Passages and hidden city
· Toompea
Locked Gate of Short Leg
Closing the Lühike jalg gate at night showed that Toompea and the Lower Town were separately controlled jurisdictions.
Steep Lühike jalg linked the heights of Toompea to the merchants’ Lower Town. The connection was necessary, but it did not mean unrestricted movement: the gate could be closed, particularly at night. Separate rights and authorities made it a political boundary as well as a defensive barrier. Today a visitor crosses freely; a former resident’s route depended on opening hours and guards. One locked gate could change how the whole city was crossed.
Practical information
Address: Lühike jalg
Walk along Lühike jalg and look at the gate from both sides. Wet cobblestones and the slope may be slippery.