Tallinn is very popular with Finns for a day trip. This Fall I went there with a bunch of my old colleagues and visited the KGB museum for the third time.
The museum can be found inside the Viru Hotel. Don’t expect to find a dusty museum with many rooms and artefacts in glass cases. No no. You will go up to the top of the hotel and discover a secret floor which Soviets claimed did not even exist. You will do this with a guide who will tell you many interesting stories – guided tours leave from the hotel lobby and you should book your tour in advance.
The hotel was built in 1972 by a Finnish construction company for the Soviet based travel agency Inturist. The purpose of the hotel was to house foreign guests visiting Tallinn – and of course to have a place to keep a watchful eye the visitors the whole time they were in the country. A secret KGB radio room was built where Soviet officials spied on guests and staff alike via concealed microphones and cameras. There was even a direct line to the KGB headquarters in Moscow.
When the Soviet Union fell – the officials hastily left the building, leaving things in array. Finnish hotel chain Sokos Hotels bought the hotel a few years later and cleverly left the top floor untouched for twenty years. Now these tours and flashbacks into Estonia’s past are extremely popular.
I am not going to recap the stories I’ve heard, as I hope you will be able to experience them yourself on this very tour. Estonia’s Soviet history is dark and has many tales to tell.
The Viru hotel balcony boasts great views over Tallinn.
It’s a pity that another interesting attraction in Tallinn I wrote about a while back – the Patarei Prison – has apparently been closed down as it turned out to be a safety hazard. It did seem quite dangerous when we visited, so I’m not really that surprised…
Have you visited the KGB museum? If you are going to visit Tallinn from Helsinki, check out my post on the ferries that can take you there.
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
The KGB Museum is very interesting, thank you for your post, now I definitely want to revisit! I was also very disappointed when I heard that Patarei Prison was going to be closed down. I found the place only a year ago and visited very briefly as we were in a hurry returning to the boat, I would have loved to revisit to explore the prison more thoroughly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great to hear you enjoyed this museum too! Too bad about Patarei, it won’t be the same if they renovate it but I am quite sure it was a health hazard. At least we managed to see it! 😊
LikeLike
You are right, some parts of Patarei were pretty wild but the same time very authentic, hard to believe that such a place was still in use just 10 years back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting, I had no idea! Although I do remember visiting Viru in the 1990’s right after Estonia had gained independence and it did feel very Soviet. I’ll have to add this to my next Tallinn day trip! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I vaguely remember that too. The department store that is now a modern Kaubamaja was so old fashioned to my eyes. You could not touch the goods unless you asked the lady behind the counter to show them to you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, and there was one line to select and get a ticket for the product you wanted to buy, another line to pay for it and then another one to pick it up…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I’d taken photos then!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You never know who’s watching…or listening. What an interesting post. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hehe yes the stories do resemble North Korea! But there it’s still happening.. 😨
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks fascinating – I would love to visit this place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tallinn has interesting stories to tell, that’s for sure! Thank you for reading Joy xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
So interesting Suvi, didn’t know anything about this but have been in the hotel lobby before, so thank you for posting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh they also have tours in English, so this is definitely something to consider next time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good post Suvi! I only learned of Tallinn from my recent Europe trip—but did fly over it. Would love to see this and the other old buildings there!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tallinn has a stunning Old Town. Full of tourists but so pretty! I hope you get to see it one day 😊
LikeLike