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The National Archives is moving

In spring 2025, the National Archives of Estonia will begin an extensive relocation of its three departments currently spread across three different buildings in Tallinn to the newly renovated National Library building on Endla street. As a result, paper documents from the Maneeži building, audiovisual heritage from Ristiku, and some of the collections from the Rakvere repository will be brought together in one center.

The Endla facility of the National Archives will house a 40-seat reading room, with excellent conditions for accessing archival materials. There will also open a special place for cinephiles, the archive cinema Leida, dedicated to prominent figure of Estonian cinema, director Leida Laius.

The moving process is expected to continue until the end of 2025. During the relocation and its preparations, there may be temporary delays in the availability of archival materials, which must be taken into account when planning research, exhibitions, renovation projects, and digitization orders. We will do everything we can to ensure that there are as few disruptions to the availability of archival materials as possible.

In 2026, a temporary reading room will be opened for researchers on Endla street. The cinema Leida and the stationary reading room will open together with the opening of the entire National Library building in May 2027.

Information about the moving period (May 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025)

During the moving period, please note the following:

Halted services:

  • Digitization of films, audio and video recordings: the last orders will be accepted on 1 March 2025.
  • Interarchival loans: Interarchival loan orders can be submitted until 25 April. All interarchivally loaned items will be returned in May.
  • Tours in the Ristiku and Maneeži facilities.

Services affected by moving with longer waiting times and possible interruptions:

  • Responding to the enquiries: Proof of rights will be carried out within the usual 30 days. The waiting time for enquiries of general interest may be significantly longer.
  • Ordering records to the reading rooms: The availability of records depends on which collections are currently being moved. This only applies to the records which are marked as located in Tallinn on AIS (archival information system).
  • Copying services: The speed of fulfilling copy orders depends on which collections are currently being moved. This only applies to the records which are marked as located in Tallinn on AIS.
  • Access to materials stored in the film archive: Access is only guaranteed to already digitized materials.
  • Visiting reading rooms: The reading room of the film archives (Ristiku 84) will be closed from 1st of May. The reading room in Madara building will be closed in the second half of 2025. A temporary reading room will be opened on Endla street as soon as possible. The reading room at the National Archives in Tartu is open at all times.
  • Sales points of archive publications and souvenirs: The archive gallery (Maneeži 2) will be closed from the 1st of May. The books are available in the National Archives online store.

Services that will continue: The moving period does not affect the following services:

  • Acquisition will continue without interruption throughout the moving period.
  • Archival education: Archive classes and workshops will be held in the Madara building throughout the moving period. Student groups will be admitted in the Endla building as soon as possible. Archive classes at the National Archives in Tartu will not be affected by the relocation.

Press information: +372 5253892, press@ra.ee

Madara Reading room: + 372 693 8666, tallinn@ra.ee

Film Archive: + 372 5444 0438, filmiarhiiv@ra.ee