Lai 50, Tallinn, Estonia
Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm
Given its towering spire, St. Olaf's Church is an unmissable landmark in Tallinn Old Town. No one exactly knows when the church was built, but the first known written record about it points to the 13th century, as well as the fact that it was extensively rebuilt in the 14th century.
There's a claim that it used to be the tallest building from 1549 to 1625 at 159 m. The height of the tower kept changing as it has been hit by lightning around ten times, three of which burned the church down during its known existence.
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| The height of the current tower is 123.8 m. |
The church, together with the observation platform, is only open during summer. To reach the platform, an adult first needs to pay
€3.00 (~S$4.60) and a child
€1.00 (~S$1.55), followed by climbing a total of 232 steps. As my BFF and I visited the church last before going back to Helsinki, we didn't have the chance to go up.
The church is the Old Town's biggest medieval structure, taking its name from Olav II Haraldsson, a canonised Norwegian king who reigned from 1015 to 1028.
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| Originally a Roman Catholic church, it became a Lutheran church and finally a Baptist church in 1950. |
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| The interior has shown signs of ageing. |
There are lots of photos and drawings hanged along the walls.
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| There are lots of photos of cell groups, perhaps, and what look like family outings. |
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| Offering for the church? Drop it into the treasure chest. |
Given the height of the tower, the Soviet KGB used the spire of the church as a radio tower and surveillance point.
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