The Tallinn City Life Museum building at Vene Street 17 has been home to the Tallinn City Museum since 1965. After nearly a year of renovations, the museum — the original home of the Tallinn City Museum and now one of its seven branches — is reopening with new multi-storey exhibitions that explore the rich history of Tallinn’s social and cultural life.

The exhibitions offer a glimpse into the city’s past, from the angel investors and trade unions active more than half a millennium ago to the chronicles of everyday urban life.

A team of renowned historians has been involved in the creation of the new exhibitions. Heli Nurger, director of the Tallinn City Museum, says of the exhibition, “Through its most precious artefacts, the museum tells the story of Tallinn’s social culture. Some of Tallinn’s most valuable historical treasures are the art pieces of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, which have not been displayed on this scale for a long time.”

The Brotherhood of Blackheads: The Wealthy and Handsome

The second floor of the museum focuses specifically on the rich heritage of the Brotherhood of Blackheads in the Tallinn City Museum’s collections. This year, the brotherhood, first mentioned in 1400, celebrates its 625th anniversary as the oldest continuously operating organisation in Tallinn. This unique consistency and direct link with the Middle Ages allows us to trace the development of urban culture in all its richness based on the brotherhood.

The wealth of medieval cities was built on trade. As an organisation and a breeding ground for young merchants, the Brotherhood of Blackheads was the engine of innovation and development in Tallinn through the centuries, bringing new fashions and customs to Reval from overseas. The brotherhood also played a central role in the city’s social life, organising celebrations, games, dances and parades.

Throughout their long history, the Blackheads have been great role models in collective action and defenders of Tallinn, forming the city’s first volunteer fire brigade. For more information on the brotherhood’s conservation activities, visit the conservation history-themed exhibition in Kiek in de Kök.

The exhibition “The Wealthy and Handsome. The Brotherhood of Blackheads in Tallinn”, located on the second floor of the Tallinn City Life Museum, was curated by Pia Ehasalu, scientific director at the Tallinn City Museum, Anu Mänd, professor of art history at the University of Tartu, and Toomas Abiline, senior curator at the Tallinn City Museum. It was designed by OÜ Lumia and executed by OÜ Pult, with contributions from well-known Estonian actors. The result is a playful and interactive experience.

Lyndanise. Reval. Tallinn. City Life Through the Centuries

Opening on the fourth floor, the permanent exhibition “Lyndanise. Reval. Tallinn. City Life Through the Centuries”explores the legends of Tallinn and the different facets of city life – education, religion, industry and trade. What was the Tallinn city dwellers dreamed of? You can also see the plans that never came to fruition.

The story of Tallinn is told by two symbolic figures: the city’s patron saint, St Victor, and a boy from Kalamaja, who later grows up to become the well-known watchman Old Thomas. Among the treasures on display are the original Old Thomas and the gilded key to the city, the city council’s treasure chest, and the Dannebrog – a flag gifted to the city by Queen Margrethe II.

This exhibition’s project manager is the curator of collections, Maris Rosenthal, and it was produced by OÜ Pult.

Celebrating 60 years as a museum

The Tallinn City Life Museum building at Vene Street 17 has been home to the Tallinn City Museum since 1965. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the building operating as a museum, and to celebrate, the main exhibition floors have been renewed. The museum, which has been closed since 3 February 2025 for renovations, will reopen to visitors on 22 November 2025.The museum’s previous permanent exhibition, opened in 2001, was nominated for the European Museum Forum Award in 2003. The open repository of porcelain, ceramics, and metal objects, opened in 2015 in the basement of a medieval merchant’s house, received the Collector of the Year Award in the Estonian Museum Awards.

The total cost of the new exhibitions is around €900,000 and they were funded by the City of Tallinn. The exhibitions will remain open until the planned completion of the new Tallinn Open Collections building in 2030.

Opening week and educational activities

From  22–29 November, the Tallinn City Life Museum invites you to join guided tours to celebrate the opening week. During these tours, historians and guides will tell the story of Tallinn and introduce the new exhibitions.

Meanwhile, the museum’s Old Town tours and educational programmes have continued throughout the renovation period. Tours and lessons can be booked by email at .