Pikakose House Museum

Info Telefon: 56 457 839
Besucher-Email: pikakose@hot.ee

Estonian National War Museum

Fax.: 6 217 411

Info Telefon: 6 217 410
Besucher-Email: info@laidoner.ee
http://www.laidoner.ee...

Wed–Sat 11–17

The Estonian War Museum was officially founded on January 19, 1919 by the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian armed forces, General Johan Laidoner. It was the time of fierce battles of the Estonian War of Independence as just a few days before Tartu had been liberated and the future of the Republic of Estonia was by far not sure.

The idea to create a war museum came from the Chief of the Task Staff of the Estonian army, Major General Jaan Soots. His article titled “The Museum of the Estonian War of Independence” was published on February 18, 1919 in the newspaper “Postimees”, where he called for active participation to collect weaponry, flags, documents, books, war-time letters and description of battles in order to create an accurate history of the greatest war on Estonian territory.

Mr. Taavet Poska, private of the 6th infantry regiment, became the first manager and later executive of the museum. In 1921 some rooms of the 2nd floor of the Officers’ Casino in Vene Street were given to the museum. Mr. August Pulst had previously systematized some of the materials now given to the newly founded museum and when added the active work of Mr. Poska, the first modest exhibition was opened on February 24, 1922 (Independence Day). It should be noted that the leadership of the army took the general idea of the museum and the collecting of materials very seriously – materials were correctly preserved, numerous paintings were ordered (e.g. from Maximillian Maksolly, Jüri Riis, Voldemar Kangro-Pool, Peet Aren) and the funds allocated allowed the museum to purchase some items on its own. In addition Mr. Poska took trips to Berlin, Stockholm, Riga and Helsinki to acquire the needed know-how of creating a museum of military history.

In the 1930s the Museum of the Estonian War of Independence was renamed and became known as the War Museum. There were just two men working for the museum: director Poska and a typist. But cooperation with the War Archive and the History Committee of the Estonian War of Independence was good.

It soon became evident that the rooms allocated to the museum were too small for a larger exhibition. At the time there was a debate of creating an Independence memorial and the museum could be built next to it. A committee, headed by Major General Rudolf Reimann was founded, and on May 2, 1938 the Council of State Defence decided that 600,000 kroons could be allocated to establish the new museum. But the harsh future of Estonia changed these plans.

By 1940 there were approximately 10,000 various items in the museum, a few thousand of which were constantly displayed. The items included various weaponry, trophy flags taken from the Red Army, lay figures with original wartime uniforms, military maps and the furnishing of the cabinet of the Commander-in-Chief. Separate exhibitions were dedicated to the heroes of the War of Independence: to Anton Irv and Julius Kuperjanov.

When the Republic of Estonia was occupied in the summer of 1940 the War Museum had to leave its rooms in Vene Street. The museum’s assets were first moved to Kopli (to the so-called “red barracks”). Later they were brought back to the Old City – to the Kiek in de Kök Tower. The executive of the museum had to accept the property of the disbanded Defence League and of the former Estonian armed forces (flags, award trophies, memorial items, etc) as well. On December 29, 1940 the ESSR Peoples’ Commissar for Education decided that the War Museum would be closed down on January 1, 1941 and its collections handed over to the Museum of History and Revolution. However, on June 24, 1941 many items of the collection were instead given to the Red Army to be used on the front: 12 machine guns, 50 rifles, 35 pistols, 26 sabres and ammunition. In addition the museum was also broken into and when inspected in September 1941, a third of the original collection was missing.

When the German army left Tallinn in 1944 it was forced to leave much of its equipment behind. Museum’s staff got the permission from the Command of the Leningrad Military District to collect some of it for future exhibitions. But it later only gave the soviet security structures an excuse to inspect the museum and arrest its staff.

At the end of 1945 the new staff of the museum organized stocktaking of the museum’s collections. Besides the control of persistency, items of “fascist origin” were filtered out and were supposed to be destroyed. However, it is not certain, how accurately this order was carried out.

In 1948 the museum was again broken into and in the beginning of the 1950s documented “eliminating process” began. An act dating from April 18, 1950 documents that 398 paintings and graphic sheets in addition to 168 sculptures were destroyed. Such tasks were continued throughout 1951 when other paintings, sculptures, uniforms, decorations, flags, etc were destroyed.

Besides direct destruction many items were also handed over to other state bodies – to archives, the Library of the Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Art. The Drama Theatre received 235 uniforms of the Estonian army and the police.

 

Viimsi Museums

Fax.: 6 066 941

Info Telefon: 6 066 941
Besucher-Email: muuseum@viimsivald.ee
http://www.viimsimuuseumid.ee...

1.6.–31.8. Every day 11–18,
1.9.- 31.5. Wed–Sun 11–18 h.

Museum of The Rebala Heritage Reserve

Fax.: 6 033 097

Info Telefon: 6 033 097
Besucher-Email: merle.kusma@mail.ee
http://www.rebala.ee...

