Kiek in de Kök Fortifications Museum and Bastion Tunnels

Kiek in de Kök, at Komandandi tee 2 on Toompea hill, is a massive artillery tower that now serves as a museum of Tallinn's fortifications. The name is Low German for 'peep into the kitchen', because from the upper floors soldiers could look down into the kitchens of nearby houses. The tower was built in 1475 to 1483 as a gun tower of the town defences, with walls up to about 4 m thick and a height of around 38 m. It was designed to hold heavy cannon at several levels. The tower proved its strength during the siege of 1577 in the Livonian War, when Russian forces under Ivan the Terrible bombarded it, and cannonballs from the siege are still embedded in the walls. In the 17th century, under Swedish rule, Tallinn's defences were extended with a ring of earth bastions, and a network of tunnels was dug inside them. Parts of these bastion passages, which have been opened to the public, run beneath the Kalamaja and Toompea slopes. The museum, run by the Tallinn City Museum, tells the story of the town's defences, siege warfare and the changing technology of cannons across floors that are connected by steep staircases. Its displays include weapons, models, archaeological finds and a collection of cannon balls, while the upper floor offers a view over the Old Town. The tower was restored in the 1970s and the bastion passages in the 2000s. The visit combines the main museum and separate guided or self-guided tours of the tunnels. English texts are provided. The museum is an easy stop near the Dome Church and Toompea, and it complements the town wall walk by showing how the towers worked in practice.