The database of real estates in medieval Tallinn includes records of historical properties in the lower town, providing brief details, links to other databases, and references to sources related to these properties or the buildings that were or are located on them. The database also contains information on properties of public institutions (town hall, guilds, churches, etc.), though its main focus is on private properties.
The properties are listed with their addresses as of the time of compilation (2024). For the blocks destroyed during the March bombing of 1944, or in cases where properties were merged earlier, the addresses have changed over time. In such instances, the earlier address is given in brackets.

The brief information provided concerns the late medieval period (1558), although the types of properties and houses remained largely unchanged for many subsequent centuries. These details are based on various public databases, and in some cases, on earlier, unpublished research. For many properties, no information is available for completing such fields. In some cases, earlier 13th–14th century wooden or composite buildings are noted, based on written or archaeological evidence.
The construction dates of medieval buildings are generally not known with precision from written or archaeological sources or stylistically identifiable architectural components; the dates are speculative and can often only be determined to the nearest century. The classification of a central building on a property (as a main house or small house) is often not based on the observation of the surviving building but on entries in feudal records, as these are generally the way such buildings were designated. Similarly, the function of a building as a barn is often identifiable only through entries in the feudal records, as barns have typically been converted into residences later, and their construction history remains unresearched.

The referenced written sources include 14th–15th century property records, some of which have been published as source editions.
Despite the fact that dozens of medieval properties have survived more or less in their late-medieval form and size, the majority of properties were repeatedly merged or divided, both in the Middle Ages and especially later. In the Middle Ages, there were no addresses, which makes it challenging to link properties mentioned in earlier sources with later or surviving properties. Nevertheless, thanks to the extensive research by earlier scholars Leo Tiik and Rasmus Kangropool, it is generally possible to make these connections for the records of the 15th–16th centuries, and in some cases, even for the 14th century. The database relies heavily on the work of these scholars in associating source references with specific properties or buildings.

The database fundamentally uses the numbering system for properties established in 1786. Parts of properties that were separated in the 19th century are occasionally indicated with an additional letter (e.g. 241-B). Since many large properties numbered in 1786 encompassed several smaller properties that had previously existed independently, Leo Tiik introduced a system of additional Roman numerals (e.g. 150-III) to differentiate such units, which is also followed in this database. Thus, the database treats as separate units each plot of land that, at any time before addresses were assigned, was known to have existed, even if only briefly, as an independent entity. As a result, many units in the database comprised only a backyard or other smaller part of a larger property in the Middle Ages, which is also noted as the property type.
It should be noted that the knowledge regarding the number of properties, boundary changes, and buildings in the earlier period (14th–15th centuries) is incomplete, and for the 13th century, such information is almost entirely lacking, except in a few areas that have been archaeologically investigated. One of the objectives of the database is to help fill these gaps by consolidating data and facilitating the reconstruction of the earlier urban landscape and the study of property and other relationships of the people who operated within it.

The database is a work in progress, continually being improved and expanded.


The database includes records of historical properties in the lower town of Tallinn, with references to relevant medieval sources, brief information on the types of plots and buildings, as well as links to other databases.