What to see and do at ENM in spring 2023?
Tuesday, 29. nov 2022
Welcome to Estonia’s best known and most attractive museum!*
Renowned for its unique architecture, the museum is open to visitors from Tuesday to Friday. In the period from February to April, we will open three new great exhibitions.
Permanent exhibitions
The ‘Echo of the Urals’ exhibition is dedicated to the indigenous Finno-Ugric peoples who have not become independent nations but who populate vast expanses of land along the northern edge of Eurasia, from Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea to the Taymyr Peninsula and the Yenisei River in Siberia.
Around a tenth of the museum’s Finno-Ugric collection is on display here. The exhibition focusses on both where these peoples live and the rituals for which they are known. The blue river running through the space unites all of the aspects of the exhibition. One recent visitor captured the essence of ‘Echo of the Urals’ in a single sentence: “The museum as a whole is modern and has lots to offer, with the Finno-Ugric exhibition being beautiful to look at – it’s almost like you’re winding your way through a fun fair.”
The ‘Encounters’ exhibition showcases the ordinary people who have lived in what is now Estonia throughout the ages. Covering more then 3700 m2, it takes visitors on a trip through time from the present day back to the Stone Age. Here you will find the first ever Estonian flag and reminders of the Cold War era, and learn about food culture in the country, traditional signing and Estonian sign language.
One of the coolest details of the museum’s permanent exhibitions is that museum tickets are smart: scan yours on any of the information screens and they will automatically switch to the language of your choice. (English being one of them, needless to say!) The smart ticket also allows you to collect up all the information, take it home with you and read over it again there.
Temporary exhibitions
On 25th of February, an exhibition of farm chairs throughout history will be opening, shining the spotlight on pieces from the museum’s collection. The exhibition features over 100 unique chairs, each telling a colourful story of the period in which they were made and the values deemed important by their makers. More information: https://www.erm.ee/en/content/four-feet-ground-estonian-country-chair.
We will be open on March 18 an exhibition entitled ‘Right Body, Wrong Body?’ put together by our own researchers, examining how the human body has been understood and imagined in Estonia over time. Human experience of the body is much more complex than mere physical existence. By perceiving the world through the body, we are influenced by society and we conceptualize corporeal experiences through the prism of culture. More information here: https://www.erm.ee/en/right-body-wrong-body.
In April, an exhibition called "Message in a Triangle. Exhibition of Estonian 20th Century Souvenir Scarfs" will be opening: souvenir scarfs of Estonian Song festivals, Olympic Games, cities, events and institutions were valued accessories in the 20th century and reflected the everyday life in Estonia during the Soviet period.
Event centre
The museum hosts a wide range of events on a daily basis: conferences, seminars, receptions, parties, concerts, performances and of course exhibition openings. Its outdoor space has hosted a concert by rock superstars Metallica, while the museum and its surroundings have served as the competition centre for WRC Rally Estonia for a number of years now. The majority of the events that take place at the museum are open to all visitors. Check the schedule on the museum website.
Refreshments and souvenirs
The museum’s restaurant, Pööripäev, is open during museum hours i.e. from 10:00-18:00 Tuesday to Sunday. Enjoying extensive views, the restaurant offers coffee and cake as well as full meals. Lunch specials are offered from 12:00-15:00 on weekdays.
Meanwhile, the museum’s shop sells a wide range of souvenirs and other items, including Estonian design, folk handicrafts and local flavours. And if you opt not to buy something that catches your eye but later change your mind, you can order it from the museum’s online store at any time, for delivery anywhere in the world!
Sculpture park and Raadi Manor
Alongside the museum building, which is a full 355 metres in length, is a sculpture park perfect for strolling through whatever the season. You can also explore the old distillery, admire the ducks and other birds on Lake Raadi and count the oak trees planted here over the last six years. There is also a children’s playground and, for slightly older users, a traditional Estonian swing.
Raadi Manor is ideal for relaxed walks and soaking up the atmosphere of the golden age of the Baltic German era. The park is home to a collection of sculptures curated in cooperation with Tartu Art Museum, featuring pieces from the last 80 years.
Not far from the museum you will also find the Upside-Down House and Tartu Snow Park.
How to get to the museum
The museum is just 2.5 km or half an hour’s stroll from the city centre along Roosi Street.
You can get here on bus no. 7 or 25, the latter direct from the railway station.
For drivers, there is a large car park right in front of Entrance A.
The museum is fully accessible to wheelchair users and those with prams.
Safety measures
The museum is perfectly safe to visit! It is spacious, with plenty of room and fresh air for everyone. With coronavirus still spreading we continue to offer disinfection stations around the museum, and our staff look out for both their health and yours.
The museum is open from 10:00-18:00 Tuesday-Sunday.
*As revealed in a survey conducted by Kantar Emor in autumn 2022: the museum is the first in Estonia that most people name, the most visited museum in the country in the last 12 months and the most attractive museum to local visitors i.e. the one most people plan to visit within the next 12 months.