Gates, walls and towers
· Vanalinn
Lost Southern Section of the City Wall
Part of Tallinn’s southern defensive boundary disappeared as the city expanded beyond its medieval walls.
The medieval wall separated the town from its surroundings and channelled movement through gates. Later streets and buildings changed its southern edge so thoroughly that its course can no longer be read directly from the streetscape. A vanished wall does not mean a vanished history: old maps and archaeological finds help locate the former defences. On Pärnu maantee, look at the present street as a later layer over an older urban boundary, without assuming that every visible piece of masonry belongs to the wall.
Practical information
Address: Pärnu maantee
Walk along the public pavement near the Old Town end of Pärnu maantee. Compare historical plans with a modern map to trace the former wall more precisely.