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

This picturesque museum just 15 minutes from the center of Tallinn is a place where the history of Estonia from different centuries comes together. Here, you will find wooden houses, windmills, a village school, an inn and a church as if stopped in time.

In the museum, you can literally walk through history: see how peasants lived in the 18th–20th centuries, what a shop looked like in 1938, sit at a desk in a 19th-century school, or look into an apartment building where the interiors of the 60s, 70s, 90s, and 2010s are recreated in the smallest detail — from clothes in the closet to food in the refrigerator. This exhibition was recognized as the best in the country in 2021.

The museum recently opened a new exhibition at the Sepa farm dedicated to the early years of Soviet collective farms, which is a rare and important part of recent history.

Families with children are especially recommended to take the Shepherd’s Adventure Trail, designed specifically for children aged 4+. During the walk, children can look into old houses, interact with exhibits, touch, smell, play and learn how people lived in the village many years ago. The route ends with a petting yard with domestic animals and an exhibition that clearly compares village life in past centuries with modern habits.

After the walk, it is worth stopping by the Kolu Inn with traditional dishes. Be sure to try the traditional Estonian mulgipuder porridge, which is included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. And if you would like to have a picnic, you may take along the “Shepherd’s Lunch”: sandwiches, fruit and a drink in a convenient bag.

In summer, folk dance performances are held here on weekend, every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00.

On June 23, the museum will celebrate Midsummer with songs, dances and the atmosphere of a real village festival.

Details and tickets: evm.ee

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Tallinn, Estonia