University museums in a university town: University of Tartu Museums in the service of the local community

Abstract

University museums bring academic potential to bear on community development in culture, education and tourism. Tartu as the seat of Estonia’s oldest and only classical university provides an excellent example of this. Tartu is a town with a university that has for a number of centuries played an important part in shaping the face and identity of the entire nation. This article will discuss the role that the museums of the University of Tartu – the University History Museum, the Art Museum, and the Natural History Museum – play in the cultural and educational life of Tartu. The author will also touch upon the role of the museums as tourist attractions and support to the museums by both the municipal council and the university.