Address: Estonia, Tallinn
Coordinates: 59 ° 26'14.1 "N 24 ° 44'50.9" E
Content:
Brief history and description
If you want to truly immerse yourself in the spirit of the Middle Ages, it is worth visiting Katarina Lane. To get here, you need to enter the Lower City through the Viru Gate, turn left along the fortress wall and dive under one of the arches.
Katarina street view
These arches serve as the entrance to the Katarina Lane, which connects the streets of Vienna and Murivyakhe. In the summer season, the lane turns into the most picturesque place in Old Tallinn thanks to its numerous craft workshops. The lane owes its name to the church of St. Catharina of Alexandria, presumably erected in the XIV century at the Dominican monastery. In the Middle Ages, the 67.7 meter high Katarina temple had no equal in area in the entire Lower City. In 1524, during the Reformation, the Lutheran iconoclasts plundered the church, and a fire in 1531 completed the destruction of the building.
Today about the former splendor of the church of St. Katarinas resemble only ruins - ancient walls adorning the north side of Ekaterininsky Lane. Tombstones taken from church graves are installed on the walls. At one time, the church served as a burial vault for representatives of the magistrate and merchant communities - the Great Guild and the Brotherhood of Blackheads. On the south side of Katarina Lane there are medieval houses, now converted into workshop shops. Here the visitor can watch the work of glass blowers, jewelers, weavers, painters and other artisans creating works of art.
Wall plates
In Katarina Lane, an attentive observer will notice not only tiled arches and other antiquities, but also an original example of the city's modern decoration. At the entrance to Katarina Lane from the side of the city walls, a small sculpture in the shape of a black cat is installed on the chimney of an old house. And if you walk from Ekaterininsky Lane along Vene Street towards the Town Hall Square, you can find a quiet and cozy Craftsmen's Courtyard, also known for its handicrafts. Medieval buildings with vaulted cellars and spiral staircases have survived to this day. Tallinn craftsmen carefully keep the secrets of the craftsmanship of their ancestors, making handicrafts for tourists. There is also an art gallery and a coffee shop "Pierre Chocolaterie", where they know a lot about coffee and sweets. In the summer, concerts and performances by folklore ensembles are held in the Masters' Yard. In the course of an extensive restoration in 1995, Katarina Lane was renovated without losing its medieval charm.
