Tartu, the University Town of Estonia, Tartu, Estonia

Outside the Town Hall of Tartu , in Estonia is a statue of two students kissing. Or maybe they are newlyweds? The Kissing Statue was added to the fountain in Town Hall Square fifty years after it was built. This fountain was considered to bring good luck so newly-weds and their guests would visit the fountain and no doubt a lot of kissing went on. A more popular theory claims that it reflects the popularity of the fountain as a meeting place for students studying at the University of Tartu. The University is the very heart of the town of the town and its centre is the Town Hall Square. Since time immemorial Town Hall Square has been the centre of Tartu. During the Middle Ages it also became the centre of the municipal government and the first Town Hall was erected. This building was later replaced and its successor was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1775 which devastated the centre of the town. The present town hall was built during the period of early Classicism, and reflects this as well as following the tradition of Baroque urban palaces.

The Town Hall is also famous for its chime. Originally this chime was performed on eighteen bells manufactured in the Karlsruhe Bell Factory. In 2001, to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the chiming of these bells, sixteen new bells, cast by the Royal Eijsbouts Belfry in Holland, were added to the existing bells. Three times a day the thirty-four bells perform, a performance that lasts around fifteen minutes and is a popular tourist attraction. I jumped at the chance to climb up into the bell tower thinking I would have a great view of both the bells and the town below. After scrambling up a finely balanced ladder and climbing onto a small platform I discovered that I had to crane my neck at an impossible angle to see all the bells and my view of the town was obscured by the paraphernalia of the mechanical bell-ringing system. Despite the dust and cobwebs it was a memorable experience. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).