Estonian Maritime Museum at Seaplane Harbour

The Estonian Maritime Museum has its main exhibition at Seaplane Harbour (Lennusadam), Vesilennuki 6, in the Kalamaja district of Tallinn. The venue is a set of reinforced-concrete seaplane hangars built in 1916 to 1917 as part of Peter the Great's Naval Fortress, and the museum opened here in 2012 after a restoration of the protected industrial monument. The museum collection covers about 7,000 years of Estonian seafaring, from prehistoric boats and medieval shipping to Cold War naval history. Under the huge shell vaults, the displays are arranged around full-size vessels, among them the Lembit, a British-built submarine launched in 1936 for the Estonian navy, which served in the Second World War and then in the Soviet fleet, and which is now open to visitors in the hall. A Short 184 seaplane replica and other aircraft hang overhead or stand on the floor, together with sea mines, boats and diving equipment. A long aquarium, interactive simulators and a harbour-side area give the visit a hands-on character, with a theme of Estonia's maritime relations with the Baltic Sea. Outside, in the harbour, the icebreaker Suur Tõll, built in 1914 and said to be the oldest steam icebreaker still afloat, is moored and open to visitors in season. The approach is mostly thematic and immersive rather than strictly chronological, with a gallery level that allows views of the roof structure. Texts are in English, and the museum designs activities for families. Preservation of the ships is an ongoing project, because corrosion and weather affect the exposed vessels. A visit normally takes two to three hours. The museum stands next to the Kalamaja waterfront and the Patarei fortress and is reachable on foot from the Old Town in about 15 minutes.