Tartu - Misplaced Pages

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Tartu (Known as Dorpat until 1918) is the second largest city of Estonia, with a population of 101,297 (as of 2004) and an area of 38.8 km². In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural centre, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, Tartu is the centre of Southern Estonia. The Emajõgi river, which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, crosses the city for a length of 10 km.

History

Beginnings

Archaeological evidence of first permanent settlement on the site of modern Tartu dates to as early as the 5th century AD. By the 7th century, the local inhabitants had built a wooden fortification on the east side of Toome Hill (Toomemägi).

The first documented record of the place was made in 1030 by chroniclers of Kievan Rus. Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Kiev, raided Tartu that year, built his own fort there, and named it Yuryev (literally "Yury's" - Yury being Yaroslav's Christian name). Kievan rulers then collected tribute from the surrounding ancient Estonian county of Ugaunia, possibly until 1061, when, according to chronicles, Yurev was burned down by another tribe of Chudes (Sosols).

Germans in Dorpat (Tartu)

During the period of Northern crusades in the beginning of the 13th century the fort of Tarbatu (or Tharbata, Tartu) was captured by the crusading Livonian Knights and recaptured by Estonians on several occasions until, in 1224, it was besieged and conquered from troops of the East Slavic prince Vyachko for one last time by the German crusaders. Subsequently known as Dorpat (Tarbatum), Tartu became a commercial centre of considerable importance during the later Middle Ages and the capital of the semi-independent Bishopric of Dorpat.

In 1262 the army of Prince Dmitri of Pereslavl, son of Alexander Nevsky launched an assault on Dorpat, capturing and destroying the town. His troops did not manage to capture the bishop’s fortress on Toome Hill. The event was recorded both in German and Old East Slavic chronicles, which also provided the first record of a settlement of German merchants and artisans which had arisen alongside the bishop’s fortress.

In the 1280s Dorpat joined the Hanseatic League. In medieval times Tartu was an important trading city. As in all of Estonia and Latvia, the largely German-speaking nobility, but in Tartu/Dorpat (as in Tallinn) even more so, the Baltic German bourgeoisie, the literati, dominated culture, religion, architecture, education, and politics until the late 19th century. For example, the town hall of Dorpat was built by an architect from Mecklenburg, from the city of Rostock, while the university buildings were built by another German. Many, if not most, of the students, and more than 90% of the faculty members were of German heritage, and numerous statues of notable scientists with German names can still be found in the city today. Most Germans had to leave during the first half of the 20th century.

Polish and Swedish Rule

File:Rathaus yuryev.jpg

Town hall was built in 1789.

In the 16th century, Livonia and Tartu both came under Polish rule, and a Jesuit grammar school was established in the city in 1583. In addition, a translators' seminary was organized in Tartu and the city received its red and white flag from the Polish king Stephen Bathory.

The activities of both the grammar school and the seminary were stopped by the Polish-Swedish War (1601). Tartu then became Swedish in 1629, which led to the foundation of the university in 1632 by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.

Tartu in Imperial Russia

With the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, the city became part of the Russian Empire and was known as Derpt. Due to fires in the 18th century which destroyed much of the medieval architecture, the city was rebuilt along Late Baroque and Neoclassical lines. During the second-half of the 19th century, Tartu was the cultural center for Estonians in the era of Romantic nationalism. The city hosted Estonia's first song festival in 1869, as well as the Vanemuine, the first national theatre, in 1870. It was also the setting for the foundation of the Society of Estonian Writers in 1872.

In 1893, the city was officially retitled to the ancient Russian name Yuryev. The university began to be Russified in 1895 with the introduction of compulsory Russian in teaching. This Russian imperial university was relocated to Voronezh in 1918, but the Estonian University of Tartu opened in 1919. With Estonian independence after World War I, the city officially became known by the Estonian name Tartu.

Soviet Influence

During the Russian Civil War following World War I, a peace treaty between the Bolsheviks and Estonia was signed on 2 February 1920 in Tartu. The treaty meant that Bolshevist Russia renounced territorial claims to Estonia "for all time." However, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia and Tartu as a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.

During World War II, a large part of the city as well as the historical Kivisild (stone bridge) (built by Catherine II of Russia in 1776-1778) over the Emajõgi were destroyed by the fighting Red Army, partly in 1941 and almost totally in 1944.

After the war Tartu was declared a "closed town" to foreigners, as there was a Soviet air base constructed on the outskirts. The old runways there now house a large used-car market.

During Soviet times the population of Tartu almost doubled from 57,000 to 100,000.

Independence

Since Estonia regained its independence in 1991, the old town centre is being renovated.

Government

There are 49 members in the town council, who are elected by residents every four years, using a proportional system of representation.

The executyve branch of the town government consists of a mayor and five deputy mayors. The current mayor is Laine Jänes. Andrus Ansip, the current Prime Minister of Estonia, was mayor for many years. Both Ansip and Jänes are members of the Estonian Reform Party, which has dominated in Tartu in recent years.

Population

According to the European Statistical Office, as of 2005, Tartu's population comprised the following self-reported ethnic groups.

Nationality	Percentage
Estonians	80,1%
Russians	15,8%
Ukrainians	1,2%
Finns	1,1%
Others	1,8%

Education and Culture

The city is best known for being the home to the University of Tartu, founded by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632. Mainly for this reason, Tartu was and is also - tongue-in-cheek - known as the "Athens of the Emajõgi" or as the "Heidelberg of the North".

Tartu is also the seat of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Baltic Defence College, Tartu Aviation College, and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. The Estonian Supreme Court, which was re-established in Tartu in the autumn of 1993, is likewise in the city, as well as the Estonian Historical Archives.

Architecture & Sightseeing

The architecture and city planning of historical Tartu mainly go back to the pre-independence period, with Germans forming the upper and middle classes of society, and therefore contributing many architects, professors, local politicians, etc. Most notable are the old Lutheran St. John's Church (Johanneskirche or Jaani Kirik), the 18th-century town hall, the university building, the remainders of the 13th-century cathedral, the botanical gardens, the main shopping street, and many buildings around the town hall square.

In the suburbs, classic Soviet neighbourhoods - blocks of high-rise flats - were built during the period between the Second World War and restoration of Estonian independence in 1991.

Presently, Tartu is also known for several modern, rather sterile-looking buildings of the "steel, concrete and glass" type, but has managed to retain a mix of old buildings and new buildings in the historical centre of town.

Being the intellectual and cultural centre of Estonia, the Estonian Prime Minister often takes state guests to Tartu. Famous guests have included Charles, Prince of Wales, the presidents of Finland, Latvia, Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, and Lithuania, as well as religious leaders like the Dalai Lama and the head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew I.

Tartu's large student population means that it has a comparatively thriving nightlife, with some bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Some of the more popular destinations for tourists include the Wilde Irish Pub and the Gunpowder Cellar.