| Art |
Open |
 |
|
Adamson-Eric Museum
Lühike jalg 3 Map
Phone: +372 644 5838 · Fax: +372 644 5837
adamson-eric@ekm.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 11-18
|
|
One of the most versatile Estonian artists of the 20th century, Adamson-Eric (1902-1968), worked in a number of disciplines ranging from oil paints to furniture design. His creations, displayed in this medieval-merchant-house-turned-museum, include bright oil paintings, cave paintings on teapots, inventive jewellery and a variety of other items. The originality and power of his work makes it seem fresh, even today.
Price: 30 EEK / 10 EEK / 30 EEK
|
|
Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design
Lai 17 Map
Phone: +372 627 4600
+372 627 4611 · Fax: +372 627 4601
info@etdm.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 11-18
|
Housed in the old granary, itself a remarkable Old Town structure, the museum shows off the country’s most impressive works of applied art from the early 1900s to today. Estonia’s artists have developed a tradition of producing fantastic, often dreamlike creations in glass, ceramics, textile, leather, metalwork and jewellery. Temporary exhibitions on the ground floor put the spotlight on newer ideas. Price: 40 EEK
|
|
Estonian Theatre and Music Museum
Müürivahe 12 Map
Phone: +372 644 6407 · Fax: +372 641 8166
info@tmm.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sat 10-18
|
You don’t have to have an ear for Bach to appreciate the curiosities on display in the Theatre and Music Museum. They range from crude birch horns and archaic Estonian stringed instruments to antique harpsichords, violins, organs and pianos. The hand-cranked, 19th-century music machines - some with moving figures on top - are particularly intriguing. Price: 25 EEK / 10 EEK
|
|
Kadriorg Palace - Kadriorg Art Museum
A. Weizenbergi 37 Map
Phone: +372 606 6400 · Fax: +372 606 6401
kadriorg@ekm.ee · Webpage |
1.01-30.04 Wed-Sun 10-17;
1.05-30.09 Tue-Sun 10-17;
1.10-31.12 Wed-Sun 10-17
|
A trip to Tallinn isn’t a trip to Tallinn without a visit to this magnificent northern baroque palace, built by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine I, in 1718.
Designed by Italian architect Niccolo Michetti, the grandiose palace and surrounding manicured gardens are a humbling example of Tsarist extravagance, but just as important a reason to visit is that this is also home to the foreign art collection of the Art Museum of Estonia.
The Kadriorg Art Museum displays hundreds of 16th- to 20th-century paintings by Western and Russian artists, as well as prints, sculptures and other works.
While here, don't miss the decadent, two-storey main hall, with its elaborately painted ceiling and stucco work, or the room used as an office by Estonia's head of state before the nearby Presidential Palace was built. Price: 65 EEK / 30 EEK / 85 EEK
|
|
Kumu Art Museum - 2008 European Museum of the Year Award
A. Weizenbergi 34/ Valge 1 Map
Phone: +372 602 6000 · Fax: +372 602 6002
muuseum@ekm.ee · Webpage |
1.01-30.04 Wed-Sun 11-18;
1.05-30.09 Tue-Sun 11-18;
1.10-31.12 Wed-Sun 11-18
|
Opened in 2006, the Kumu is the impressive new main building of the Art Museum of Estonia, and it’s naturally a magnet for every visitor interested Estonian culture. The immense, hightech facility serves as both a national gallery, displaying the classics of Estonian art, and a contemporary art museum, showing off the latest trends.
The 2008 European Museum of the Year Award was given to Kumu Art Museum.
The European Museum of the Year Award is organised by the European Museum Forum that is operating under the auspices of the Council of Europe. Price: 85 EEK / 40 EEK
|
|
Mikkel Museum
A. Weizenbergi 28 Map
Phone: +372 606 6400 · Fax: +372 606 6401
muuseum@ekm.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-17
|
|
Anyone visiting the Kadriorg Palace should also consider dropping into the Mikkel Museum, just over the road. Donated by a private collector, Johannes Mikkel, in 1994, the museum’s works now make up one of Tallinn’s most impressive displays of foreign art. Items here include alluring antique Chinese porcelain, Flemish and Dutch paintings and Italian engravings.
