19. sajandi Tartu linnakodaniku muuseum

About the museum

The museum invites visitors into a townhouse of the Tartu middle class of the 1830s. In period-furnished living rooms you can take a look at the everyday life and housekeeping of a townsman. The living room, dining room and the master’s workroom and bedroom are furnished in the Biedermeier style; the kitchen has a working English stove. The rooms contain many original objects, for example a square piano made by the Tartu instrument maker Hasse and a cabinet clock from England. The rooms are not lit by electric light, so visitors can experience the lighting conditions of the period.

Jaani 16 is one of the oldest wooden residential houses in Tartu. The building was completed by 1744 and survived the fires that devastated the city centre in the second half of the 18th century, as well as the order issued after the 1775 fire to demolish all wooden houses in the city centre. By 1828 the street-side house had received an extension on the yard side, and it has survived largely in that form to this day.

In Soviet times the house was divided into communal flats and later used as a warehouse. After thorough restoration, the townsman’s museum opened here in 1993. In summer the museum courtyard is open, where herbs common in the area in the 19th century grow.

Highlights

• Biedermeier-style living room, dining room and workroom
• Square piano by the Tartu instrument maker Hasse
• Working English stove in the kitchen
• Rooms without electric light
• Herb courtyard
• One of Tartu’s oldest wooden houses (1744)

Permanent exhibition

• Biidermeierlik linnakodu 1830. aastatest – The permanent exhibition presents the home of a Tartu townsman in the 1830s: living room, dining room, the master’s workroom and bedroom, and kitchen with original objects.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Tartu Linnaajaloo Muuseumid

Admission & discounts

Exhibitions are free with the Museum Card. With the Family Card, a family ticket can be bought for the whole family named on the card.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair users have an entrance with a lower step on the yard side. Strollers or bicycles can be left in the inner courtyard, and if necessary the pushchair can also be lifted inside. Well-behaved pets are welcome and may wait in the museum courtyard if wished.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers museum lessons and workshops for schools; Christmas programmes.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Old Town near the Jaani kirik (St John’s Church); to the left of the church is a single-storey wooden house with light plastered shutters.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit