Raekoja plats, Tallinn

The medieval heart of Tallinn, Raekoja plats, or Town Hall Square, is the cobbled marketplace that has been the centre of civic life in the Estonian capital for some eight centuries. Ringed by pastel merchant houses and dominated by the Gothic town hall, it is one of the best-preserved medieval public squares in northern Europe.

The square took shape as a market and meeting place in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when Tallinn was a prosperous Hanseatic trading town. Its southern side is closed by the Town Hall, completed around 1404, the only surviving Gothic town hall in the region, topped by the Old Thomas weathervane that has become a symbol of the city. The surrounding gabled houses once belonged to merchants and guilds, and their ground floors now hold cafes, restaurants and one of the oldest continuously operating pharmacies in Europe on a corner of the square.

For centuries the square served every public function, from markets and fairs to celebrations and, more grimly, punishments. Today it hosts open-air concerts, craft markets and, most famously, the Christmas market centred on a tall spruce tree, a tradition the city traces back to the early fifteenth century.

For visitors it is the natural focus of the old town and entirely free to enjoy. The Town Hall can be climbed in summer for views over the red roofs, and the surrounding lanes lead to the churches, town wall and viewing platforms of the upper town. The square is liveliest in summer and during the Christmas season, when it fills with stalls and lights, and quieter on winter mornings. Its central position makes it the obvious starting point for exploring the compact, walkable medieval core.