Prisons and cells
· Vanalinn
Medieval City Prison
In medieval Tallinn, detention often meant waiting for a court decision or the settlement of a debt rather than serving a long sentence.
People were held in the area of town authority around the Town Hall for various reasons: before trial, after an accusation or pending payment of a debt. A prison did not always serve the same role as a modern place for serving a sentence. Uncertainty about the next decision was itself part of detention. A general map point on Raekoja Street cannot identify every medieval cell. The history must be pieced together from sources for different buildings and periods.
Practical information
Address: Raekoja tänav
Walk around Raekoja Street and observe buildings associated with town authority. Do not assume every old cellar was a prison cell.