The Great Guild ( et, Suurgild, german: Große Gilde) was a

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

for merchants and artisans, operating in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

from at least the 14th century until 1920. It was based in the Great Guild hall, a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

building in the historical centre of Tallinn, today housing the

Estonian History Museum Estonian History Museum ( et, Eesti Ajaloomuuseum) is a museum about the history of Estonia in Tallinn. It was initially established by pharmacist Dr. Johann Burchart who ran the town hall pharmacy known as the Raeapteek. Inaugurated in 1987, it ...

. In 2013, the Great Guild hall was named a European Heritage site. The building was erected in 1407-1410, with the interiors finished in 1417. The façade is decorated with blind arches, and has a typical, prominent portal. Inside, the main hall especially retains the medieval atmosphere. It is a large () room, supported by a range of pillars with decoratively carved capitals. The Great Guildhall is considered a typical example of medieval Tallinn architecture.

References

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