Hotel viru and kgb museum viru valjak 4, 10111 tallinn, estonia rated 4. Viru kgb museum, tallinn dark tourism the guide to dark. Tartu city museum branches open to visitors from may 19th during regular hours. Kgb used to play a big role in hotel virus and generally estonias history. But you cannot see burnt tanks and ruinous buildings here. The name comes from the name of the tower commander at that time, hinse meghe, and was later adapted into maiden tower in english. The most interesitng thing about the tour is you realise how little tallinn wants to talk about the time when they were ruled by the soviets. To limit the spread of the coronavirus, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. The kgb museum tallinn possibly the worst museum in. Okupatsioonide muuseum in tallinn, estonia, is located at the corner of toompea st. Since 1984 when kgb chief yuri andropov became chairman of the communist party and decided to improve the kgb s public image tourists have been able to visit a kgb museum in a gray stone building behind the lubyanka. Apr 30, 2017 thinking of visiting the kgb museum in the veru hotel in tallinn estonia. The museum of occupations and freedom fights lithuanian.
Please consult government travel advisories before. The museum is situated in the former kgb building, where the crimes of the soviet regime were planned and executed for fifty years. Theres nothing there, and other lies the kgb told us. Museum of occupations and freedom fights wikipedia. Historians visiting tallinn have several opportunities to catch a glimpse into estonias communist past. Many a visitor has mistaken this place for a giant mosque. Of course you are its in the top 5 places to go in tallinn according to tripadvisor as of making this video in april. Genocido auku muziejus, in vilnius, lithuania was established in 1992 by order of the minister of culture and education and the president of the lithuanian union of political prisoners and deportees. The prison in the basement of the building is as intact as it was in 1991 when the kgb left. Occupation museum tallinn dark tourism the guide to.
Det ar inte bara historian om forhallandet mellan ett hotell och kgb. Available films can also be viewed on a large screen in the museum cinema hall. A modern museum in the heart of tallinn that focuses on the periods in history that most estonians would rather forget about, in particular the nearly five decades as part of the soviet union. The historical demonstrative hall of the fsb of russia is located in the central part of moscow in the building of fsb, former kgb. Viru, opened in springsummer 1972, went immediately down in history as the first skyscraper in estonia and the most prestigious hotel in the region. Viru hotel kgb museum things to do in tallinn likealocal. Not so much a museum as such but a guided tour through the somewhat museum ized parts of the viru hotel in tallinn where the kgb used to operate its surveillance technology to listen into guests conversations and so on. Aret var 1972, med mindre an 20 ar kvar till slutet av sovjettiden. All of them provide a tantalising but incomplete glimpse into estonias very recent and repressive past but few instil the same level of fear and intimidation as the former kgb headquarters.
The material you find on this blog all comes from authentic tallinn tourist guides produced and released between 1935 to 1991. Kgb museum tour welcome to the world where an hour spent makes the two parallel worlds of the soviet time understood and tangible. The kgb museum is on the 23rd secret floor of the estonian hotel viru. The museum of the occupation of latvia the kgb building. Sokos hotel viru viru valjak 4, tallinn 10111, estonia. Museum of genocide victims established ten years ago is already interesting for the foreign visitors and for, lithuanians, it reminds about our tragic history and losses museum is unique because it is the only one of its kind in the baltic states that is established in the former kgb headquarters. During the soviet era the hotel viru was the only hotel in tallinn where international tourists were allowed to stay and the hotel should show them how perfect life in. In front of the building you will find a small square covered in bright flower arrangements that in 2007 became the epicentre of the riots spurred by the removal of a controversial soviet war memorial, the socalled bronze soldier.
Today there are 19 cells in the kgb prison in the basement plus the guards rooms, the search rooms, some torture cells and a courtyard for prisoner exercise. Kgb museum the chekist hall of the kgb of the ussr. Elizabeth newcamp is a floridabased homeschooling mother of three boys ages 7, 5 and 3. Kgb teater kohvik muuseum lootsi 8, 10151 tallinn, estonia rated 4. View all attractions near kgb museum on tripadvisor. There are many remnants of the soviet era still present in and around tallinn. Hotel viru and kgb museum there once was a hotel that came to be named the viru.
It is associated with numerous legends and ghost stories. Vabamu museum of occupations and freedom wikipedia. This museum tells the story of more than just one hotel and the kgb. The hotel for foreigners also had to suit the national security body kgb.
We visited this museum, paying a little bit expensive tickets. By the resolution of the government of the republic of lithuania, dated march 24, 1997, the rights of the founder of museum were taken over by the research centre of genocide and resistance of lithuanian population. Viru kgb museum, tallinn dark tourism the guide to. The historical demonstrative hall of the fsb of russia is located in the central part. Kgb lubyanka headquarters russia soviet intelligence agencies. The tour is a very tongueincheek, even sarcastic, and certainly entertaining affair that tries to provide an insight into the soviet era without making it too gloomy. The kgb museum tallinn possibly the worst museum in the. In one of the main streets in tallinn, that is, in viru valjak str. Withing the walls of this building, suspected enemies of the.
