The Most Important Buildings in Lai Street in Tallinn
create a link between the monastery of St Michael's female Cistercians (founded in 1294) and
St Olaf's church. Previous names of the street also refer to it: Susterstrate 1361; Platea
sororum 1364-1380; 1606 Süsterstrasse and Schwestergasse, all of which include the concept
of a nun or a sister.
After the Reformation, the monastery was eliminated and in 1631 a gymnasium was founded
in its rooms, but the street name remained in the form of Süsterstrasse and Cisternstrasse. It
was not until the 18th century that the name Lai also started to appear. In 1872, when the
street names were being fixed, Lai remained the sole name of the street.
4
1 Lai Street / 4 Nunne Street
A good example of Neo-Renaissance and early Art Nouveau styles combined is Lai Street 1,
the present Youth and Puppet Theatre, erected at the beginning of the 20th century as the
Nobility Club.
The three-storey building replaces two medieval properties. In 1784 an amateur theatre began
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