St Olaf's Church Tower (Oleviste)

St Olaf's Church (Oleviste kirik) at Lai 50 is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Tallinn's Old Town, a medieval church long associated with the sailors and merchants of the harbour district. In the 16th century its spire made it among the tallest buildings in the world, and the tower has since been struck by lightning and rebuilt several times, leaving the present spire shorter but still the highest point on the Old Town skyline. The main attraction for visitors is the viewing platform high up the tower, reached by a narrow spiral stair of roughly 230 to 260 steps with no lift. The climb is steep and the passages are tight, with a rope handrail and a few places to pause. At the top an exterior walkway circles the tower and opens views across the red tile roofs of the Old Town, the spires of St Nicholas and the Town Hall, Toompea hill, the ferry harbour and the Gulf of Finland. The best photo angles are towards the harbour on the north side and back towards Toompea on the south-west corner. Down below, the church interior is plain and whitewashed, and is used for worship and occasional events, so access can close without notice. In Estonia the church is open from 1 April to 31 October only, daily from 10:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30. A visit takes about 30 to 45 minutes including the climb. Queues form on the stair on bright afternoons in summer because the platform holds few people at once and traffic runs both ways on the same steps; weekday mornings are the quietest. Visitors with a fear of heights or limited mobility may prefer the free viewing terraces on Toompea.