Price: 35 EEK / 10 EEK / 15 EEK
| 1
|
|
|
Museum of Estonian Architecture
Ahtri 2 Map
Phone: +372 625 7000 · Fax: +372 625 7003
arhitektuurimuuseum@arhitektuurimuusem.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 11-18
|
The Rotermann’s Salt Storage, one of the grandest limestone structures in the Rotermann district, is the ideal place for a museum dedicated to architecture. Its permanent exhibition presents Estonian architectural development through the ages as well as a scale model of central Tallinn, while temporary exhibits focus on various architectural movements. Price: 45 EEK / 25 EEK
|
|
St. Nicholas´ Church
Niguliste 3 Map
Phone: +372 631 4330 · Fax: +372 631 4327
niguliste@ekm.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-17
|
Saints, dancing skeletons and silver – not to mention the occasional organ concert – are the main attractions at this imposing, 13th-century church.
Founded by German merchant/settlers from the island of Gotland sometime around 1230, the sturdy church was designed to double as a fortress in the days before the town wall was built. The building survived the reformationist looting of 1523, but wasn't so lucky in the 20th Century when it was destroyed by World War II bombs.
Since its restoration in the 1980s St. Nicholas' has functioned as a museum specializing in works of religious art, most famously Bernt Notke's beautiful but spooky painting Danse Macabre (Dance with Death). Exquisite altarpieces, baroque chandeliers and medieval burial slabs are also on display, while the Silver Chamber is home to stunning works by members of town's craft guilds.
The building's acoustics also make it a prime concert venue, with organ or choir performances held here most weekends. Price: 50 EEK / 20 EEK / 45 EEK
|
| History |
Open |
|
|
Dominican Monastery Claustrum
Müürivahe 33 Map
Phone: +372 511 2536
info.mauritanum@mail.ee · Webpage |
1.06-31.08 Mon-Sun 10.30-17.00
|
The inner chambers of the Dominican Monastery (see above) once included three wings, together called the Claustrum, of which the east wing still remains. It consists of a monks’ dormitory, library, refectory, prior’s living quarters and other rooms, all of which provide an interesting view into the lives of medieval monks. Visitors shouldn’t miss the mysterious “Energy Pillar” in the cellar, thought to be a source of physical and spiritual health.
Free with Tallinn Card.
Price: 90 EEK / 30 EEK
|
|
Dominican Monastery Museum
Vene 16 Map
Phone: +372 644 4606
+372 515 5489 · Fax: +372 644 4606
info@kloostri.ee · Webpage |
|
You won't be blamed for imagining you can hear monks chanting as you wander through the corridors of St. Catherine’s Monastery. Established in 1246, this is Tallinn’s oldest intact building.
Nowadays it operates as a museum, open during summer months and at other times by pre-arranged tour. Its beautiful courtyard, which is accessed through the courtyard of the adjacent Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, is one of the most captivating spots in all of the Baltics. While here, you’ll see some surrounding stonelined halls where Dominican monks once walked. These ancient passages now display fascinating examples of medieval stonemasonry.
To see the inner rooms, visit the Dominican Monastery Claustrum on Müürivahe street. |
|
Eesti Pank Museum
Estonia pst 11 Map
Phone: +372 668 0760
muuseum@epbe.ee · Webpage |
Wed, Thu, Fri 12-17, Sat 11-16 |
|
This modern museum housed underneath Estonia's central bank focuses on the history of the nation's monetary system. Examples of just about every kind of banknote and coin used on Estonian territory from Tsarist times to the 21st century can be found here, along with displays documenting the story of the Bank of Estonia itself. Sorry, no free samples are available, but commemorative coins and coin sets are on sale at the entrance. Free entrance.
|
|
Estonian History Museum - Maarjamäe Palace
Pirita tee 56 Map
Phone: +372 622 8600 · Fax: +372 622 8601
maarjamagi@eam.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-17
|
|
Maarjamäe Palace is now home to a large-scale exhibition devoted to the Republic of Estonia. It tells the story of the birth, development, occupation and regained independence of the republic. A variety of objects, documents and stories highlight Estonians' desire for freedom and self-determination throughout the 20th century.
