Tartu’s focal point is Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), paved with lumpy cobblestones and surrounded by prim Neoclassical buildings, the most eye-catching of which is the lilac-and-orange Town Hall (Raekoda). It was designed in the 1780s by Rostock builder J.H.B. Walter, whose brief was to give the town a European flavour; he duly obliged with this Dutch-influenced edifice. The bell tower emits a shrill, music-box-like ditty on the hour – until about 10pm, after which it reverts to discreet bonging sounds.

In front of the Town Hall stands a fountain topped by a 3m-high statue of a young couple kissing under an umbrella. Unveiled in 1998 to provide Tartu with a millennial marker, it was criticized for spoiling the eighteenth-century character of the square – pictures of the statue have nevertheless found their way onto most of the mugs and T-shirts sold by nearby souvenir shops.