Tartu Art Museum

The ‘Leaning House,’ built in 1793 on the marshy area of Tartu’s Old Town and catching the eye on Town Hall Square, has belonged to the Tartu Art Museum since 1988. Until the end of the 20th century, the ground floor of the building housed a pharmacy, where Oskar Luts worked as a pharmacist for some time. Known as the Tartu Leaning Tower and Barclay de Tolly House, the building is intriguing both on the outside and inside. Interestingly, the tilt of the house is 5.8 degrees, which is greater than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The plaque commemorating Barclay de Tolly suggests the famous military leader’s connection to the house, but in reality, it could have been inhabited by his close relatives at times.

A tour from the basement to the attic introduces the fascinating history of the building and the activities of the Tartu Art Museum, taking us back in history to the early days of the building as well as the artistic endeavours of recognized Estonian artists in the 1950s and 1960s.

Photo: Kevin Loigu.