The tallinn collector introduce you to the history of tallinn tourism during the soviet union through pictures and texts. These are simply kgb faces on the streets of a beautiful city. During most of this time the country was known as the. Okupaciju ir laisves kovu muziejus, previously the museum of genocide victims lithuanian. This museum is a must to understand how awesomely the kgb tried to protect soviet estonia meaning totally oppress its citizens. From early independence, to the establishment of the estonian soviet socialist republic in 1940s. The permanent exposition of the occupations museum, which was opened in 2003, reflects developments in estonia from 1940 to 1991, when estonia was alternately occupied by the soviet union.
The viru hotel, open in 1972, is full of various stories stories about the hotel itself, soviet society and the development of estonia. Kgb directors from lavrentiya beriya to yuriy andropov had their office on the third floor of the building. During the soviet era the hotel viru was the only hotel in tallinn where international tourists were allowed to stay and the hotel should show them how perfect life in the soviet union was. Hotel viru kgb museum tallinn, estonia attractions lonely. Kgb museum, vilnius, lithuania travel photos by galen r. Plan to visit kgb museum during your tallinn vacation using our convenient tallinn driving holiday planner. Please mind the hidden bugs what a world when tourism picked up in estonia in the 1970s, the kgb finally had the perfect way to monitor foreigners and. The country needed hotels suitable for foreigners, and these hotels had to accommodate kgb as well. The kgb museum is a shrine of the stories about two worlds one world, which existed mainly on paper, where all the citizens were happy and friends with each other, and lived without any troubles, being led by the wise and the only party. Kgb museum tallinn 2020 all you need to know before. The museum of the occupation of latvia together with the latvian institute offers a virtual tour of the corner house the former kgb headquarters in riga. Occupation museum tallinn dark tourism the guide to dark. Tutustu paikasta kgb museum kirjoitettuihin arvosteluihin ja ammattilaisten ottamiin seka matkailijoiden aitoihin kuviin. For an interesting and fun history lesson join one of the groups leaving between 10am and 5.
The year was 1972 and a little less than 20 years remained until the end of the soviet era. Visit kgb museum on your trip to tallinn or estonia inspirock. The museum, which can only hold 25 people at a time, occupies a hotel room that began to be used. Copy link the hotel viru 1972 was not only estonias first skyscraper, but literally the only place for tourists to stay in tallinn at the time. Kgb museum the chekist hall of the kgb of the ussr opened in 1984 the hall was created for professional training and educating of the state security services employees. Jul 31, 2014 please mind the hidden bugs what a world when tourism picked up in estonia in the 1970s, the kgb finally had the perfect way to monitor foreigners and locals. The hotel viru 1972 was not only estonias first skyscraper, but literally the only place for tourists to stay in tallinn at the time. Having all the foreigners in one place made it much easier to keep tabs on them and the locals they. Over the years, viru has become one of the most wellknown symbols of tallinn and estonia for visitors from both east and west.
Those intrigued by the citys secret history can take the guided tour of the kgb museum on the 23rd floor of sokos hotel viru. Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary. Viru valjak 4, 10111 tallinn, estonia sales service. The bright part of the kgb museum is the photo exposition prague 1968 in the eyes of kgb officer. Visit kgb museum on your trip to tallinn or estonia.
The museum rooms can be rented for seminars, receptions, presentations, etc. Lubyanka kgb headquarters lubyanka square in downtown moscow is the site of the site of the lubyanka headquarters of the kgb. The former kgb headquarters on pikk street have welcomed visitors for several years now, and the kgb museum, on the top floor of the hotel viru on viru valjak, opened early in 2011. The following is a story outlining walkers spy ring from the june 2010 issue of u. The building of viru was a sensation in the construction history of tallinn as well as the soviet union at the time. Hotel viru kgb museum tallinn, estonia attractions. The upper floors are kgb offices, but the ground floors are used for conferences and a clubroom for retired kgb offices. The year was 1972, and there were still two decades or so until the fall of communism and the collapse of the soviet union. The owners of the newlyopened hotel viru were intourist, the soviet unions foreign tourism office, and the foreign tourism office of the estonian ssr. There is also a great deal of nsc attributes sbor narodni. The museum offers guided tours of the basement prison cells and an exhibition about the history of kgb activities in latvia during the soviet occupation.
Not so much of a museum but the guided tour tells an interesting story of the hotel and of how the kgb spied on international tourists. Not so much a museum as such but a guided tour through the somewhat museumized parts of the viru hotel in tallinn where the kgb used to operate its surveillance technology to listen into guests conversations and so on. Seaplane harbourlennusadam, estonian maritime museum, tallinn, estonia duration. It was opened on july 1, 2003, and is dedicated to the 19401991 period in the history of estonia, when the country was occupied by the soviet union, then nazi germany, and then again by the soviet union. Though comparatively small in size, its compact exhibition is excellent, rich in intriguing artefacts and an absolute mustsee for any dark tourist visiting this corner of the world. Kgb lubyanka headquarters russia soviet intelligence.
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