St Olav's Church
Editor's review
The most prominent feature of the Tallinn skyline is surely the splendid spire of St Olav's Church. Built sometime in the 13th Century, the Church became the tallest building in the world around 1500 when the steeple was raised to 159m. Several lightning strikes and burnings-down later and the modest height of 123.7m was settled on. Although the Church is widely acknowledged to be named after the Norwegian King Olav II Haraldsson, another legend has it that the gargantuan house of worship was named after a mysterious architect who promised to build the edifice for free - if only the townspeople could guess his name. The architect was just fixing the cross on the steeple, when a certain smart-alec shouted out that it was Olev. The poor man realised that he had forfeited his fee, slipped and fell to his death. Subsequently the Church took its Estonian name 'Oleviste'.
Editor
Tallinn Life
Reviews
Kathy Danielson from United States Reply
Definitely worth the climb, but watch your head at the top. The panoramic view is breath taking even if you are out of breath! You'll take some great photos of the city and landscape! We enjoyed a beautiful choir concert in this place. Lovely people, lovely place.
Neil Lewis from United Kingdom Reply
Well worth the challenging 258 steps up! The reward is a breathtaking panoramic view of the city, the historic old town skirted by centuries of newer developments. Start your exploration of Tallinn here.
Mitchell from United States Reply
As others have said, you better be in shape to climb the circular stone stairway but in the end worth every ounce of effort. The view was breathtaking to say the least. You see all of old tallinn and into the Baltic sea.
Ewa Ulinska from Poland Reply
The view is absolutely amazing, you can see the whole city from the top: the Old Town, the harbour, even some far-away districts. However, remember that it's not so easy to get to the top. It's quite exhausting and the steps are steep and narrow, so better grab a hold on something if someone is coming from the opposite direction!
Gary Kienast from United States Reply
Climbing to the look-out platform was a challenge at least 10 stories one step at a time, but well worth the effort. The views of the city & harbor are spectacular.
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