Museum History

Some complicated chronology

The predecessor of the foundation Viimsi Museums, the Museum of the Model collective fishing farm named by S. M. Kirovi, was founded on December 15, 1971.

The museum – the first collective fishing farm museum in the Estonian SSR at that time – was opened on December 26, 1973. The museum was located in the main building of the Kirovi collective farm. In addition to exhibition areas, the museum had office rooms, reserve rooms, a photo laboratory and storage rooms as well as a restoration workshop.

An open air section of the Museum of the Model collective fishing farm named by S. M. Kirovi was opened in Pringi village on August 12, 1980.

PLC Esmar was formed during the Kirovi collective farm reorganisation procedure started in the beginning of 1990 and thus, the collective farm museum was taken over by the private limited company.

Exhibits were taken down and the museum was closed in March, 1990 and thus, the Kirovi Museum ceased to exist.

In 1993, the Viimsi rural municipality government took the former Kirovi museum over from PLC Esmar, the museum pieces were taken to the Viimsi manor house. The museum was named Viimsi Rural Municipality Museum; the collections of the former Kirovi museum together with the open air section constituted the Viimsi Local Lore Museum. A local lore museum room was opened in the Viimsi Municipal Hall in April, 1993 and a small exhibition about General Laidoner in the Viimsi manor house in the summer. The General Laidoner Museum was opened as a branch of the Viimsi Rural Municipality Museum in September by the decision of the rural municipality government.

In 1994, the museum was turned into a Municipal Enterprise Vival.

The General Laidoner Museum was festively opened in February, in the same year, with an exhibition dedicated to the General’s 110. birth year.

A branch of the Naissaar Museum was founded to the Municipal Enterprise Vival on June 27, 2000 by the decision of the rural municipality government. The Municipal Enterprise Vival was renamed as Municipal Enterprise Viimsi Museums in the autumn 2000.

The Estonian War Museum, with the official name of General Laidoner Museum, was re-established on March 1, 2001 by the order of the Minister of Defence.

The Laidoner Museum is not part of the Viimsi Museums from this day on. The office and the local lore museum collection of the Viimsi Museums were relocated from the main house of the Viimsi manor to the former house of the Viimsi Rescue Service in the autumn of 2001, but the latter lacked required reserving conditions and exhibition space.

In May 2003, rooms were found for the Viimsi Museums in the former Viimsi school house in Pringi village. The Viimsi Local Lore Museum started its work in the same house.

Restoration of a new museum building was started in April 2004.

In June 2007, the foundation Viimsi Museums was founded by the decision of the rural municipality government and this started the procedure of reorganising the municipal enterprise. Viimsi Museums is a foundation from January 1, 2008.

Managers / directors of the Viimsi Museums:

1971 – 1973 Heino Luup

1973 – 1976 Saarestik

1976 – 1979 Jaak Sammet

1979 – 1988 Peeter Ugand

1988 – 1992 Peep Jäger

1992 – 1993 Helle Avila

1993 – 1995 Tanel Lään

1995 – 2001 Mati Raal

2001 – 2003 Uwe Lüüs

2003 – 2007 Enna Sirkel

2008 – …        Riina Aasma

History of the Viimsi Open Air Museum

The decision about creating an open air section to the S. M. Kirovi collective farm Museum was approved by the management of the collective farm in the autumn of 1976.

The restoration-reconstruction works started in the autumn of 1977 and lasted till July 1980. The works were done by the construction workers of the collective farm – mainly pensioners, who knew former work procedures and construction works.

The open air section of the S. M. Kirovi Model collective fishing farm Museum was opened in Pringi village on August 12, 1980.

In 1993, when the Viimsi rural municipality took over the museum, the open air section of the S. M. Kirovi Museum was joined with the collections of the former Kirovi Museum and the museum was named the Viimsi Local Lore Museum.

Only in 2002, changes were made in the museum’s structure and the open air section of the Viimsi Local Lore Museum became a separate branch – the Viimsi Open Air Museum.

History of the Museum of Coastal Folk

The decision about creating the Kirovi Museum was approved in 1971. Rooms for the museum were found in the main house of the collective farm.

The years 1971– 1973 were used for collecting museum pieces. Members of the management board of the collective farm and the managers of departments participated in collecting pieces. The Estonian coast was divided between people and each one collected pieces from his/her own area.

Almost 2 000 exhibits were collected during the expedition.

The predecessor of the Museum of Coastal Folk – the S. M. Kirovi Model collective fishing farm Museum – was opened on December 26, 1973.

The publicly collected exhibits formed the museum’s first exhibition “Coastal folk now and before”. The exhibition reflected on fishermen’s life and conditions from the 19th century to 1970-s. The museum’s first exhibition was located on 600 m2. Almost 10 000 people visited the exhibition.

The exhibition was shown until March 1990, when it was taken down and the museum was closed.

In 1993, when the Viimsi rural municipality took over the museum, the collections of the former Kirovi Museum were taken to the Viimsi manor house and together with the open air section of the Kirovi Museum they constituted the Viimsi Local Lore Museum.

A Viimsi Local Lore Museum exhibition room was opened in the Viimsi Municipal Hall in April 1993.

In 1994, the exhibition was taken down and the exhibits were packed into boxes.

Until 2001 when the museum was moved into the rooms of the Viimsi Rescue Service, the museum’s collections were located in the reserve rooms of the Laidoner Museum.

In 2002, changes were made in the museum’s structure and the open air section of the Viimsi Local Lore Museum became a separate branch – the Viimsi Open Air Museum.

In May 2003, the Viimsi Local Lore Museum moved to the former Viimsi school house in Pringi village.

In 2004, the restoration of the first rooms in the local lore museum was started. After a long break, the local lore museum was opened in 2005 with the exhibition “Along the coastline in ancient times”. A festive hall was finished by autumn 2005 and a small exhibition hall in June 2007.

Since autumn 2008, the Viimsi Local Lore Museum is called the Museum of Coastal Folk.