Price: 45 EEK / 15 EEK
|
|
Estonian Open Air Museum
Vabaõhumuuseumi tee 12 Map
Phone: +372 654 9100 · Fax: +372 654 9127
evm@evm.ee · Webpage |
23.04-28.09 Mon-Sun 10-20
29.09-22.04 Mon-Sun 10-17 |
|
This museum lets you travel back in time to the rural Estonia of old. The vast, forested park is filled with thatched, 18-20th-century farm buildings, windmills, a wooden chapel and a village school, with staff demonstrating how people lived and worked in times past. Visitors can buy handicrafts and try out the traditional food served in the village tavern. Free audioguide rental with Tallinn Card, to be returned before musem closing time. Price 200 EEK TC 0 EEK, offer is not valid with 6h card.
Price: Winter 50 EEK / Summer 95 EEK / Winter 20 EEK / Summer 45 EEK / Winter 50 EEK / Summer 150 EEK
|
|
Hidden Tunnels under Toompea Bastions
Komandandi tee 2 Map
Phone: +372 644 6686
kok@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Mon-Sun 10.00-17.00
Closed: 18.1-18.2.2010
|
Like any respectable Medieval town, Tallinn has its share of underground passageways, particularly the defensive tunnel systems built in the 1600s during the time of Swedish rule.
Back then attack was a constant worry, so city planners constructed high bastion walls around the outside of the fortified city. They also installed tunnels under the base of the walls so they could safely move soldiers and ammunition to where they were needed, not to mention spy on the enemy.
Some tunnels were forgotten. As late as 2003, workers digging a foundation near the Occupation Museum found a pentagonal system of limestone-lined tunnels dating to the end of the 17th century.
Other tunnels have always been well known, in particular the ones that run underneath Harju Hill and Linda Hill at the edge of Toompea, which are now open for tours. These were built in the 1670s, renovated into bomb shelters in time for World War II, and further modernized during the Soviet period to add electricity, running water, ventilation and phones. Most of the Soviet-era equipment has since been cleared out or stolen, but a couple of iron bunk-bed racks and other signs of the period remain.
Regular guided tours: Wed; Sat 12 (English); 15 (Russian).
Other times tours can be booked at the Kiek in de Kök Museum by prior arrangement. Visitors will see some old, limestone staircases and other chambers that have been fairly untouched since the tunnels were built.
Price: 90 EEK / 50 EEK / 180 EEK
|
|
Kiek in de Kök
Komandandi tee 2 Map
Phone: +372 644 6686
kok@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
1.03-30.04 Tue-Sun 10:30-17
1.05-31.10 Tue-Sun 10.30-18
1.11-31.12 Tue-Sun 10:30-17
|
Opens in March 2010!
The name of this massive, 38m-high cannon tower literally means “Peek into the Kitchen.” It was so high that Medieval guards joked they could see right down the chimneys and into the kitchens of the houses below.
Kiek in de Kök was originally built in the 1470s, but quickly expanded and strengthened, giving it walls that were 4m thick. The investment paid off: During the Livonian war in the late 1500s, Ivan the Terrible's forces managed to blow a huge hole through the top storey, but the tower held. During post-war repairs, a row of four cannon balls was placed in the newly patched stone wall as a memorial. You can still see them on the tower's southeast side.
The tower now appropriately houses a museum that tracks the development of the town and its military history from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Lower floors are used for temporary photographic art exhibitions. Price: 70 EEK / 40 EEK / 140 EEK
|
|
Museum of Occupations
Toompea 8 Map
Phone: +372 668 0250 · Fax: +372 668 0251
muuseum@okupatsioon.ee · Webpage |
Tue-Sun 11-18
|
|
This modern museum is the first in the nation dedicated to the 1939 - 1991 time period, during which Estonia was occupied briefly by the Germans, and for a longer time by the Soviet Union. Audio-visual displays, photos and sound recordings highlight the events of the era, repression and popular resistance, as well as showing how ordinary people coped with the day-to-day realities of this difficult period.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK
|
|
Nõmme Museum
Jaama 18 Map
Phone: +372 670 0202
nomme.muuseum@tallinnlv.ee |
Tue-Fri 10-17
Sat 10-16
|
|
Before Nõmme became a district of Tallinn in 1940, it was a town in its own right, mainly catering to wealthier families who used it to escape the noise and pollution of the city. The museum, housed in Nõmme's railroad station, tracks the history of Nõmme and provides insight into small town life through photos and numerous household items from the first four decades of the 20th century.
