How Do You Know?
The National Archives’ new permanent exhibition invites visitors to contemplate the origins of our historical knowledge. The exhibition showcases numerous rare archival documents, illustrating that archives hold answers to even the most unexpected questions. Are Estonians actually slow like the jokes suggest? Or are they in fact headstrong? Are we more oriented to the sea or to the forest? Is everything in writing always true?
The exhibition features nearly 100 original documents from various centuries, diverse photographic and video materials, and interactive exhibits. Visitors can admire the family trees of manor owners from the 18th century, discover unique family names assigned to Estonians in the 19th century, and trace the historical origins of esotericism. It is also possible to browse drafts of the Estonian coat of arms from the 1920s, recall what food ration cards looked like, and peek into student brigade diaries from the 1970s. Crime history enthusiasts will particularly enjoy Karl Säre’s forged passport and Johannes Vares-Barbarus’s farewell letter.
The exhibition is bilingual, with all texts provided in Estonian and English.
All visitors are welcome to explore the exhibition from Monday to Friday, 9 AM–7 PM, at Nooruse 3, Tartu. Entry is free of charge.
The exhibition is accompanied by catalogs available in both English and Estonian, purchasable on-site or from our online store.
Project Manager: Liisi Pabstel
Exhibition Team: Liina Lõhmus, Valdur Ohmann, Mare Olde, Astri Schönfelder, Lea Teedema, Ivi Tomingas
Editor: Helen Rohtmets-Aasa
Language Editor: Helina Tamman
Translators: Kadi Käis and Toimetaja tõlkebüroo
Design and Execution: Pult OÜ
Exhibition “National Archives 100”
How do documents end up in archives, how are they stored, and why aren’t all documents accessible? How many buildings does the National Archives have, and which ones offer self-digitizing services? This exhibition seeks to answer these intriguing questions and more.
To celebrate the National Archives’ centennial, tangible copies of some of our most extraordinary and ordinary, oldest and newest archival materials have been made. You can browse a brief overview of the exhibition in our blog, and we invite you to the gallery to explore the vast world preserved in our archives.
The exhibition was compiled by National Archives employees Maarja Hindoalla, Tiina Männapsoo, Maarja Savan, Kati Sein, Liisi Taimre, and Kadri Tooming, with design and technical solutions by Pult.
The gallery (Maneeži 2, Tallinn) welcomes visitors from Monday to Thursday, 11 AM–5 PM.