and almost totally in
1944.
After the war, Tartu was declared a "closed town" to foreigners, as an air base for bombers was constructed on
Raadi Airfield, in the northeast outskirts of the city. The asphalt runway there now houses a large used cars market, and is sometimes used for automotive racing.
During Soviet times the population of Tartu almost doubled from 57,000 to 100,000.
Independence
Since Estonia regained its independence in
1991, the old town centre is being renovated.
Climate
Government
There are 49 members on the town council, elected by residents every four years using a proportional system of representation.
(External Link
)
The executive branch of the town government consists of a
mayor and five deputy mayors.
(External Link) The current mayor is
Urmas Kruuse.
Andrus Ansip, the current
Prime Minister of Estonia, was mayor for many years. Both Ansip and Kruuse are members of the
Estonian Reform Party, which has dominated in Tartu in recent years.
Population
According to the European Statistical Office, Tartu's population comprised the following self-reported ethnic groups as of 2006:
Tartu's historic population is presented in the following table, based on data from official censuses since 1881 and Estonian Statistical Office:
| Year |
Population |
| 1881 |
29,974 |
| 1897 |
42,308 |
| 1922 |
50,342 |
| 1934 |
58,876 |
| 1959 |
74,263 |
| 1970 |
90,459 |
| 1979 |
104,381 |
| 1989 |
113,320 |
| 1995 |
104,874 |
| 2000 |
101,241 |
| 2005 |
101,483 |
| 2006 |
101,740 |
| 2007 |
101,965 |
Education and culture
The city is best known for being the home to the
University of Tartu, founded by King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in
1632. Mainly for this reason, Tartu is also - tongue-in-cheek - known as "
Athens of the Emajõgi" or as "
Heidelberg of the North".
Tartu is also the seat of the
Estonian University of Life Sciences, the
Baltic Defence College,
Tartu Aviation College, and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. The
Estonian Supreme Court, which was re-established in Tartu in the autumn of
1993, is likewise in the city, as well as the Estonian Historical Archives and Estonian national theatre
Vanemuine
Main sights
The architecture and city planning of historical Tartu mainly go back to the pre-independence period, with Germans forming the upper and middle classes of society, and therefore contributing many architects, professors, local politicians, etc.
Most notable are the old
Lutheran St. John's Church (
Estonian:
Jaani Kirik,
German:
Johanneskirche), the 18th-century town hall, the university building, the remainders of the 13th-century cathedral, the botanical gardens, the main shopping street, and many buildings around the town hall square.
The historical slum area called Supilinn is located on the bank of river Emajõgi, near the town centre and is regarded as one of the few surviving poor neighbourhoods in Europe from the 19th century. At the moment Supilinn is rapidly being renovated.
In the suburbs, classic Soviet neighbourhoods - blocks of high-rise flats - were built during the period between the Second World War and restoration of Estonian independence in
1991.
Presently, Tartu is also known for several modern, rather sterile-looking buildings of the "steel, concrete and glass" type, but has managed to retain a mix of old buildings and new buildings in the historical centre of town.
Being the intellectual and cultural centre of Estonia, the Estonian Prime Minister often takes state guests to Tartu. Famous guests have included
Charles, Prince of Wales, the presidents of
Finland,
Latvia,
Hungary, the
Republic of Ireland, and
Lithuania, as well as religious leaders like the
Dalai Lama and the head of the
Orthodox Church of Constantinople,
Patriarch Bartholomew I.
Tartu's large student population means that it has a comparatively thriving nightlife, with some bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Some of the more popular destinations for tourists include the
Wilde Irish Pub, the
Gunpowder Cellar,
Club Tallinn and the café
Maailm.
Annually, in the summer, Tartu hosts the Hansa Days Festival (Estonian:
Hansapäevad) under the motto "History lives" when the old town is bustling with activty from handicraft markets and historic workshops to a jousting tournament.
Twin towns
- Bærum, Norway
- Deventer, the Netherlands
- Ferrara, Italy
- Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
- Hämeenlinna, Finland
- Kaunas, Lithuania
- Lüneburg, Germany
- Pskov, Russia
- Riga, Latvia
- Salisbury, United States
- Tampere, Finland
- Turku, Finland
- Uppsala, Sweden
- Veszprem, Hungary
- Zutphen, the Netherlands
Gallery
Image:Tartu Ülikool.jpg|Tartu University main building
Image:Tartu, botanická zahrada.jpeg|Botanical Gardens
Image:Engelsbrücke Dämmerung.JPG|Angel's Bridge at dusk in winter
Image:Statue of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde.jpg|Statue of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde
Image:Wifi accesspoint in tartu estonia.jpg|In front of the University Cafe
Image:Hanseatic Days of Tartu 2007 Estonia2.JPG|Hanseatic Days celebration
Image:Tartu 1866.jpg|Tartu in 1866
Image:The Kissing Students Mati Karmin.jpg|Fountain The Kissing Students
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tartu'.
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