House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads - Tallinn, Estonia
N 59° 26.334 E 024° 44.795
35V E 372203 N 6591089
The House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads in Tallinn's Old Town was used by a medieval guild made up of young, single merchants and foreigners. The house was built in the 16th century.
Waymark Code: WMPR46
Location: Estonia
Date Posted: 10/11/2015
Views: 8
"The House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads is the only surviving Renaissance building in Tallinn. A residence probably existed at this location already in the 14th century. The Brotherhood of Black Heads bought the property in the first half of the 16th century, when then also built a new vault-less hall. A major reconstruction took place in 1597, when the façade was redesigned in the spirit of the Renaissance architecture from the Low Countries, with its rich ornamentation and carved decorations. One of Tallinn’s most eye-catching painted doors dates from the 1640s. The Two-nave, arched guildhall bought from the Olav Guild dates from the 15th century."
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"This beautiful, Renaissance-style guild hall is truly a star among Old Town's architectural treasures.
Just one look at the hall from the outside, especially its intricately-decorated, red, green and gold door, is enough to explain why it's a regular feature on every Tallinn postcard stand. The interior is also a must-see.
This was the historic home of the Brotherhood of Black Heads, a medieval guild made up of young, single merchants and foreigners. The guild's patron saint was the Moorish St. Mauritius - a profile of his head is pictured on the Brotherhood's coat of arms. The Brotherhood itself, which arose sometime around 1399, was active only in Estonia and Latvia, and never took hold in the rest of Europe. It is interesting to note that among the brotherhood's duties in medieval times was putting Tallinn's Christmas tree on Town Hall Square each year. Records show that the activity started at least as far back as 1441, making Tallinn the first city in Europe to have the tradition of a public Christmas tree.
A 14th-century residential building probably occupied this site when the Black Heads bought up the property in the early 1500s. They immediately installed a new hall with an archless ceiling, but the serious rebuilding got underway in 1597 when the Dutch Renaissance façade, with its profusion of ornaments and carved decorations, was added. The eye-catching front door dates to 1640. Inside you can see a two-naved, vaulted hall, which bought from the neighbouring St. Olav's Guild and dates to the 15th century."
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