An exhibition about Estonian cafe culture has opened at Kiek in de Kök museum

Text Timo Huttunen
Photo Viktor Salmre, 1966

Interior architect Väino Tamm, designer of the interior of Pegasus cafe.

In the Kiek in de Kök fortress museum’s Lühikese jala gate tower, the exhibition “Lõputu kaftafjoomine”, which tells about Estonian cafe culture, opened on Saturday June 3. 

“Lõputu kafujoomine”, which means endless coffee drinking in English, is a nostalgic trip to the popular cafes of Tallinn’s old town, some of which were open in the past and some that are still open today.

Over the years, Tallinn has had several unique cafes, bars and restaurants decorated with unique furniture. Customers drink coffee and sit on furniture the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. There are places that have been important in cultural and political history.

Located in the Lühikese jala (short leg) gate tower, the exhibition features furniture and details that are Estonian design classics.

However, the exhibition is not a classic design exhibition. The mission of the museum is to focus primarily on local culture and history.

The exhibition space is made similar to many cafes and bars in Tallinn’s old town. In addition to furniture and other visual items, sound is also a very important element in cafes. The background sound plays a key role in creating the atmosphere of the exhibition. This helps to frame the journey through cafe culture and history. The creator of the sound design of the exhibition is the composer Märt-Matis Lill.

The curators of the exhibition are art researcher and curator of the art collection of Tallinn City Museum Risto Paju and historian and senior curator of Tallinn City Museum Toomas Abiline.

The artist of the exhibition is the well-known film and theater artist Jaagup Roomet. The exhibition was graphically designed by Rein Seppius and implemented by Random Solutions.

During the renovation of the corridor connecting the Kiek in de Kök Tower and Neitsitorn (Maiden Tower), the exhibition can only be accessed through Neitsitorn.

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Cafe Café Culture Coffee Exhibition Kiek in de Kök Museum Neitsitorn Tallinn