"Oh Tartu Town..." a Tartu Travel Page by King_Golo

Oh Tartu town!
What a wonderful place this is: a precious gem located in the south of Eestimaa!
Tartu, Estonia's second biggest town (about 100.000 inhabitants) is about 180 km southeast of Tallinn.
Its centre is full of fine classicist houses gathered around Raekoja Plats (the townhall square). Emajogi river flows through Tartu and at its banks you can have a nice hike or (if courageous enough) even a swim. Tartu is a town full of history as it houses the Baltic's most traditional university (Tartu Ülikool). Many famous Estonians are from Tartu.
But to me, it's far more than that: I've lived in Tartu for half a year and I do not exaggerate by saying that this was the best time of my life. I remember dazzling white snow freshly fallen between the old trees on Toomemägi... the smell of bonfires sending sparks into the sky at Emajogi beach... the bustling atmosphere of a young town full of students... my short but intensive career as a choir singer in Tartu Muusikakool and the concerts our choir gave... the spooky atmosphere of a snow-covered graveyard on Estonia's national holiday where we went to to honour Estonia's heroes... the blossoms of thousands of lilac bushes... the friendliness of Estonians... the beautiful language which has created words with as many as seven vowels in a row: Hauaööoudused!
Everything makes me want to come back as soon as possible! Hopefully, I'll be able to re-visit Eesti soon and then my stay will be for an even longer time - who knows if I can't find work in Estonia?

My second time in Tartu was also cool: Since the country has become a member of the EU, Estonia changes fast. But Tartu seems to combine the new energy and the old laid-back "gemütlichkeit".
See my travelogues for some pics of Tartu 2006!

Here are two other great pages about Tartu:

FletteMette's pages have loads of pics and wonderful tips. The same is true for Tartu2005's pages. Make sure to check them out!

A map of Tartu can be found here.