Estonian Open Air Museum (Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum, EVM). Tallinn, Estonia

This picturesque museum just 15 minutes drive from the center of Tallinn reveals how families of different incomes and occupations lived in Estonia in the 18-20th centuries.

Its large territory embraces buildings that used to be in every village: a church, a tavern, a school, windmills, a shop, a barn. Here, you can get an idea of the life and routine of both the poorest strata of the population and its wealthy representatives.

There is a collective farm apartment building where villagers’ apartments are furnished in the style of the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s and 2010s. Attention to details is breathtaking to the point that you can find products of those times in the refrigerator and appropriate clothes in the closet. Kolkhoz apartment building won the best Estonian Museum Exhibit award in 2021!

This is an interactive museum. You can enter the buildings, where the “owners” in themed costumes are waiting for you to give you a tour. You can participate in workshops and events that are often held at the museum. If you want to immerse yourself even deeper in the life of those times, take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage across the vast territory of the museum.

The local tavern with Estonian national dishes, Kolu inn, is worth a special mention. We highly recommend taking the national Estonian dish Mulgipuder – crushed potatoes with barley served with fried onions and pork belly, or roasted meat whose serving size will pleasantly surprise you. For dessert, be sure to try the traditional kama mousse. Accompany your meal with the local herbal tea or carbonated apple juice.

On October 21th a new exhibition center for families and children will open. It will compare the life of a child in the past with the life of a child today and explore what we can learn from the way of life in the past. In the spring, a new adventure trail for children will be opened. More information: evm.ee

On holidays, you may come here to enjoy tiny local markets, workshops, concerts and various festivities. Just follow upcoming events in social media not to miss a thing:
www.instagram.com/eestivabaohumuuseum
www.facebook.com/EestiVabaohumuuseum

Tallinn, Estonia