Niguliste Museum

Niguliste Museum occupies the former church of St Nicholas at Niguliste 3 in Tallinn's Old Town and is a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia. The church was founded in the 13th century for German merchants and grew into a Gothic basilica. It was severely damaged in a Soviet air raid in March 1944, which burned the roof and much of the interior. The art collection had been moved out beforehand, and the building was restored in the decades after the war, reopening as a museum in 1984. The museum now holds the largest collection of medieval and Baroque ecclesiastical art in Estonia, drawn from Tallinn's churches and guilds. Its best-known object is a surviving fragment of the Danse Macabre painted by the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke in the late 15th century, a long frieze that shows Death leading a pope, emperor, merchant and child to the grave. The Altarpiece by Hermen Rode from 1481, with carved and painted wings, is another major piece, together with sculptures, silver, painted epitaphs, guild chests and brass chandeliers. The display uses the large nave and side chapels with a loosely chronological order, and the architectural setting with its vaults and stained light is part of the visit. Organ concerts on weekends use the church acoustics and a modern organ, adding a performance element to the museum. Preservation work continues in the building, including conservation of the paintings and stonework. Texts are available in English, and an audio guide is offered. A visit normally takes one hour, and the museum sits just uphill from the Town Hall square, with the Dome Church and Toompea a short walk away in the Harju County capital.