Price: 10 EEK
|
|
Peter the Great´s Cottage
Mäekalda 2 Map
Phone: +372 601 3136
peetri@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
1.01-30.04 Wed-Sun 11-16.00;
1.05-31.08 Tue-Sun 11-19.00;
1.09-31.12 Wed-Sun 11-16.00
|
|
During his visits to Tallinn in the early 18th century, Russian Tsar Peter the Great lived in this humble cottage in Kadriorg Park. The house is now a museum, and its few rooms are furnished with items from that era. Some of the Tsar's own personal belongings are also on display here.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK / 60 EEK
|
|
St. John the Baptist´ Almshouse
Väike-Pääsukese St (near the Radisson BLU Hotel) Map
Phone: +372 5671 3541
+372 644 6553
seek@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
1.05-31.10 Wed-Sun 10.30-15.00
|
For a vivid example of the history of altruism and charity in Tallinn – or at least a close look at some unearthed graves – visit St. John the Baptist’s Almshouse Museum, the newest branch of the Tallinn City Museum.
Located a half-kilometre outside the Old Town, this charitable institution was active in various incarnations from 1237 right up to the 1960s.
In 2004 a museum-pavilion was set up over its ruins. Here you can see archaeological findings from its excavated cellars and cemetery. Texts and multimedia programs show the history of the almshouse as well as that of the surrounding neighbourhood. Price: 20 EEK / 7 EEK / 30 EEK
|
|
Tallinn City Museum
Vene 17 Map
Phone: +372 644 6553 · Fax: +372 644 1574
info@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
1.01-28.02, 1.11-31.12 Wed-Mon 10.30-17.00;
1.03-31.10 Wed-Mon 10.30-18.00
Closed: 25.01-9.02.2010
|
|
Tallinn’s most modern and best-presented historical museum introduces all the vital aspects of the city’s past and its development. Various sectors of medieval society are explained using a combination of texts, artefacts, life-sized models and sound effects. High-quality displays on the upper floors are devoted to 20th-century life, its turbulent wars, Soviet occupation, and finally Estonian independence. Free Audioguide rental with Tallinn Card
Price: 50 EEK / 30 EEK
|
|
Town Prison - Museum of Photography
Raekoja 4 Map
Phone: +372 644 8767
foto@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Closed 18.01-14.02.2010
1.01-28.02 Thu-Tue 10.30-17.00;
1.03-31.10 Thu-Tue 10.30-18.00;
1.11-31.12 Thu-Tue 10.30-17.00
|
|
Housed in a 15th-century building that used to serve as the Town Council’s prison, Tallinn’s Museum of Photography traces the history of the art, which came to Tallinn a little more than 150 years ago. A large collection of antique cameras is on display, as are numerous photos and even a re-created early 20th-century darkroom.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK / 60 EEK
|
| Natural Science |
Open |
|
|
AHHAA Science Centre
Vabaduse väljak, Kaarli pst
2B Map
Phone: +372 666 0066
tallinn@ahhaa.ee · Webpage |
Mon-Sun 10-20
Closed 13-16.01.2010 |
A whole world of adventure and discovery opens up at this modern activity centre that aims to make science fun for the whole family. Here you can try your hand at a number of interactive displays and take entertaining quizzes. Don't miss the amazing '4-D cinema', where films come alive with added sensory effects (for extra cost).
Price: 80 EEK / 70 EEK
|
|
Discovery Centre Energy
Põhja pst 29 Map
Phone: +372 715 2650
info@energiakeskus.ee · Webpage |
Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 12-17
|
|
Science is made fun in this family-oriented, hands-on science centre located in a former power station. Interactive see-and-do displays on electricity, optics and other branches of physics fill all three floors of the vast museum. In addition, you may order gripping science and space shows.
Price: 40 EEK / 25 EEK
| 15%
1m |
|
|
Estonian Health Care Museum
Lai 30 Map
Phone: +372 641 1732 · Fax: +372 641 1732
thm@hot.ee · Webpage |
Tue-Sat 11-18
|
|
This museum was set up to teach physiology and health to Tallinn’s schoolchildren, so naturally a visit here provides an interesting peek into the major organs of the human body. Models and interactive displays show kids how our vital systems work. Another part of the museum for older children covers topics like reproduction and narcotics, with dauntingly graphic photos of what can happen when a venereal disease goes unchecked.
