First or record · 1590
St Olaf's, once perhaps the tallest building on Earth
St Olaf's Church was first mentioned in 1267, and its tower in 1364. A medieval craftsman claimed the spire was 84 fathoms tall. If he meant Rhineland fathoms, that would be 159 metres and the tallest building in the world at the time. He probably meant local fathoms, and in 1590 the tower was probably 115 to 125 metres tall. Even that was enormous. The height came at a price: lightning has struck the tower about ten times, and the whole church has burned down three times. Today the spire stands 123.8 metres high, still the tallest church in Estonia. From 1944 to 1991 the KGB used it as a radio tower.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
Oleviste kirikut mainitakse esimest korda 1267. aastal ja selle torni 1364. aastal. Üks keskaegne meister väitis, et torn on 84 sülda kõrge. Kui ta pidas silmas Reinimaa sülda, oleks see olnud 159 meetrit ja tolle aja kõrgeim ehitis maailmas. Tõenäoliselt mõtles ta kohalikke sülda ning 1590. aastal oli torn arvatavasti 115–125 meetrit kõrge. Sedagi oli tohutult palju. Kõrgusel oli oma hind: välk on torni tabanud umbes kümme korda ja kogu kirik on kolm korda maha põlenud. Praegu on torn 123,8 meetrit kõrge ja kirik on endiselt Eesti kõrgeim. Aastatel 1944–1991 kasutas KGB seda raadiotornina.