1.9.-30.4. Mon–Fri 9–17 ,
1.5. –31.8. Mon–Fri 9–17, Sat 9–14

"Rebala Heritage Reserve is an ancient cultural ground rich in heritage. Over 300 ancient landmarks, mostly stone cross graves and altar-stones, but also medieval sanctuaries, fields and estates are located on the area of 74 km².
An abandoned phosphorite mine characterizes recent human activities. Its location in the vicinity of open stone cross graves from the iron age provokes intriguing thoughts.
In Jöelähtme, the heart of the Rebala Heritage Reserve, is the centre of the conservation area – a museum, where prehistoric burial traditions are introduced, reflecting the world-view and everyday life of our ancestors.
To illustrate all this for a modern visitor, an open grave with the “deceased” and the buried artefacts have been reconstructed. The museum also displays bronze age clothing and jewellery, a miniature of local ancient settlements and teaches how to make fire with a steel.
A permanent burying ground with 36 renovated stone cross graves is located next to the museum. ” (Estonian Museums)

Places of interest:

Kostivere karst region
Jõelähtme Post Station (18th cent.)
Manorhouses
Rebala village
Waterfall of Jägala
Jägala Stronghold
Jõelähtme church
Stone barrows in Jõelähtme and museum of the reserve
Over 100 Cupstones allover the Reserve!

Picture: Cupstone.
The ritual of wearing cup-marks on stones was quite widespread in the first millennium BC, and was connected with fertility rituals. The reserve's biggest cup-marked stone towers some 3.5 metres in height in the paddock beyond Kostivere village.

 

Tooman Farm Museum

Fax.: 6 033 097

Info Telefon: 6 033 097
Besucher-Email: merle.kusma@mail.ee
http://www.rebala.ee...

1.9.-30.4. Mon–Fri 9–17 ,
1.5. –31.8. Mon–Fri 9–17, Sat 9–14 h

"Rebala Heritage Reserve is an ancient cultural ground rich in heritage. Over 300 ancient landmarks, mostly stone cross graves and altar-stones, but also medieval sanctuaries, fields and estates are located on the area of 74 km².
An abandoned phosphorite mine characterizes recent human activities. Its location in the vicinity of open stone cross graves from the iron age provokes intriguing thoughts.
In Jöelähtme, the heart of the Rebala Heritage Reserve, is the centre of the conservation area – a museum, where prehistoric burial traditions are introduced, reflecting the world-view and everyday life of our ancestors.
To illustrate all this for a modern visitor, an open grave with the “deceased” and the buried artefacts have been reconstructed. The museum also displays bronze age clothing and jewellery, a miniature of local ancient settlements and teaches how to make fire with a steel.
A permanent burying ground with 36 renovated stone cross graves is located next to the museum. ” (Estonian Museums)

An abundant number of ancient burial grounds - referred to as kangur (cairn-grave by the local people - have been preserved intact throughout history. There is usually only one, or several in a group, but they can always be identified by a hump on the ground.

Sites that have been excavated and then reconstructed by archaeologists have much greater appeal to a stray passer-by. The burial site at Jõelähtme is just one of these - unique in Europe - to have emerged in 1982-1984 during salvafe escavations.

It dates back to the Bronze Age (8th-7th century BC). The Tallinn-Narva road was being constructed when the builders stumbled upon 36 stone-cist graves which later, after having been explored, were so to say "lifted" to the side of the new road in accordance with the original plan. Currently, there is a museum next to the conservation area where the findings are on display.

There were few finds from the coffins. Objects like a bronze shaving knife and pincers put into coffins were most typical to Jutland toward the end of the Bronze Age. Evidently also the spindles found from the barrows originate from Danish territories.

The dead have been buried in centrally-placed sarcophagi with their heads pointing to the north and their eyes gazing at the life giving Sun. The sarcophagi were encircled in limestone walls as if embodying the world model of the man of that time : the man is the centre of the circle, able only to seize the unatainable horizon of the world with his gaze.

 

Kolga Museum

Info Telefon: 6 077 584

Kose Uuemöisa Local Popular Arts Museum

Info Telefon: 6 077 584

Viinistu Art Museum

Fax.: 51 57 270

Info Telefon: 6 086 422
Besucher-Email: viinistukunstimuuseum@hot.ee
http://www.viinistukunst.ee...

6.–31.08. Every day 11–18,
1.9.–31.5. Wed–Sun 11–18 h.

Estonian Liberation Movement Museum

Fax.: 6 766 197

Info Telefon: 6 766 197
Besucher-Email: evvml@hot.ee

Every day 9–19

"The museum gives a survey of Estonian Liberation War, the development of the Estonian Armed Forces and the Defence League during the first independence of Estonia, Estonians in World War II, partisan movement and post war resistance movement. An independent exposition is made up of Estonian maritime history in the 20th century. ” (Estonian Museums)

 

Beer Museum and Pub of the Saku Brewery

Tel.: +372 6 508 338

Info Telefon: 6 508 400
Besucher-Email: saku@pruul.ee
http://www.saku.ee...