Estonian Open Air Museum
The Estonian Open Air Museum offers visitors a glimpse at 18th and 19th century rural life, and while the exhibits themselves aren't particularly engaging, the idyllic natural setting makes for a lovely afternoon walk. Located by the bay in Tallinn's Rocca al Mare neighborhood, the outdoor museum not only provides the ideal layout in which to experience its re-creation of Estonian villages, but also functions as a park where people can picnic by the sea (that is, if they pay the price of museum admission). A total of 74 buildings built over the past 200 years have been uprooted, brought to Tallinn, and arranged in the park according to original geographic location. Chapels, barn-dwellings, and windmills make for an authentic (if repetitive—there is little variation among the buildings' appearances) trip back in time.
It may be more worth your while to head here when the museum is hosting an event, which they do often. These include folk dancing performances and demonstrations of 19th century activities like smithing and breadmaking (the latter is more culturally significant than it sounds—Estonians love their brown bread). Tourists who visit Tallinn during winter for its famous Christmas market may want to check out Rocca al Mare's popular alternative, when the historic villages come alive with traditional decorations, choral singing, and sleigh rides.
-Roxie Pell
The Estonian Open Air Museum offers visitors a glimpse at 18th and 19th century rural life, and while the exhibits themselves aren't particularly engaging, the idyllic natural setting makes for a lovely afternoon walk. Located by the bay in Tallinn's Rocca al Mare neighborhood, the outdoor museum not only provides the ideal layout in which to experience its re-creation of Estonian villages, but also functions as a park where people can picnic by the sea (that is, if they pay the price of museum admission). A total of 74 buildings built over the past 200 years have been uprooted, brought to Tallinn, and arranged in the park according to original geographic location. Chapels, barn-dwellings, and windmills make for an authentic (if repetitive—there is little variation among the buildings' appearances) trip back in time.
It may be more worth your while to head here when the museum is hosting an event, which they do often. These include folk dancing performances and demonstrations of 19th century activities like smithing and breadmaking (the latter is more culturally significant than it sounds—Estonians love their brown bread). Tourists who visit Tallinn during winter for its famous Christmas market may want to check out Rocca al Mare's popular alternative, when the historic villages come alive with traditional decorations, choral singing, and sleigh rides.
-Roxie Pell
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