Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum

The Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum tells stories about wars fought in Estonia, the service of the Estonian people in the militaries of other countries and wars fought elsewhere in the world with the participation of the Estonian people.

The Estonian War Museum was established in 1919 , when the Chief of Operative Staff of the Ministry of War, Lieutenant Colonel Jaan Soots, wrote to Johan Laidoner, Commander-in-chief of the Estonian Armed Forces: „Such great importance also obliges us to commemorate this war grandly, and the best thing to do would be to establish the MUSEUM OF THE ESTONIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE“. The proposal came at a difficult time – the battles of the War of Independence had barely lasted for two months, the offensive waves of the Reds had just been forced to a halt in the momentous battles, Tartu had been liberated only a few days earlier, and the survival of the Republic of Estonia was far from being decided. Laidoner, however, did not hesitate, and was resolute: „The idea is quite right and must be implemented.“

The museum opened in the same year under the leadership of the 6th Infantry Regiment Private, front-line photographer Taavet Poska, who held the position until 1940. By then, the museum had some 10,000 objects and the permanent exhibition included a couple of thousand. The museum collections had numerous weapons and the permanent exhibition included trophy flags seized from Red Army units conquered in battle, mannequins dressed in the uniforms of the War of Independence, war maps, the interior of the Commander in Chief’s wartime office and many other items.

Once the Red Army had occupied Estonia in the summer of 1940, the Museum of the War of Independence was closed. The Red Army claimed any working equipment, some objects were given to other museums, some were taken to Russia and many were simply destroyed. With that, an attempt was made to erase the War of Independence and its recollections from people’s memory and historical consciousness.

It was not a success, of course, and after the restoration of Estonia’s independence, the preservation and exhibition of Estonian military history once again came to the fore. It began with the establishment of a museum dedicated to Johan Laidoner in 1993 in the former Viimsi Manor, which had been given to General Laidoner under the land reform of 1919 for his services in leading the Estonian army in the War of Independence. The Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum was established on 26 February 2001 by regulation of the Minister of Defence and it settled in Viimsi Manor.

The restoration of the Estonian War Museum began from scratch, as the pre¬ war property had been destroyed or given away.The recreated museum had a broader focus than before, telling the story of the wars fought in Estonia, the service of Estonians and other people living here in the armies of other countries, and the wars fought elsewhere in the world, where the residents of Estonia have had to be involved in, and the events of the 20th century are mainly focused on.

The creation and development of the museum was contributed to by many people of Estonia who, during the Soviet occupation, had had the courage and the nerve to preserve extremely valuable items, archives and other materials documenting Estonian military history, sometimes hiding them literally in the ground and inside flue pipes. Now, these things could be brought out of hiding and donated to the War Museum.

Today, the Estonian War Museum collects, preserves, researches and exhibits Estonian military history and heritage. It is also commissioned with recording the history of the Estonian Defence Forces on an on-going basis, educating members of the Defence Forces, national defence teachers, students and the wider public on military history, publishing scientific and popular science books on military history, cooperating with war museums and military history research centres in Estonia and abroad, and many other functions.