Page 77 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

T ALLINN 75

1684, the church was badly
damaged in a fire that swept
Toompea and had to be sub-
stantially reconstructed. Today,
the church remains at the very
heart of Estonian Lutheranism.

a Museum of
Occupations
Okupatsioonide muuseum
Exterior of the 19th-century Knights’ House, now a venue for concerts
Toompea 8. Map 1 B3. Tel 668 0250.
v 3, 4. Open 10am–6pm daily. &
8 call in advance. 7 - = which occasion ally hosted and now houses a five-floor
concerts, is currently closed to museum devoted to Tallinn’s
∑ okupatsioon.ee
the public. history. The highlights include
This comprehensive museum medieval artillery and a
provides a look at life in Estonia plague doctor’s protective
under both the Nazi and Soviet d Kiek-in-de-Kök uniform.
occupations. The fascinating Komandandi 2. Map 1 B3. Tel 644
exhibits include examples 6686. v 3, 4. Open Mar–Oct:
of bureaucratic paperwork, 10:30am– 6pm Tue–Sun; Nov–Feb: f Adamson-Eric
gut-wrenching accounts 10am–5:30pm Tue–Sun. & 8 call Museum
of mass deportation and 644 6686 for a guided group tour of Lühike jalg 3. Map 1 C3. Tel 644 5838.
execution, as well as posterart secret tunnels under the bastion. = v 3, 4. Open May–Sep: 11am–6pm
propaganda, which was an ∑ linnamuuseum.ee Tue–Sun; Oct–Apr: 11am–6pm Wed–
essential weapon for the Sun. & 8 group tours of 10–35; call
occupying forces. One of the strongest cannon in advance. ^ allowed only with out
The open-space museum towers in 16th-century the flash. = ∑ adamson-eric.ee
remembers the countless Northern Europe, Kiek-in-de-
victims of the occupations, Kök was built in 1475 as Located in a medieval house
and its symbolic location Toompea’s main bas tion. on a narrow stairway con-
at the foot of Toompea adds The tower stands 38 m necting the Old Town
a certain poignancy. It was (125 ft) tall and its with Toompea, the
partly founded by Kistler-Ritso, walls are 4 m (13 ft) Adamson-Eric
an Estonian World War II thick. The curious Museum is a branch
refugee to the United States. Low German name of the Art Museum
He donated 2 million dollars means “to peek into of Estonia.
to the museum, the largest the kitchen”, Adamson-Eric (1902–
private donation in suggesting that 68) is one of the key
Estonian history. soldiers had a good Painted porcelain plate, figures of 20th-century
vantage point over Adamson-Eric Museum Estonian art. His
the enemy. Some, idiosyn cratic and
s Knights’ House however, believe that they diverse body of work spanned
Rüütelkonna hoone literally peeked into people’s several decades and influenced
kitchens. The tower fell into countless artists after him.
Kiriku plats 1. Map 1 B2. v 3, 4.
disuse in the mid-18th century The Tartu-born artist was
Built in 1848, the Knights’ primarily a painter, but also
House originally served as a worked with ceramics, metal
meeting place for the knight- forms, jewellery and leather,
hood, an influential segment among other media. Although
of the Toompea gentry. It was he held several prominent
home to the Foreign Ministry positions in various Soviet art
during the first independent committees during the latter part
republic, which lasted from of his life, he was thrown out of
1920 to 1940. During Soviet the Communist Party in 1949 and
times, the building housed the forced into fac tory work for four
Estonian National Library. years. After suffering a stroke in
It temporarily accommodated 1955 and losing the use of his
the main collection of the right hand, he taught himself
Art Museum of Estonia before to paint using his left hand.
it moved to its new permanent The collection on display was
home in the Kumu Art Museum Bitter Death, a cannon replica displayed in donated to the Art Museum of
(see p80). The building, Kiek-in-de-Kök Estonia by the artist’s widow.