House slide

In the early history of the city, VI-VIII centuries, on a hill was one of the largest fortifications of pagan Estonians. From pagan times, a sacrificial stone is preserved on the hill ( est. Ohvrikivi ).

The first written mention of this place dates back to 1030, when Novgorod Prince Yaroslav the Wise founded the city of Yuryev on the site of the ancient Estonian settlement. The city was destroyed several times, in 1060 it was burned by the Finnish tribe - sasols, in 1138 it was devastated by local tribes ( chud ), who killed all its inhabitants, but each time it was restored and was considered the most significant Russian settlement in the Peipsi land. In 1224, Yuryev was captured by German knights, defending the city, Yuryevsky Prince Vyachko was killed.

Having conquered the area, the conquerors began the construction of their fortification, Castrum Tarbatae (fragments of ancient walls are discovered during archaeological excavations). The new fortress became the residence of the bishop .

The construction of the Gothic cathedral on the north side of the hill supposedly began in the second half of the 13th century. At the cathedral there was a cemetery. Residential buildings of worshipers were erected. The cathedral was consecrated in honor of Saints Peter and Paul , who were considered the patrons of Tartu. The cathedral became one of the largest Christian buildings in Eastern Europe, the center of the Derpt Bishopric.

Originally built as a basilica, as a result of a subsequent extension (1299), the cathedral received choirs and became like a temple hall. By 1470, high choirs appeared, the columns and arches of which were made in the style of brick Gothic. The construction of the cathedral was completed by the end of the 15th century with the erection of two massive 66-meter towers on the sides of the western facade. Around the cathedral a wall was erected to separate the bishop's residence from the rest of the city.

The decline of the cathedral began in the mid-1520s due to the spread of the ideas of the Reformation in these regions of Estonia. January 10, 1525 the cathedral was attacked by Protestant iconoclasts . After the deportation to Russia of the last Catholic bishop of Dorpat, German Wesel (bishopric from 1554 to 1558, d. In 1563), the cathedral was closed.

The cathedral was destroyed during the Livonian War (1558-1583) by the Russian army.

With the establishment of Polish power in 1582, plans for the restoration of the cathedral arose, which were not implemented due to the outbreak of the Polish-Swedish war (1600-1611) . The destruction was aggravated by the fire of 1624.

In 1629, Swedish rule was established in Tartu. The new authorities did not begin to rebuild the cathedral. The surviving part of the building was adapted for household purposes ( barn ).

Cathedral cemetery continued to be used for the burial of citizens until the XVIII century.

In the 1760s, the height of both towers was reduced to 22 m flush with the nave , after which artillery guns were placed on them. The main entrance was walled up.

After the resumption of the work of the University of Derpt by decree on April 12, 1802 of the Russian Emperor Alexander I , the surviving cathedral building was redesigned by the architect J. V. Krause into a three-story university library (1804-1807).

In 1808, an astronomical observatory was built on the site of the former bishop’s castle in Toomemägi according to the project of the same architect. In 1818-1839, Friedrich Struve worked here ^[1] .

Also on the hill is the old anatomical theater of the university.

In 1763, a building planned for barracks was erected on the hill, but since 1808 a university clinic was located in these walls, which operated here until the 1990s. Since 1993, in connection with the transfer of the State Court to Tartu, the highest court of the Republic of Estonia has been located in this building.

In the XIX century, the territory of the hill was turned into a park according to the project of J. Krause. For the convenience of pedestrian communication with the city, bridges were built - Inglisild or Angel Bridge (which, most likely, is the distorted name "Englische Brücke" - English bridge, built between 1814 and 1816), on the bridge there is a relief image of the first rector of the restored University of Tartu George Friedrich Parrot (1767-1852) and the motto “Otium reficit vires” (“Restoring strength”), as well as the Devil's bridge (1808; the present bridge was built in 1913). Both bridges were designed by Krause.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the north tower was turned into a water tower.

In the 1960s, the library that occupied the cathedral building was reconstructed and expanded, central heating was carried out, and after a new library building was built in 1981, the university’s historical museum was opened in the vacant rooms. Large-scale restoration of the building was carried out in 1985, when the interior of the XIX century was restored. The remains of the external walls of the choirs and other ruins are preserved.

The ruins of the Dome Cathedral .

Inglisild - Bridge of Angels ^[2]

Curadisild - Devil's Bridge ^[3]

• Suur, Aili, 1968: Tartu Toome Hill. Tallinn

Toomemägi Hill

Yuryev, the county town of Livonia province // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.