Viru Square was a square

Town square

A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...

 in the center of Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. It existed as a square until 2002 when the construction of Viru Centre began. Currently there's only a roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 and an official "street name" left of the former open area. The roundabout is the intersection of three main streets of Tallinn: Pärnu maantee (Pärnu

Pärnu

Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...

 Road), Narva maantee (Narva

Narva

Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...

 Road), Mere puistee (Sea Avenue); and two smaller: Viru tänav and Vana-Viru tänav (Old-Viru Street). Also all of the four tram lines of Tallinn go through the roundabout.

Names of square during the history

• Until 1939 - Russian market . Also known as lice market
• 1939-1940 - Viru Square.
• 1940-1960 Stalin Square (During the German occupation (1941–1944)‎ ).
• 1960-1970 Centre Square .
• 1970-... - renamed Viru Square

Buildings around Viru Square

• Viru hotel (1972), Viru Square 4
• Café Amigo
• Viru Centre, Viru väljak 4/6
• Viru Centre bus terminal, Viru väljak 6
• Fire Station, Vana-Viru street 14
• Tammsaare park - named after Estonian writer Anton Hansen Tammsaare
  Anton Hansen Tammsaare
  Anton Hansen Tammsaare , born Anton Hansen, was an Estonian writer whose pentalogy Truth and Justice is considered one of the major works of Estonian literature and "The Estonian Novel"....
  
  

External links

• Linda Järve. Viru väljak neelab 1,7 miljardit krooni. Õhtuleht, 23. aprill 1999
• Võim ja väljak. Arhitektuuriajaloolane Karin Hallas kirjutab võimusuhete klaarimisest Tallinna väljakutel. Eesti Ekspress Online: Areen, 23. märts 2000
• Jüri Muttika. Tallinna kaks südant. Eesti Ekspress, 04. mai 2006