Toome Hill was a gift from Emperor Paul I to the University of Tartu – having previously been used by townsfolk to graze cattle.

Over hundreds of years, it had been the central point of the local population, later becoming the site of an episcopal castle – the heart of medieval Tartu. In the early decades of the 19th century, it was turned into a public park on the initiative of the university’s plantation committee, with alleys of trees, roads, and bridged gulleys. Along with the anatomical theatre, observatory, and clinic, it formed the intellectual focal point of Tartu.

There are several playgrounds and the park is accessible by a stroller.