The Tallinn Town Hall is the symbol of the medieval Tallinn, the oldest parts of the building date to the beginning of the 14th century. Its present oultook dates back to the very beginning of the 15th century when both the interior and the exterior of the existing edifice were rebuild. Tallinn town council began its activity probably in 1230s, when a permanent settlement of traders and handicraftsmen was established in the area of the present-day down town. In 1248 Tallinn was granted the Lübeck law and during the next six centuries the town council was the most important institution in town.