Nun's Tower, Medieval fortified tower in Tallinn, Estonia
Nun's Tower is a cylindrical stone structure roughly 10 meters in diameter and about 25 meters tall, forming part of the medieval city wall. The building features a distinctive horseshoe-shaped layout that connects multiple levels through stairs, allowing visitors to access different heights and sections.
The structure was built between 1311 and 1320 as a saddle tower and underwent major reconstruction around 1422, gaining its distinctive horseshoe shape. This transformation significantly modified the original construction to meet changing defense needs.
The tower takes its name from the nearby Cistercian convent of Saint Michael, where nuns lived north of the fortification during the Middle Ages. This connection to monastic life shapes how people understand the structure's role in medieval Tallinn.
The tower is open most days and can be explored from inside through multiple stairways connecting various levels. Visitors should be prepared for steps when moving between the different heights of the structure.
The tower's lower section historically contained a gunpowder cellar and grain storage, revealing how the defense system functioned in practice. The outer wall extends completely to ground level, a feature that gave the structure its particular stability.
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