The Great Guild Hall (1410) is one of the pearls of Old Tallinn. The inscription on the bronze knocker reads: God bless everyone in this house and those who will yet come. The museum has been housed in the building since 1952. The oldest collection is that of pharmacist J. Burchard’s Mon Faible (1802). The prehistory of the history museum began in 1842 at the scientific society of Baltic-Germans. The Provincial Museum of Estonia was opened in 1864 and existed up to 1940.

On 28 May 2011, the museum reopened the Great Guild Hall to visitors with a new permanent exhibition “Spirit of Survival – 11,000 Years of Estonian History”. The new exhibition explores the history of the Estonian people through interesting rooms covering a range of topics. The coin room “Striking it rich?!” provides an overview of the currencies that have been used in Estonia. The cellar offers an opportunity to learn about the history of the Great Guild and the building, and to imagine the former wine cellar known as the Sweet Hole, which operated there from 1437 to World War II. You can also participate directly in historical events in the interactive time capsule. The Armoury and Experimentarium education centre, brimming with potential discoveries, also offer excitement. The display “Spirit of the Thing” presents exotic and rare objects from the collections of the history museum.

The outdoor exhibition “The Path of History” in Börsi Passage offers a crash course on Estonian history, complemented by the courtyard full of enjoyable activities for younger visitors.

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