Founded in 1632 by Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, the University of Tartu is one of the oldest universities in northern Europe and the intellectual center of Estonia. The main building on Ülikooli Street, built in 1809 in Classicist style, opens to visitors who can see the university art museum, the library, the restored 18th-century lecture hall, and the famous Student Lock-Up in the attic.
The university has shaped Estonian intellectual and cultural life since independence. Estonian-language scholarship was largely developed here, and the university's press published much of the early Estonian-language literature. Walk the length of Ülikooli Street — the university buildings, cafés, and bookshops along it give the best sense of what makes Tartu different from Tallinn.