Gates, walls and towers
· Vanalinn
Cattle Gate
Livestock passed through Cattle Gate between the town and grazing land beyond the walls.
The practical name of Cattle Gate reveals the everyday side of a fortified town. Tallinn needed milk, meat, hides and draught animals, and herds had to move regularly through the wall. Animals, manure, goods and people crowded the surrounding streets. The vanished gateway recalls how life among towers and merchants’ houses still depended directly on livestock.
Practical information
Address: Suur-Karja tänav
Walk along Suur-Karja Street and notice how the route leads from the former edge towards the town centre. The gate itself has disappeared.