Renovations to Link Medieval Tower with Underground Passageways
Tallinn has announced it will begin renovating towers along a stretch of city wall that promises to turn the ancient ramparts and secret passageways into a viable alternate route between upper and lower Old Town.
The city government announced on October 3 that it would restore the Neitsitorn and Tallitorn tower and the city wall walkway between them. This will link up with two other projects: by 2012, it should be possible to walk along the parapet from Neitsitorn to its storied neighbor Kiek in de Kök and, by August 2013, from Neitsitorn all the way to Freedom Square, partly via old underground passageways.
An example of the 17th century underground passageways can be seen under a glass floor in Freedom Square at the start of Harju street.
The fate of Neitsitorn (Virgin's Tower) had been in question due to an ownership dispute until late last year, when Tallinn became the sole owner.
"Resolution of the ownership issue gave the opportunity and certainty for investing in Neitsitorn and making active use of it,“ said deputy mayor Eha Võrk. "We want to turn this valuable ensemble into an outstanding cultural venue. With the long ownership disputes over and the whole ensemble in city property, we can start making this very interesting and visually attractive area accessible to all."
Kristopher Rikken