Price: 40 EEK / 15 EEK / 50 EEK
|
|
Estonian Museum of Natural History
Lai 29A Map
Phone: +372 641 1739
muuseum@loodusmuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-17
|
|
Just about every living thing that can be found in the Estonian outdoors, from mushrooms to moose, is on display at the museum. In addition to wolf, lynx, bear and other forest creatures, birds and marine mammals are exhibited, as is the museum’s pride and joy, a 2.9 metre Atlantic sturgeon, the largest fish ever caught in the Baltic Sea.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK / 50 EEK
|
| Literature |
Open |
|
|
A. H. Tammsaare Museum
L. Koidula 12A Map
Phone: +372 601 3232 · Fax: +372 601 3181
tammsaare@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Mon 10-17
Closed 01.01.-17.01.2010
|
|
Anton Hansen-Tammsaare (1878-1940) is considered to be the greatest Estonian writer of the 20th century. His most famous work is the five-part epic, Truth and Justice, which covers all strata of Estonian society. The museum chronicles his life and work, but just as interesting is the apartment, painstakingly restored to its 1930s original, where the writer lived the last eight years of his life.
Price: 30 EEK
|
|
Eduard Vilde Museum
Roheline aas 3 Map
Phone: +372 601 3181 · Fax: +372 601 3181
vilde@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Mon 11-18 |
|
One of Estonia’s principle writers, Eduard Vilde (1865-1933), spent his last years living on the ground floor of this grandiose 1850sera baroque house in Kadriorg park. Several of the rooms are dedicated to displays on the writer’s work, while the rest are kept furnished and decorated just as they would have been while the writer lived here from 1927 to 1933. The upper floor houses a gallery with frequently changing contemporary art exhibits.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK
|
| Nautical |
Open |
|
|
Estonian Maritime Museum
Pikk 70 Map
Phone: +372 641 1408 · Fax: +372 641 1414
info@meremuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-18
|
|
The museum focuses on the all-important sea-faring aspect of Estonia’s history, displaying such things as Neolithic fishing gear, antique diving equipment, and even the entire wheelhouse from a 1950s-era trawler. The extensive museum covers four floors of the historic Fat Margaret cannon tower, but take the stairs to the roof for a picture-postcard view of the harbour and the Old Town.
Price: 50 EEK / 25 EEK / 50 EEK
|
|
Estonian Maritime Museum vessels in the old seaplane harbour
Küti 15a Map
Phone: 641 1408 · Webpage |
Wed-Sun 10-18
|
|
The Estonian Maritime Museum’s ships are a must-see for history buffs, old sea hands and landlubbers alike. Launched in 1936, the submarine Lembit is a fascinating pre-war relic, while the Suur Tõll, dating to 1914, is Europe’s biggest preserved steam-powered icebreaker. In the harbour you can also visit the minesweeper Kalev and the patrol craft Grif.
Price: 80 EEK / 30 EEK
|
| Other |
Open |
|
|
Children´s Museum
Kotzebue 16 Map
Phone: +372 641 3491
laste@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
1.01-28.02 Wed-Sun 10.30-17.00;
1.03-31.10 Wed-Sun 10.30-18.00;
1.11-31.12 Wed-Sun 10.30-17.00
Closed: 1.-16.02.2010
|
|
If you’ve got children, or you’re a child at heart, you can’t pass up a visit to the Doll Museum. Just as the name implies, this little museum is home to all sorts of dolls, teddy bears and other toys, ranging from traditional folk dolls to the more familiar Teletubbies. The rarest item in the collection is a 250-year-old rococo fashion doll from Holland.
Price: 30 EEK / 15 EEK / 60 EEK
|
|
Miia-Milla-Manda Children`s Museum
L. Koidula 21C
Phone: +372 601 7057
mmmm@linnamuuseum.ee · Webpage |
Tue-Sun 12-18 |
Those visiting Kadriorg with children in tow will definitely want to put this new museum on their to-do list. Built in a 1930s-era recreational centre, Miia-Milla-Manda offers fun, creative activities for 3- to 11-year-olds. It's first exhibits are based around the theme of friendship.
Price: 40 EEK / 25 EEK / 80 EEK
|
|
Tramway Museum
Pärnu mnt 89 Map
Phone: +37255513524 |
12:30 - 16:30 Thursdays only |
Museum presents photo materials and documents of trams lifeline in Tallinn over the 120 years. On display are old mechanisms and machinery, mementos, souvenirs and symbols.
For further information please call Uno Heinvere +372 5551 3524 |
