One of Tallinn’s most famous landmarks and the city’s tallest defence tower – the first artillery tower in our history, Kiek in de Kök – is once again open to visitors.

After almost a year of renovation, the tower has a new permanent exhibition telling the story of the city’s glorious defence history. The exhibition is entitled “A Fortress City, A Safe Haven”, and the section on the history of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads features their motto: “Victory or Death”.

Tallinn is the only Estonian city in history not to have been conquered or destroyed by enemy forces. The exhibition shows how the city, which prospered from the Hanseatic trade, invested in defensive structures, walls, and towers, and improved its fortifications as firearms and cannons replaced cold weapons. Massive earthworks, or bastion belts, were built around the city walls.

The exhibition looks at how the city maintained its defences, how it equipped itself with weapons, and how it resisted the Muscovites’ attempts to conquer it when they surrounded and bombarded it in the second half of the 16th century.

The new permanent exhibition also includes works of art depicting the city’s famous fortifications, which over time have been transformed into green spaces, parks, and homes for the citizens.

One of the most important and valuable exhibits in the Tower is the Epitaph of the Blackheads, which commemorates the fallen members of the Brotherhood in the defence of Tallinn. The work is also the oldest surviving image of Tallinn and a visual depiction of a historical battle.  The film shown on the wall allows the viewer to get involved by bringing the events to life.

In the new exhibition, the museum’s precious artifacts are protected by innovative, electricity-free showcases that maintain the right climate sustainably, preserving the city’s heritage for future generations.

The upper floors of Kiek in de Kök have views! The name of the tower – Kiek in de Kiek – originally meant that the tower guards had a high view of enemy positions. It was easy to see what the enemy forces were preparing in their ‘kitchen’ and what was being served to the townspeople. From high above, you can get a good view of the old town and also see details through the spyglass.

The two lower floors of the Kiek in de Kök house an exhibition about the Brotherhood of the Blackheads in Tallinn’s history. They were merchant journeymen who were the drivers of the city’s social life, but who also made a strong contribution to the defence of the city. They fought the enemy on the battlefield but later were also the founders and leaders of the city’s fire brigade.

Look at the pictures from the opening of the artillery tower. Photos: Vahur Lõhmus.