24.4.2025 | History

How Do You Know? Estonian History Revealed

Text Stewart Johnson 
Photos Benno Aavasalu, Uku Peterson

Did lions once inhabit the Estonian countryside? Where did Estonians even come from? And have they always been stubborn? The National Archives present a new exhibition focusing on these, and similar questions, in Tartu.

This new collection of archival material is on display at the also new Noora building of the National Archives. Featuring over a hundred documents from throughout the centuries, as well as photographic and video materials, not to mention interactive exhibits, visitors can learn for themselves what the original drafts of the Estonian coat-of-arms looked like. (Hint: here be lions!)

The origins of family names, the unknown histories of manors, as well as the family trees connected with them…you never know what long forgotten secrets have been preserved in the archives. There’s even an exhibit featuring the history of Estonian esotericism. You could say that only a few people know the real meaning of the word “esoteric”. And now you could be one of them.

Anyone familiar with Estonians knows the stereotypes that they are slow, strong-headed, and have a deep connection with both the forest, and the sea. The “How Do You Know” exhibit reveals if these stereotypes are a new phenomenon, or if they have always existed.

The exhibit also features more modern relics. Learn how Estonians thought in student brigades in the 1970s by reading their personal diaries. What did actual ration cards look like during more difficult times? What about crime in Estonia? Have you ever seen a forged passport in real life, or just in the movies?

The “How Do You Know” exhibit is at Nooruse 3 in Tartu, open weekdays from 9–19:00, and entry is free of charge. Learn more here.