Vabamu | Vabamu Website

Vabamu is the largest active non-profit private museum in Estonia with a mission to educate the people of Estonia and its visitors about the recent past, sense the fragility of freedom, and advocate for justice and the rule of law. We operate in three areas: Vabamu Museums, Youth Engagement NoVa and Global Conversations.

Vabamu Museums

Vabamu has two museums: Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom and KGB Prison Cells. In these museums, visitors can learn about Estonia’s recent history through people’s personal stories.

Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom

KGB Prison Cells

Vabamu Youth Engagement NoVa

Vabamu Youth Engagement NoVa includes a variety of educational activities from museum tours and excursions to discussions, movie nights and hackathons. NoVa is also an online study platform for independent learners.

Vabamu Global Conversations

Vabamu Global Conversations are Vabamu’s international activities that increase our global partnerships and networks. Our aim is to keep Estonia globally connected so that we will never be alone again.

The KGB prison cells are closed in April and will reopen on May 9.

On May 9, we will unveil the new permanent exhibition of the KGB prison cells, “Locked Up Stories: the KGB in Estonia.” The new exhibition tells the story of the brutality of the NKVD and its successor, the KGB, and the suffering of those who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in the building at Pagari 1. However, it also speaks of the bravery and resilience of these individuals—of hope, perseverance, and solidarity.

Online exhibition “Free Winds”

This exhibition highlights the extraordinary voyages of thousands of Estonians who secretly fled from Sweden in the late 1940s and sailed in old, battered boats across the Atlantic Ocean to freedom.

Exhibition “Defending Freedom: Estonian Civil Society in the Russo-Ukrainian War”

The exhibition “Defending Freedom: Estonian Civil Society in the Russo-Ukrainian War” offers visitors a unique opportunity to see how Estonian civil society and the state have contributed to supporting Ukraine and defending freedom. The exhibition is open from 28.09.2024 to 30.04.2025.

What’s on!

In our museums, you can visit exhibitions and attend various events. By pressing the arrow, you can see our upcoming events. You can find complete information about what is happening in the museums in the calendar.

Permanent Exhibition “Freedom Without Borders”

The exhibition ‘Freedom Without Borders’ speaks of occupation, resistance, freedom, and recovery. It consists of five parts: crimes against humanity, Estonians in the free world, life in Estonia, the restoration of independence, and freedom.