- Address: Pikk 70, 10133 Tallinn, Estonia;
- Website: meremuuseum.ee;
- Phone: +372 641 1408;
- Working hours: every day from 10:00 to 19:00.
The Estonian Maritime Museum is located in Tallinn and is housed in the old armory of Tolstaya Margarita. A rich collection of interesting exhibits makes the museum the largest on the sea theme in Estonia. Visitors can get acquainted with the history of Estonian navigation and fishing from the beginning of their foundation.
Who founded the museum?
Estonia, as a country surrounded by water, has a rich marine history, which the director of the Estonian Waterways in 1934 wanted to present in the form of museum exhibits. In December, a decree was signed, according to which they began to collect the collection. The cultural and educational institution was assigned a large role, so a room was chosen for it in the center of Tallinn. The Maritime Museum arrived there until the Second World War. During the tragic events the building was destroyed. When it was restored it was decided to give it to the passenger port, now there is a D-terminal here.
What is interesting about the Estonian Maritime Museum?
After the first building of the Estonian Maritime Museum was destroyed, his collection wandered from town to town. Despite this, the expositions did not go bankrupt, but instead acquired new valuable items. And already in a richer team we returned back to the "Meremuuseum".
The Maritime Museum received the present place in 1961, when the Ministry of Culture of the ESSR, by its decree, moved it to the former weapons tower Tolstaya Margarita. Over time, the exposition increased and the museum began to occupy not one, but four floors of the tower.
Visitors can get acquainted with navigational instruments of different times, inventory of fishermen and more interesting items:
- old photos;
- items raised from the bottom (parts of ships, personal belongings of sailors and fishermen, etc.);
- original historical documents;
- ancient sea charts, etc.
But the most famous exposition is devoted to the largest marine catastrophe in the Baltic in peacetime - this is the collapse of the ferry "Estonia". It sank in 1994, next to Sweden. Visitors can see the exact layout of the sunken ship and see photos that tell about the ship and its passengers. They also help guests of the museum to more accurately imagine how the crash happened.
Near the museum there is a monument "Interrupted Line", which is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the tragedy.
How to get there?
Not far from the museum is the public transport stop "Linnahall", which is on the way of several routes:
- bus - №3, 21, 21В, 41, 41В, 52 and 73;
- tram - number 2.