From Viking burial ships to extreme sports, one of Estonia's 250 museums is bound to have an exhibit to pique your interest. This season try heading outside of Tallinn to check out some fascinating new exhibits.
For foodies:
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Learn about the history of tea inside the impressive Narva Castle or head over to Tartu for a tipple at the newly renovated Beer World museum at the A. Le Coq brewery.
For families:
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Check out the new interactive exhibit on extreme sports at the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum in Tartu or Hiuumaa Museum's exhibit on childhood in the Long House—kids will love the playroom!
For art fans:
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Narva Art Residency hosts rotating contemporary exhibitions in a historicist villa originally built for the director of the Kreenholm Textile Factory.
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The Kondas Centre in Viljandi has six exhibition halls displaying a constantly changing selection of work by Estonian and international artists.
Tartu
Beer World (formerly A. Le Coq Beer Museum)
The first A. Le Coq beer museum opened in 2003 on the premises of the A. Le Coq brewery. The museum has recently been renovated, and the new upgraded museum—now known as Beer World—opened on April 22nd, 2022. All visits end at the pub where guests can sample a wide range of A. Le Coq beverages.
Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum
The museum's newest exhibit "The X-Factor" provides visitors with an overview of extreme sports and their connection to Estonia. Kids and the young-at-heart love the many hands-on exhibits. Try out a rally simulator, the interactive basketball corner, or a VR experience with legendary sports stars.
The Estonian National Museum
Until October 2nd, 2022, the Estonian National Museum will host a temporary art exhibit presenting works by the most important Estonian painters from the first half of the twentieth century. "Beauty of Colours: Golden Age of Estonian Art from the End Kunila Collection" presents landscapes, portraits, and still life paintings with particularly distinct use of color.
Narva
Narva Castle
At the temporary exhibition "Let's do tea!" guests can learn about the history of tea, European and Asian tea drinking traditions, and view exhibits related to drinking tea from the collections of the Narva Museum. The exhibition runs until November 25, 2022.
Narva Art Residency
Narva Art Residency (NART) is a cultural platform dedicated to facilitating residencies, art exhibitions, talks, and educational workshops. The upcoming exhibition "Where is the body?" brings together students from the painting departments of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the Estonian Academy of Arts. The exhibit runs from May 5th to June 8th, 2022.
Viljandi
The Kondas Centre
This museum houses a collection of paintings by Paul Kondas, one of the best known Estonian naive artists. The Centre has six exhibition halls displaying a constantly changing selection of work by Estonian and international artists. The Kondas Centre also runs workshops for children and adults all year round.
Rüki Gallery
Rüki Gallery is an exhibition and sales gallery for contemporary art in Viljandi. The gallery is housed in a historic barn building. When renovating the building, an old sign reading "rüki jahu"—rye flour in Estonian—was uncovered, hence the gallery's unique name. Exhibitions run the gamut from paintings to photography, sculpture, installations, and other alternative art.
The Heimtali Museum of Domestic Life
Located in a village school building dating back to 1864, the Heimtali Museum of Domestic Life features examples of Estonian handicrafts and home furnishings. Kids will love the playroom filled with knit hand puppets in the shapes of pigs, cats, and other friendly animals!
The Islands
Kuressaare Castle
The Saaremaa Museum's exhibition "Vikings before Vikings" in Kuressaare Castle opens on May 21st and runs until the end of 2022. The exhibit displays the findings from the Salme ship burials. Visitors can see over 150 original grave goods found in the ships along with a video showing a reconstruction of what the area looked like 1300 years ago.
Thule Koda
The Alternative History Museum of Thule Koda explores the role of Saaremaa as the legendary Ultima Thule—the end of the world in Ancient Greece. Visitors experience the travels of Pytheas, the Greek explorer who supposedly visited Thule on his travels. The exhibits tend to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek rather than serious.
Hiiumaa Museum
The new permanent exhibition "Childhood" at the Long House of the Hiiumaa Museum explores the experiences of children in Estonia. It features a playroom where the smallest visitors can take on the role of mother or father and cook in the kitchen and take care of their dolls.
