New and ongoing exhibitions in Estonia

There are 170 museums in Estonia.

Many have a constant rotation of temporary exhibitions in addition to their permanent exhibitions.

In this article, we provide a sampling of some of the "star exhibitions" and tips for planning your museum visits while you're in Estonia.

Insider tip #1

If you plan on visiting several exhibitions in Estonia during your stay, invest in a Museum Card. Valid for 12 months from the date it's first used, this card gives you access to over 100 museums around the country.

More intriguing exhibitions in Tallinn

10 April 2024 to 2 March 2025: The Estonian History Museum’s Maarjamäe Palace – "Inclusion or isolation? Multi-ethnic Estonia"

The exhibition invites you to consider Estonia's multiethnic history, the organization of diverse societies, and the rights of minorities. The main focus is on the historical periods of Jews and Baltic Germans who established their own cultural governance in Estonia.

11 May to 29 December 2024: Tallinn City Life Museum – "Dinner is served!"

This exhibition presents an overview of how Tallinn residents have celebrated their life’s milestones with family and friends and explores how table-setting customs have changed over the past century.

26 April 2024 to 30 April 2026: Kalamaja Museum – "Magical Realism of Kopli"

The atmosphere and history of the Kopli district come alive with artistic displays and historical photographs depicting everyday life and the area's unique identity. In May 2024, Kalamaja Museum received the Silletto Award of the European Museum of the Year Award, which recognises community participation and engagement.

Insider tip #2

The Visit Tallinn website has information about current exhibitions in the capital showcasing Estonia and the world's history, culture, art and science.

Top exhibitions in Tartu

17 February 2024 to 24 February 2025: "Who Claims the Night?" — The Estonian National Museum

This exhibit shines a light on city life at night. The exhibition ‘Who Claims the Night?’ explores how people have experienced the night in Estonian cities in the past and delves into the multitude of meanings of the contemporary night.

9 August 2024 to 2 February 2025: "The Secrets of the Leaning Building” — Tartu Art Museum

Interactive artworks made in collaboration between acclaimed artists and local children allow visitors to create their own art on the spot, invent new rules, and travel through the walls. Various spatial solutions unite the exhibition: in the Leaning Building, which is full of secrets, hidden windows have been opened, and new passages and nooks have been created, which visitors of all ages can discover. 

April to 29 December 2024: "Washing Machine Made of Beetroot: Resourcefulness in the City" — Tartu City Museum

Witness the creativity and resourcefulness that urban Soviet citizens had to possess. Deficits and conflicting needs made people creative and thrifty. The sub-exhibition is based on the recollections of native Tartu residents or people who have had connections to Tartu, whether for a shorter or longer period.

5 July to 31 December 2027: "Our Tartu" — Tartu City Museum

This exhibition showcases the residents of Tartu and its districts. Through 17 chapters, it introduces visitors to the kaleidoscopic nature of this charming city and conveys the unique feeling that makes each district and the whole of Tartu special. Each district has its own theme, and local residents share stories about their neighborhoods.

Insider tip #4

One Saturday evening in May each year, museums and other memory institutions in Estonia open their doors later than usual, at a symbolic price or even for free, to celebrate the pan-European Museum Night.

Insider tip #5

NOBA Art Guide is an international website that presents information about contemporary art exhibitions in different parts of Estonia. The website has a map and a city menu, which you can use to explore the exhibitions. 

Discover more exhibitions around Estonia

From 19 September 2024: "The Layered Narva" — Narva Castle

The exhibition will tell the stories of its residents through biographical fragments and unique exhibits, including the personal belongings of pre-war Narva residents.

Until 31 December 2025: "The Islanders of the Middle Ages" — Kuressaare Episcopal Castle

This exhibition places the viewer face-to-face with persons from the past. The entire exhibition is bound together by a belt chain running through different themes, a piece of jewelry unique to a medieval Saaremaa woman. You can see finds preserved in the ground and learn more about the medieval inhabitants of Saaremaa.

21 September 2024  to 5 January 2025: "Mart Org — An Artist With Three Home Shores" — Pärnu Museum

During the mass flight of 1944, an estimated 80,000 people left Estonia. Among them was 9-year-old Mart Org, who fled via Kihnu to Sweden with his mother Leida Org, his father Märt Org the timber merchant, and sister Mai. In 2016, the artist expressed his wish that his life's work would one day find a home in the Pärnu Museum art collection.