Aparaaditehas Creative Quarter
Aparaaditehas
A creative quarter converted from a Soviet-era secret submarine parts factory. It is home to restaurants, design shops, a toy museum and street murals.
The name Aparaaditehas means Instrument Factory. In the Soviet era, the site officially produced refrigerator parts but was in fact a secret factory making components for submarines. Today its industrial halls have been transformed into Tartu's trendiest creative quarter. It houses independent design shops, craft workshops, cafés, restaurants and bars, and its walls are covered with brightly coloured street murals. The complex also contains the Tartu Toy Museum. It is especially lively in the evenings and at weekends, and it is a great place to experience the lives of young locals. Entry to the complex is free, though opening hours vary by shop. It is about a 15-minute walk from Town Hall Square.
Opening hours
All day (shops vary)
Nearby sights
- KGB Cells Museum
- Toome Hill
- Tartu Old Observatory
- Tartu Cathedral & University of Tartu Museum
- University of Tartu Main Building
- Tartu Town Hall Square & Kissing Students
- St John's Church, Tartu
- Tartu Art Museum (Leaning House)