Kiek in de Kök Museum and Bastion Tunnels

The story of defending Tallinn

The Kiek in de Kök Museum and Bastion Tunnels, located in Tallinn Old Town, form a museum complex over 500 meters long and includes four historic towers: Kiek in de Kök (a medieval cannon tower), Neitsitorn (Maiden’s Tower), Tallitorn (Stable Tower), and Lühikese jala väravatorn (the Gate Tower) of Lühikese jala street. The museum also includes the mysterious underground bastion tunnels that house a collection of carved stones.

Located in Kiek in de Kök, the biggest defense tower in the Baltic Sea area, the exhibition provides an overview of the wars, plagues, and famines of the past. You can enjoy a beautiful view of old town from Neitsitorn, and the exhibit in the vaulted cellar introduces the legend of Dannebrog (the Danish national flag given to Danes from heaven in that very spot) in Estonian art and Danish symbols in Estonian heraldry.

In the bastion tunnels, built in the 17th and 18th century, visitors can learn about the history of defense structures and the most important military events. The bastion tunnels also contain a rich collection of carved stones, consisting of more than two hundred items. Visitors can also go to the Bastion Tunnels and the Carved Stone Museum independently using the NUMU audio guide.

Kiek in de Kök Museum and Bastion Tunnels are the branches of the Tallinn City Museum.

NB! The Kiek in de Kök tower is being renovated. Entrance to the bastion passages and to the Carved Stone Museum is through the lobby of Kiek in de Kök tower. The tower will be open again in June 2024. The entrance to the floors of the artists’ studio, the nostalgic cafe, the wall gallery, Stable Tower and Short Leg Gate Tower’s is from the Maiden Tower.