Tallinn Observatory

Rising among the pines of Glehn Park forest in Nõmme, the observation tower was designed and commissioned by Nikolai von Glehn. Officially named the Hohenhaupt or Kõrgepea Castle observation tower, it is also known as the Tallinn Observatory Tower or Hiiu Observatory Tower, home to the largest telescope in northern Estonia.

It was the last structure Glehn had built in his manor park, with the construction year considered to be 1910. The original purpose of the tower remains unclear, though many legends—both oral and written—exist. For example, one story says the baron wanted to build a tower tall enough to see the city of Helsinki from it. The tower is constructed from large rough-surfaced fieldstones, bonded with a cement mixture. In the early 1960s, the then-neglected tower was converted into a public observatory. Today, the tower belongs to Tallinn University of Technology.