Estonian National Museum

North of Tartun, the runway of the former Raadi Airfield appears to rise from the ground, revealing a gigantic, ultramodern building. What visitors see here is the main building of the Estonian National Museum (Eesti Rahva Muuseum), which opened in 2016. Founded in 1909 to house Jakob Hurt's ethnographic and folklore collection, the museum showcases the history, life, and traditions of the Estonian people and other Finno-Ugric peoples in Estonia. The museum opened in 1922 in Raadi Manor, the manor house where the Von Liphart family's collections were already housed. Between 1940 and 1991, most of the museum's cultural artifacts were hidden from the occupying forces. After regaining independence, the Estonian government launched a design competition for a new museum building in 2005. The French architectural trio Dan Dorell, Lina Ghotmeh, and Tsuyoshi Tane won the competition, and their design has been open to visitors since 2016. The museum is a highly interesting destination for anyone interested in learning more about Estonian (and Finno-Ugric) culture, folklore, and history. Thanks to the interactive information panels, this is also easily accessible for non-Estonians. Highly recommended!

A very great and technologically advanced place. The exhibitions are creative and interesting and well-detailed with a lot of informations that don't feel much and dry. Keep in mind, that you will need 2-3 hours here to fully explore the place, so visiting 1 hours before closing is not reccommended!!

The Estonia National Museum is a stunning destination that seamlessly integrates cutting-edge technology to create an immersive and interactive experience. Its extensive collection spans historical artifacts, cultural treasures, and modern innovations, providing a comprehensive journey through Estonia’s rich heritage. One of the museum’s most impressive features is its use of advanced digital technology. Visitors can engage with interactive touch screens, audiovisual displays, and digital guides to explore the context of each exhibit in detail. The museum also offers augmented reality (AR) features, bringing historical objects to life in fascinating ways. Beyond its technological appeal, the museum is thoughtfully designed with a modern and open layout, making it both comfortable and visitor-friendly. It beautifully balances the essence of traditional culture with a futuristic perspective, offering a harmonious blend of the past and the present. With its exceptional collection and innovative approach, the Estonia National Museum is an ideal destination for history enthusiasts, technology lovers, or anyone seeking a remarkable museum experience. Highly recommended! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We got tickets that are an interactive part of your visit, you can change the info posts to your own language with them, but sadly the big screens rarely worked and many of the games are only in estonian. All in all worth a visit, reserve at least 3h-4h if you want to go through everything.

Amazing experience, the best museum we have ever visited! Highly recommend! You will need a minimum of 4 hours to go round. Everything can be translated to English with your ticket. Very advanced technology, super easy to navigate and understand everything. Toilets/ wardrobe on site, cafe, gift shop. Honestly, what a gem!

Very nice natural museum. You can find interactive exhibitions there. It’s very educational, in both English and Estonia language.

The best museum I ever visited so far from 60+ countries. Everything is amazing about this museum, starting from the exterior design to the modern exhibitions inside. You get to learn all about the history of Estonia starting from the Ural tribes to the modern and digital country Estonia is today. It takes quite a few hours to visit if you wanna see everything, so start early. A must do in Tartu!

Update: After posting my negative review, I was quickly contacted by the venue. The invited me to come back, which I did. I revisited the main exhibition, spend about an hour there and found it to be very interesting. Tapping the ticket against all the info signs to get them into English was innovative. I am now of opinion that I can really recommend this place. First, I want to say that all staff I spoke to were approachable and friendly. I went today as part of the Estonian museum night, which means free entry. I immediately walked into a language barrier. There was very limited English translation available. I asked multiple members of staff if there was a guide/book or some QR code I missed, there was not. I read in other reviews that you can normally change the language with the ticket, that wasn’t possible tonight. Due to not being able to understand 2/3 of the exhibitions, I had a poor experience. I was really looking forward to this museum as it has quite the footprint. After tonight I probably wouldn’t recommend people to go here if you don’t speak the language.