Kiek in de Kök Tower and Bastion Tunnels

Kiek in de Kök is a massive 15th-century artillery tower on Komandandi tee in Tallinn's upper town, Toompea, and is part of the city's medieval fortifications. Its name, Low German for "peep into the kitchen", refers to the view from the upper floors into the kitchens of the houses below. About 38 metres tall with walls up to four metres thick, the tower now houses a museum of Tallinn's defensive history, with exhibitions on medieval weapons, siege warfare, cannonballs embedded in the walls and the development of the town's walls and towers. Visitors climb the floors by staircase, passing displays of armour, firearms and models, and finish at the top level with views over the old town roofs. The ticket also gives access to the Bastion Tunnels, a network of 17th-century passages under the Bastion Zone and Kiek in de Kök, which are visited on a guided tour; the tunnels were later used as air-raid shelters and by squatters in Soviet times and display related exhibits. A visit takes one to one and a half hours. The best photo angles of the tower are from Komandandi tee and from the nearby Danish King's Garden, while the Bastion Zone park around it makes a pleasant stroll. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, with approximate summer hours from 10:30 to 18:00 and shorter hours in winter, and the tunnel tours run at set times. The adult ticket costs about 12 to 15 euros, with reduced child rates, and tunnel tours may be priced separately. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while summer afternoons are crowded with tour groups. The tower is about five minutes' walk from Freedom Square or ten minutes up from Town Hall Square, and fits easily into a day on Toompea with Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. For visitors to Tallinn, Harju County, it is one of the best places to understand the old town's military past.