Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum

About the museum

The Estonian Open Air Museum was founded on 22 May 1957 on the grounds of the former Rocca al Mare summer manor on the outskirts of Tallinn. The museum village has nearly 80 buildings from the last two centuries: farmyards from Western, Northern and Southern Estonia and from the islands, the Setu farmstead, and a dwelling of Russian Old Believers from the shore of Lake Peipus.

The farmsteads are arranged as they would typically be found in the landscape: farms of Western and Northern Estonia in a row village, island farms around a common village, and farms of Southern Estonia scattered. At the centre of each farmyard is a rehielamu (threshing-barn dwelling), typical of Estonia, which combines a hearth, a threshing floor and rooms under one roof. The village centre has a school, a chapel, an inn, a village shop and a fire station; on the shore there are windmills and net sheds.

The oldest exhibited building is the Sutlepa chapel from the parish of Noarootsi (1699); the newest is a kolkhoz apartment block opened in 2021. In winter only some of the buildings are open.

Highlights

• Nearly 80 buildings from Western, Northern and Southern Estonia and the islands
• Kolga barn-dwelling (1723), the museum’s oldest farm
• Sutlepa chapel from 1699
• Kolu inn: a 19th-century roadside inn serving Estonian home cooking
• Karjalaps adventure trail (Herd Boy) and the living Kolga farm for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Eesti Vabaõhumuuseumi püsiekspositsioon – Nearly 80 buildings by region: Western Estonia, Northern Estonia, Southern Estonia and the islands, plus the village centre and individual objects such as windmills, the chapel and net sheds.
• Talulapse maailm ja Kolga elav talu – The Karjalaps adventure trail, with ten stops, leads from the main gate to the living Kolga farm, where children can see animals, an interactive exhibition and farmyard activities.

Founded

1957

Operated by

SA Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum

Admission & discounts

Free admission: St George’s Day (23 April) and Michaelmas (29 September).

Also free: holders of ICOM, press and Estonian museum staff cards, and the Tallinn Card, and tour guides of groups. Annual passes: individual €60, family €85, reduced €50.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge from the ticket office. Accessible toilets are in the ticket building, at the Setu farm and at the Kolu inn. Guide dogs are permitted in the buildings too; other dogs only in the park and on a lead.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The Karjalaps adventure trail and the living Kolga farm with animals; a play area on the first floor of the kolkhoz apartment block; a children’s menu at the Kolu inn; playgrounds and an old-fashioned carousel. Nappy-changing tables are in the accessible toilets of the ticket building, the Setu farm and the Kolu inn.

Getting there & parking

By car along the Paldiski road, before the Rocca al Mare shopping centre turn right (sign “Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum”), then follow Vabaõhumuuseumi tee to the gate.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The Kolu inn serves Estonian home cooking and a children’s menu. The museum shop is in the ticket building; cold drinks and pastries are sold at the Lau village shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Events can be held at the Kolu inn and on the museum grounds, including family parties, team events, seminars and conferences.

Plan your visit