Alttoa “Tartu: the episcopal and Hanseatic city in Athens of Emajõgi”

Writings from Tartu’s older construction history

Kaur Alttoa (b. 1947) is an art historian by profession. He has been a University of Tartu lecturer in ancient and medieval art, holder of the art history chair. In 1980, he signed “40 letters”. Alttoa has researched medieval urban construction, fortresses and churches and is one of the authors of the restoration projects of St. John’s Church in Tartu, University of Tartu History Museum, St. John’s Church in Viljandi and Halliste Church.

“Tartu’s heyday was undoubtedly the Middle Ages, when a bishop resided in Toome and there was a busy hanseatic city on the banks of Emajõgi. Unfortunately, medieval Tartu is a difficult or even hopeless nut for historians and researchers of architectural history. Today, only the ruins of the cathedral, part of the medieval St. John’s church and some sections of the city wall remain from the city’s former glory. Many times, at least written sources help the researcher, but in the case of Tartu, they are of little help: only scraps of contemporary official material have been preserved. Despite the gloomy situation, with good will, it is still possible to learn a thing or two about the past, and some such topics are reflected in this collection.

I never intended to write a monograph on Tartu’s medieval architecture or modern fortifications. In order to publish the Tartu-themed writings as a book, I had to make a small revision. As a surprise, it turned out that all these writings together form a kind of mosaic, which begins to shape the whole picture. Of course, there are big gaps here, but there are an infinite number of such uncovered or unresolved topics. Compiling systematic approaches to Tartu’s earlier building history will inevitably be left to future researchers.” (K. A.)

There are nearly 80 drawings and photos in the book.

Publisher: ILMAMAA
Language: Estonian
Pages: 376
Dimensions: 14.8 x 20.6 cm
Year of publication: 2017
ISBN: 9789985776049

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