Free Museum Sundays returns to Tallinn in March

Text Timo Huttunen
Photo Andrei Chertkov

A world-famous practice will start in Tallinn in March: admission to museums will be free of charge on the first Sunday of the month.

According to Kaarel Oja, Deputy Mayor of the Tallinn Cultural Office, the city planned to launch Free Museum Sundays in February, but due to the uncertain corona situation, the start was postponed till March.

The last two years have affected the ways in which citizens participate in cultural life. One of the goals of Museum Sunday is to overcome cultural barriers. “Free admission is an important part of Free Museum Sundays. According to research, the price of an entrance ticket is a barrier for some visitors to visit the museum,” says Oja.

“Museum Sundays are also an opportunity to pay more attention to the activities of our museums,” Oja continues.

“The number of visitors to the museums has decreased somewhat in the last two years. While we hope for an increase in visitor numbers, statistics and the museums’ own observations suggest that some visitors have lost contact with consuming culture for an extended period of time. Museum Sundays are one way to reconnect and increase visits to museums,” says the deputy mayor.

According to a satisfaction survey of Tallinn residents, the main reason for not visiting the museum has been the fear of coronary infection. Lack of time is mentioned next. A significant proportion of people are also disturbed by the price of the admission ticket.

From the beginning, the Tallinn City Museum, with its seven museums, has been involved in the project. Three museums of the Tallinn Literary Center have also joined. In the future, the city also wants to motivate other museums operating in Tallinn to participate. “By the way, Tallinn has one of the densest museum networks in Europe,” Oja emphasizes.

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Free Museums in Tallinn Free Museum Sundays Free Tallinn Museum Kaarel Oja Museums in Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn City Museum Tallinn Literary Center