Tartu - Jumalaema Uinumise katedraalkirik

Tartu (German Dorpat) is the second-largest city in Estonia, after Tallinn.

In the early 11th century Yaroslav I the Wise, Prince of Kiev, invaded the region, and after a victorious battle with the locals built his own fort there, Tartu probably remained under Kievan control until 1061, when the fort was burned down by an Estonian tribe. Soon afterward the fort was rebuilt.
During the Northern Crusades at the beginning of the 13th century, the fort was captured by the crusading Brothers of the Sword — and recaptured by Estonians. In 1224 the fort was besieged and conquered for one last time by the Teutonic crusaders. Subsequently, Dorpat became a commercial center of considerable importance during the later Middle Ages and the capital of the semi-independent Bishopric of Dorpat.

German merchants and artisans settled alongside the bishop's fortress. In the 1280s Dorpat joined the Hanseatic League.

In 1558, tsar Ivan the Terrible invaded Tartu beginning the Livonian War. His forces encircled the town. After a heavy bombardment, the town surrendered. In 1582, the city became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1598. A Jesuit grammar school "Gymnasium Dorpatense" was established in 1583.

In the effect of the Polish-Swedish War, in 1625 Tartu was captured by Sweden. The city became part of the Dominions of Sweden, which led to the foundation of the University of Tartu in 1632 by king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. So the University of Tartu is Estonia´s oldest and still most renowned university

In 1704 the town was taken by the Russian army. In 1708 the fortifications and houses, including the remains of the bishop's castle, were blown up, all movable property was looted and the citizens deported to Russia. In 1721, the city became part of the Russian Empire and was known as Derpt. A great fire in 1775 destroyed most of the buildings in the center. The city was rebuilt along Late Baroque and Neoclassical lines.

During the second half of the 19th century, Tartu was the cultural center for Estonians in the era of Romantic nationalism. The city hosted Estonia's first song festival in 1869.

The "Dormition Cathedral" is a cathedral of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.

Already in the 13th century, a Dominican convent was located on the site of the present church. In 1752 the cornerstone of a new church was laid by orders of Peter the Great. It was finished and consecrated in 1754. However, by 1762 the church became unsafe and in 1771 a church was built close by until renovations were made. In 1775 both churches were destroyed by fire.

A new church was built in 1776 - 1782. It was consecrated in 1783. The church building was built in a cruciform plan however in 1840 the church was given an octagonal base and a large domed roof. The church became a cathedral in 2009 and serves as the seat of the Orthodox Bishop of Tartu.

The small shop in the foreground is named "NUKUMAJA", referring to Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" (Nukumaja in the Estonian language), This was a shop specialized in dolls. It is closed and looks given up.