Tartu's cultural institutions and organisations

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Tartu University Museums
Tartu University Art Museum
Mon-Fri 11-17, Sat-Sun with prior notice
phone +372 737 5384
Ülikooli 18
www.ut.ee/artmuseum
The Estonia’s oldest museum (active for over 200
years) has preserved its rare interior, created in the
middle of the 19th century with Pompeii style paintings.
The wall paintings offer an interesting contrast
to the white gypsum imitations of the most outstanding
ancient sculptures. The Art Museum also offers
the chance to see the Tartu University’s main building,
Assembly Hall and solitary confinement cell.
Museum of Tartu University History
Wed-Sun 11-17
phone +372 737 5674
Lossi 25
www.ut.ee/ajaloomuuseum
The Museum’s permanent exhibition gives an overview
of the Tartu University’s history since 1632. The
scientific equipment on display has great historical
scientific value. The Museum also offers the chance
to get acquainted with the towers of the Tartu Dome
Church.
Tartu Observatory
phone +372 737 6932
Lossi 40
The Tartu Observatory (built between 1808-1810)
is on the location of the former Bishop’s Castle and
is the quintessential 19th century observatory in its
original glory. The Tartu Observatory was made famous
by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793-1864)
who used the Fraunhofer telescope, made in Munich
as the best contemporary telescope in the world, to
study twin stars and to be the first person to calculate
the distance of the star Vega from Earth. On July 15,
2005, the UNESCO added a new item to it World Heritage
List - the so-called Struve Arc which is a 2 820 km
long meridian section that passes through Estonia,
stretches from Northern Norway to the Black Sea and
was measured between 1816-1855 under Struve’s
leadership. The Observatory is also one of the city’s
symbols and the blue-black-white national flag has
been flying on its tower since 1989 (two years before
the official independence declaration).
Tartu University Botanical Garden
Mon-Sun 7-21 (7-19 during the winter), greenhouses Mon-
Sun 10-17
phone +372 737 6180
Lai 38
www.ut.ee/botaed
The Tartu University Botanical Garden (established in
1803) is the oldest continuously operating botanical
garden in the Baltic States. The diverse landscape
of 3.5 ha features designed plant collections which
include 6 500 different species and types of plants
with the natural habitat ranging from the tundra to
the tropics. The Palm House (height 22 m) is the highest
in the Baltic States and features 57 palm species.
The Botanical Garden holds study trips, exhibitions,
concerts, presentations and other events.
Tartu University Geological Museum
Wed-Sun 10-16
phone +372 737 5839
Vanemuise 46
www.ut.ee/BGGM
The Geological Museum was based on the Tartu University
Nature Office, reopened in 1802. The exhibition
displays minerals, meteorites with various consistency,
fossils and layers from all periods. The Museum has
also got an extensive display of Estonian palaeontology
and geology, an overview of human evolution, a
mammoth skull that is almost 40 000 years old, and
the Devonian placoderm that was excavated from the
Aruküla caves near Tartu and is about 390 million years
old and almost two meters long.
Tartu University Zoology Museum
Wed-Sun 10-16
phone +372 737 5833
Vanemuise 46
www.ut.ee/BGZM
The Tartu University Zoology Museum was established
in 1822 and is the oldest Estonian museum
that studies, introduces and collects the samples of
the world animal life. The oldest collections date back
to 1803. The collection, the largest of its kind in the
Baltic States, has over 5 000 articles (stuffed animals,
skeletons, prepared samples).