Outdoor exhibitions at Toomemägi

In the summer of 2019, the University of Tartu Museum opened several outdoor exhibitions at Toomemägi, which present the architectural history of the cathedral and the university’s influence in the world. Outdoor exhibitions can be visited free of charge at any time.

Tartu – Rendezvous of Cultures

A temporary exhibition at Toomemägi, between the west side of the University of Tartu Museum and the Angel’s Bridge, tells a story of 16 remarkable Europeans who have studied or taught at the University of Tartu. The people highlighted in the exhibition have influenced the science, cultural life or politics of their country or of Estonia.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the university brought lecturers and students to Tartu from many European countries, in particular from Latvia, Poland and Ukraine, as well as from Armenia, Georgia and Germany. The young people who studied here headed both east and west, taking with them the knowledge and experiences gained in Tartu.

The stories of those portrayed at the exhibition are illustrated by historic photos of places related to them in Tartu. The exhibition is in Estonian and English.

Outdoor exhibition on the history of the cathedral

Large boards in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral tell the story of the largest cathedral in medieval Estonia. Visitors can learn about the architecture and interior of the cathedral during different eras. The interactive parts of the exhibition help uncover the different layers of the stories of Toomemägi and the cathedral.

The exhibition also tells the story of the development of the historical campus at Toomemägi – the focus is on the former university library and the current museum building.

Project teams

Curators: Janet Laidla, Lea Leppik and Mariann Raisma

Language editor: Sirje Toomla

Translator: Kristopher Rikken

Designer: Exporabbit

The creation of the exhibition was supported by the European Commission, the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, the Council of Europe, the European Heritage Days and the city of Tartu.

The exhibition was made in the framework of the project “Linking home, linking Europe. Virtual map of Europe in Tartu”.

Curator: Mariann Raisma

Designer: Exporabbit

Support: the city of Tartu and Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

The exhibition together with the monograph “Tartu toomkirik. Katedraal. Raamatukogu. Muuseum” (Tartu Cathedral. Cathedral. Library. Museum) was nominated for the Estonian Architecture Award in 2020 in the category of Cultural Endowment of Estonia architecture endowment exhibition award.