On May 9, we will open the new permanent exhibition “Locked Up Stories: the KGB in Estonia” at the KGB Prison Cells.

During the half-century of Soviet occupation, the building at Pagari 1 was infamous across Soviet-occupied Estonia. Everyone knew what it meant if someone was taken to Pagari Street—the place where Stalin’s shadow was the longest. Yet this house was not originally built as a prison but as an apartment building. However, it became known as a pre-trial prison and the headquarters of the KGB.

The new exhibition tells the story of the cruelty of the NKVD and its successor, the KGB, as well as the suffering of those who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered here. Above all, this basement serves as a memorial to them. But this exhibition also speaks of the courage and resilience of those who were held here—of hope, endurance, and solidarity.

Come and experience a history that must not be forgotten!