Niguliste muuseum

About the museum

The Church of St Nicholas was built in the mid-13th century in honour of St Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants and seafarers. The church was extended and rebuilt several times; in 1405–1420 the choir and nave acquired their largely surviving form, and at the end of the 15th century the chapel of St Matthew was rebuilt, later called the chapel of St Anthony. In the 1520s the church became a Lutheran parish church.

In 1943 the evacuation of the church’s art treasures began, but only some of the works could be saved. In March 1944 a fire following an air raid destroyed almost all the interior furnishings that remained in the church. Restoration began in 1953, and after almost thirty years of work the building opened in 1984 as a museum and concert hall, a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia.

The museum holds Estonia’s most valuable and largest collection of church art, and it is one of the few museums in Northern Europe located in a former sacred building. The main works are the high altar made in the workshop of Hermen Rode in Lübeck around 1478–1481 and the surviving part of the “Danse Macabre” from the workshop of Bernt Notke. The museum reopened after renovation on 11 March 2023; a glass lift takes visitors up the church tower, from which there are views of the Old Town and the bay.

Highlights

• High altar of the Niguliste church, made by the Hermen Rode workshop in Lübeck around 1478–1481
• Bernt Notke’s workshop “Danse Macabre” – a surviving 7.5-metre section
• Silver chamber with 16th–20th-century silverware and a seven-branched brass chandelier given in 1519
• Three Netherlandish altarpieces and more than a hundred gravestones and fragments
• Glass lift and restored tower staircase to the tower’s viewing platform

Permanent exhibitions

• Niguliste muuseumi püsiekspositsioon – Medieval and early modern church art: the high altar of the Hermen Rode workshop, Netherlandish altarpieces, Bernt Notke’s “Danse Macabre”, the silver chamber, epitaphs and gravestones. Many works are displayed in their original positions.
• Klaasliftiga Niguliste torni – A glass lift running through all three floors takes visitors up the historic church tower, from where there is a view of the medieval Old Town and the bay; between the floors you can move along the restored tower staircase.

Founded

1984

Operated by

Eesti Kunstimuuseum

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On the last Wednesday of the month the ticket costs €3 (family ticket €6). On 1 June (Children’s Day), children up to 18 years old, inclusive, enter free; this does not apply to pre-booked tours.

The full ticket is valid for one visit within one year of purchase. Proof is needed for reduced or free admission. On proof, free admission also applies to children from children’s homes, persons who were repressed and equivalent persons, museum staff, members of ICOMOS, ICOM, AICA and EstSEA, students of art history and fine arts, journalists (with press card), and holders of the Tallinn Card and WFTGA Cultour Card. Free admission does not apply to pre-booked tours and programmes. The Niguliste museum does not accept the museum card; the Art Museum of Estonia’s annual card can be used instead.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The main entrance has a ramp, but it is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs with low bases, tricycles or aids with heavy batteries; the door is a heavy historic door, and there are steps at the entrance. The ticket office, the cloakroom and the accessible toilet are on the basement level, to which a stair lift leads; a wheelchair user can reach the main exhibition hall without going down to the basement, with a portable ramp, and a member of staff helps when buying a ticket. The exhibition halls are accessible by wheelchair; a permanent ramp leads to the Antonius chapel (Danse Macabre), and a lift serves all four floors of the tower. The second floor of the small chapel is not accessible, and a low threshold must be crossed to enter the silver chamber. The museum’s wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge. Visitors who give advance notice may park free of charge in front of the building. Tactile guide lines lead to the ticket office, the shop, the toilets and the exhibition area; the tactile plan and model of the church are by the lift, and the lockers have tactile numbers. The audio guide can be borrowed free of charge and includes movement instructions and audio descriptions. Video tours in sign language of the main works can be borrowed on a tablet from the ticket office, and an induction loop amplifier is available for events and tours; sign-language tours cannot currently be ordered from the museum. For help with arrangements you can phone the security staff on +372 5191 6356.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

For independent exploration there are the activity book “Neitsi Maarja. Naine, ema, kuninganna” (The Virgin Mary: Woman, Mother, Queen), the reading book “Mina, Milda ja meister Michel” (Me, Milda and Master Michel), a pocket audio guide to medieval art and video instructions for creative tasks. Children’s summer camps are held during school holidays.

Getting there & parking

The museum is near Raekoja plats (Town Hall Square); it is about 350 m from Vabaduse väljak and Viru väljak, and about 650 m from Balti jaam. On Harju street there are steps near the museum, which can be avoided when approaching from Rüütli street. The bicycle parking is in front of the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

The ticket office, cloakroom, lockers and accessible toilet are on the basement level. The museum shop sells the museum’s publications and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The Art Museum of Estonia offers rooms for events also in the former Niguliste church; the conditions are presented on the events page.

Plan your visit