Lennusadam

About the museum

Lennusadam was built as part of Peter the Great’s Naval Fortress; construction began in July 1916. The reinforced-concrete seaplane hangar, designed by the Danish firm Christiani & Nielsen, was the world’s first reinforced-concrete shell structure without supports of its size. Construction was halted in August 1917, and a planned second hangar was never completed.

The building was also used as a seaplane base during the Republic of Estonia; after 1940 it was a Soviet naval base. From 2004 the Estonian Maritime Museum began bringing its ships to the harbour, and after the building was restored the museum opened on 11 May 2012. The conversion and the museum won international awards, including the Europa Nostra Grand Prix in 2013.

The central object of the exhibition, which covers more than 5,000 m², is the submarine Lembit, launched in 1936 and Estonia’s only surviving submarine. The exhibition has more than 200 life-size exhibits, including a life-size replica of the British seaplane Short 184. On the quay lie the icebreaker Suur Tõll (1914) and other museum ships.

Highlights

• Submarine Lembit (1936), Estonia’s only surviving submarine
• Icebreaker Suur Tõll (1914) and patrol boat Valvas, which visitors can board
• Life-size replica of the British seaplane Short 184
• More than 200 life-size exhibits in an exhibition of over 5,000 m²
• Museum ships at the quay: Grif, Mare, Maru, Suurop, Torm and Kalev

Permanent exhibitions

• Allveelaev Lembit – Launched in 1936, the submarine is the museum’s central exhibit and one of the few pre-war submarines preserved in almost original form; the exhibition was built around it.
• Jäämurdja Suur Tõll – The icebreaker, built in 1914 in Stettin (today Szczecin), can be visited: see the officers’ mess, the captain’s cabin, the crew quarters, the engine and boiler rooms, and a historical exhibition on the years the ship spent under different flags.
• Muuseumi välialalaevad – On the quay of Lennusadam lie the museum ships Suur Tõll and Valvas, which visitors can board, and the ships Grif, Mare, Maru, Suurop, Torm and Kalev, which can be viewed.

Founded

2012

Operated by

SA Eesti Meremuuseum

Admission & discounts

Also free, on presentation of proof: persons who were repressed, members of the Estonian Defence Forces and conscripts, certified guides of the Estonian Maritime Museum, Estonian museum staff, holders of ICOM, press, Tallinn Card, museum card, MM card and WFTGA Cultour Card, teachers accompanying museum lessons (one adult per six pre-school children or ten school children), bus drivers accompanying groups (up to two), members of the Estonian Deep-Sea Captains’ Club, and members of the Young Eagles and Girl Guides in uniform or with a membership card. The price list applies from 1 January 2026.

Accessibility

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

About 90% of the museum is accessible by wheelchair and pushchair. Two lifts connect the floors: one to the right of the ticket desk, opposite the staircase, and another in the exhibition area by the stern of the submarine Lembit. The submarine Lembit, the naval corner and some guns on the 2nd floor cannot be reached by lift, and wheelchairs and pushchairs cannot get onto Lembit or the icebreaker Suur Tõll. The accessible toilet (with a changing table) is on the 1st floor at the far left of the ticket area. Disabled parking spaces are in the car park on the right side of the building; parking must be registered on the interactive screen in the vestibule or at the cloakroom. Six tactile floor plans, tactile guide lines, tactile exhibits and models; seven Estonian Sign Language video stories on the 2nd-floor bridge. Induction loop amplifiers are at the ticket desk and in most sound and video systems. An audio guide with audio description can be borrowed from the ticket desk. The exhibition is dim and echoing; the entrance gate scanner is about one metre high and there is a very low step before the gate. The café terrace has two steps. A wheelchair can be requested at the ticket desk.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum received the title “The Most Family-Friendly Museum” in 2012. Family Sundays (free with a museum ticket) have featured a theatre and magic show, a sea rescue exhibition and climbing. Museum lessons are offered for kindergartens and schools, as well as children’s birthday parties and city summer camps. The Reval Cafe has a children’s corner; the accessible toilet has a changing table, and a pushchair can be left in the cloakroom.

Getting there & parking

By car from Põhja puiestee towards Kalasadam, turn right, then left onto Kalaranna street and continue straight for about 1 km; the museum is on the right. Taxis stop in front of the museum building. The bicycle parking is in front of the museum, and cycle paths run along Kalaranna street.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

The Reval Cafe serves breakfast, a main menu, pastries and daily specials, and has a children’s corner. The museum shop sells maritime souvenirs; an e-shop is also available. The unattended cloakroom is to the right of the ticket desk, beside the stairs, with lockers next to it.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 1,500 guests.

Inside, the venue holds up to 1,500 guests for a standing reception, up to 800 for a banquet and up to 800 for a concert or performance. Outdoors, events with several thousand participants can be held. Private events start after the museum closes. The deck of the Suur Tõll holds up to 100 guests and the officers’ mess up to 20. Enquiries: events@meremuuseum.ee.

Plan your visit