Open House Opens Closed Doors to the Public

Text Timo Raussi
Photos Evert Palmets, Susanna Paabumets

The architecture event Open House, held in more than 60 cities around the world, once again offers visitors in Estonia the opportunity to explore buildings and spaces that are normally at least partly closed to the public. Open House Tartu takes place first, on 19–20 September, followed by the corresponding event in Tallinn from 9–11 October.

The Tartu weekend programme includes 21 buildings and four street tours. More than 200 free guided tours will take visitors inside, among other places, the buildings of the National Archives of Estonia and the Supreme Court, the Lydia Hotel, one of the city’s most expensive hotels, the Estonian National Museum, several former industrial buildings and the ruins of Tartu Cathedral. One of the special destinations is Villa Tammekann, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1936.

The tours also offer the chance to hear stories and explore the attics and hidden spaces of Tartu Town Hall and the University of Tartu’s main building, areas that are not accessible during an ordinary visit. You can explore the programme for the weekend here. Advance registration for some locations opened as early as 29 August, so there may no longer be places available for those tours, but there are also plenty of tours that can be joined without advance booking.

In Tallinn, Open House will open the doors to nearly 40 buildings, as well as a construction site that is still only partially completed. This year, 13 new destinations are included, such as the tram depot on Vana-Lõuna Street, the Dominican Monastery Museum, the medieval house of the merchant Hopner, the Lasnamäe Circular Economy Centre, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences and the historic courthouse opposite the Drama Theatre.

The programme also includes familiar destinations from previous years, such as the Bank of Estonia, Fotografiska, Estonian Public Broadcasting ERR’s television studio building, the working areas of the parliament, the Riigikogu, on Toompea, the Ülemiste Water Treatment Plant, the Paljassaare industrial harbour, Tallinn Art Hall, which will reopen on Freedom Square in November following renovation work, and the National Library, which is due to open in May 2027. You can explore the full Tallinn programme here.

All guided tours in Tallinn are also free, although some require advance registration, which opened yesterday evening at 7 pm. So now is the time to be quick! In addition to Estonian, tours are also available in English, and there are even a few tours in sign language.

Both the Tartu and Tallinn Open House events are part of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale programme and are organised by the Estonian Centre for Architecture.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Architecture ERR events Guided Tour National Library Open House Tartu Town Hall University of Tartu