Püssirohukelder

Tartu, Estonia

In 1763 Russian Empress Catherine II ordered to fortify Tartu again. It was decided to build a gunpowder magazine (Püssirohukelder) in the former city moat. The responsibility of the building was assigned to Field-Marshal General de Villebois. His engineers started to build magazine in 1768. The bricks are brought from the old Mary Church (about where the University Main Building is now) and the ruins of the bishop settlement on Toome Hill demolished in 1708. The magazine completed in 1778.

Today Püssirohukelder offers Estonian and German dishes and has room for up to 300 people.

Reference: Püssirohukelder

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Address

Lossi 28, Tartu, Estonia
See all sites in Tartu

Details

Founded: 1768-1778
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Fabio Zucca (3 months ago)
My favourite place in Tartu. Do not expect a fancy place or a quite restaurant. On the other hand, be prepared for a good selection of food and beers. In my opinion it is worth visiting more than once.
Lanier Tax Relief (4 months ago)
When in Tartu, Estonia, is a must-visit to experience a unique historical and culinary setting. This pub and restaurant is housed in a restored 18th-century gunpowder storage facility with a dramatic high vaulted ceiling, earning it recognition as the “world’s highest pub”. Best pork knuckles ever !! It was very tasty!
El Barto (4 months ago)
The place is amazing, very high ceilings, which makes the experience even better. The food was very good, we took the menu which is only available for 14 days and it was excellent, very very good. I would love to go back, the food was delicious and very good. One of the best restaurants in the city of Tartu. praise.
Chris Heath (6 months ago)
A quiet Tuesday lunch time . Not many customers about. One local brewery supplying a couple of beers which were quite acceptable . Food was nice, had a simple salmon soup. The soup was served in the bread roll. The vaulted roof is apparently the tallest in a pub in the world
Oliver (7 months ago)
Lovely building, but very poor service. We were told to sit where we liked, but nobody brought us menus until we asked. We were then told that food would take over an hour, but that snacks wouldn't take as long. We ordered drinks and snacks. The drinks came quickly but we ended up waiting an hour and 20 minutes for the snacks, which were tasty but nothing special. We had dumplings and fried pickled cucumbers with dips. With drinks, it came to 25 € for two people. We played cards while we waited but the table was very sticky. There was live music for part of our visit: a singer and an acoustic guitarist playing pop covers. It wasn't so loud that I felt the need to use earplugs. One of the rotating stage lights shone uncomfortably into my eyes sometimes. After the music, a mechanical bull was set up in the middle of the floor. I didn't try it. The waiting staff were friendly and spoke good English. It wasn't their fault that service was so slow. The place was just severely understaffed on the day we visited.
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