Estonian Maritime Museum (Tallinn)

The Estonian Maritime Museum was founded in 1935 and celebrates the nation’s rich seafaring and shipbuilding heritage. It is housed in the grand surroundings of the amusingly titled Fat Margaret tower, part of Tallinn’s original medieval fortifications. It offers a fascinating journey through maritime history in the Baltic region, concentrating heavily on the wartime and Soviet eras. It is jam packed with maritime artefacts and equipment salvaged from shipwrecks in the area and even for self-confessed land lubbers there is much of interest. It makes for an interesting distraction during Tallinn weekend breaks, especially for inquisitive older children.

 

The exhibits are ranged over four floors and include several complete vessels in the nearby harbour, such as the Suur Toll, an ice breaker built in 1914, coastguard and navy patrol boats and the jewel in the collection, which is the Lembit, a British built pre-war submarine. On cheap city breaks in Tallinn, you can view numerous items such as navigation charts, armaments and personal effects, all well displayed with accompanying English text. Located in the adjoining former gunpowder depot is the Tallinn Mine Museum which is home to a curious collection of sea mines salvaged from the Baltic Sea, all thankfully decommissioned.    

 

On summer city breaks in Tallinn, you should make a day of it during the Tallinn Maritime Days annual festival, which celebrates a long and illustrious heritage of sailing, fishing and naval history here. You can enjoy seafaring demonstrations, a yachting regatta and various music and dance performances over a three day period. The Estonian maritime museum is a world leader in the field of underwater archaeology and is currently salvaging a number of wartime wrecks in the area. Those on short breaks in Tallinn are bound to enjoy many more fascinating exhibits in the near future.