- Address: Tallinn, Ahtri, 2 .;
- Work time: cf. - Fri. 11: 00-18: 00; Sat, Sun. 10: 00-18: 00. Weekend: Mon, Tue;
- Admission: The cost of the full ticket is 4 EUR, the preferential - 2 EUR, the family - 6 EUR .;
- Website: www.arhitektuurimuuseum.ee;
- Phone: (+372) 625 7000.
The Estonian Museum of Architecture is one of the most important cultural attractions of Tallinn . It presents expositions showing how the architecture of the capital developed throughout the 20th century, which will be very interesting for tourists.
History of the creation and location of the museum
The foundation date of the Estonian Architectural Museum is January 1, 1991. The purpose of its creation was to document the history and subsequent development of the architecture of Estonia. Exhibits, which are represented in it, belong to the period of the twentieth century. The museum has the status of a member of the International Confederation of Museums of Architecture ICAM.
The museum was not always in the building that it occupies now. At the very beginning of its activity, it was located in the Old Town on Kooli Street 7, under its exhibits were allocated the premises of the ancient Loewenschede tower.
In 1996, the Estonian Architectural Museum moved to a structure that it still occupies, it is called the Rotermanni salt warehouse. The grand opening of the museum and the access of its collections to the public took place on June 7, 1996.
The building of the salt warehouse is a grandiose building and is remarkable in itself, it is an outstanding example of Estonian architecture. It was built from a flagstone in 1908, as a basis for its construction was taken by the project of the Baltic-German engineer Ernst Boustest.
In 1995-1996, there was a reconstruction of the salt warehouse, which was designed by the architect Yulo Peili and the interior architect Taso Makhari. Until 2005, the building housed a hall for exhibitions of the Art Museum, but it moved down, and now only the exhibitions of the Estonian Museum of Architecture are represented there.
Estonian Museum of Architecture in our days
The Estonian Museum of Architecture regularly opens exhibitions to visit Estonians and tourists. Their total number exceeds 200, exhibits number about 10 thousand, they are represented in the following collections:
- 159 exhibitions of architecture and design;
- 41 exhibition of fine and applied art;
- exhibitions of theater, fashion and electronic art;
- international exhibitions, which are organized with the participation of other world-renowned museums;
- The mock-up of the central part of Tallinn deserves special attention, which rightfully can be called one of the most outstanding expositions of the museum;
- in the collections of the museum there are numerous maps of settlements, projects and models of buildings and entire districts of the capital of Estonia, articles describing how Estonian architecture developed from the early 20th century to the present day;
- to the oldest drawings are those designed in 1848 by St. Petersburg architect Georg Winterhalter, which depict the facade and interior of the Knights Chamber in Toompea ;
- a unique exhibit is the plan of the Greater Tallinn, which was created in 1913 by the famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen.
How to get there?
The Estonian Museum of Architecture is located in the central part of Tallinn on Ahtri Street, 2. It is convenient to get to it both from the airport and from the Old Town, it takes a maximum of 10 minutes. To get to the museum, you can take the bus route number 2.