The ruins are next to Toomemägi park in Estonia's second city, and demolition work in progress for planned residential properties revealed the vaulted cellars of the former F. R. Baertels brewery at the site on Baeri street.

The location is within the City of Tartu's heritage protection zone, and chief specialist Egle Tamm pointed out that the main requirement for the developer is preserving the cellars as they are.

Kristjan Mugra, spokesperson for the developer, Kesklinna Kinnisvara, confirmed the company had included this in its plans.

The three vaulted cellars were not subterranean but rather made up the ground floor of the Baertels brewery building, which has since been demolished. The cellars will most likely be used for commercial space, he said, and will be accessible from ground level in the development once completed.

At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility that one of the three chambers could instead be converted into an apartment in the future.

"They are in relatively good condition and six meters high. We plan to leave the front part of the vaults spanning two floors and to add an intermediate floor at the back. Full-size glass arched windows will be installed at the front," Mugra said.

According to the detailed plan, 90 percent of the development area is assigned to residential use, and the remaining 10 percent for commercial and service businesses.

A two-story stone house had subsequently been built over the cellar spaces, concealing them.

Archaeologist Andres Tvauri said any old walls or other objects worth investigating are discovered underground in Tartu on an almost daily basis.

For instance, the largest find in Tartu over the past 10 years was made on Magasini tänav late last year.

"A medieval Church of St. Nicholas of the Pskovians was excavated. This is one of two Orthodox churches in Tartu. It was the first time these walls were uncovered," he noted.

"There has been a medieval town here, as well as an early modern town. In the city center, there are up to four meters of cultural layers underground, containing various buildings. Over a very large area, medieval buildings several meters high have also been preserved beneath the ground."

Toomemägi is the location of the earliest known settlement in what is now Tartu, with finds dating back to the 5th century in the common era. In the Middle Ages, the city became known as Dorpat and was the seat of a powerful bishopric, while the university Tartu is most well known for was founded in 1625, when much of modern-day Estonia was under Swedish rule.

The Baertels brewery was founded in 1859.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!