The Church of St. Olav - Tallinn

Legend has it that a young nameless boy came into town, offering to build the church. But the city council could not afford the high expenses of the job, so the young men accepted to do the job for free, with one condition: the citizens of Tallinn had to guess its name. The population recurred to a stratagem and extorted the information, but the young boy fell from the tower of the church just before the citizens could inform him. Apart from this bizarre legend, the name Olav was given to the church in honour of the Norwegian king Olav II Heraldsson, considered the protector of seamen.

In fact the church was meant as a sea signal, with the tall spire making the city visible from far away. For more than a century, between 1549 and 1625, the church held a record for being the tallest building in the world. Originally the total height of the tower sized 157 m, but after numerous fires and restorations, the height was reduced to 123 m.

Opening hours during liturgical services:
Sunday 10 am and 12 am