From forbidden zone to seafront
Noblessner was a closed Soviet military area and is now an open quarter.
Sinikka Halme — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ivo Kruusamägi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sinikka Halme — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sinikka Halme — CC BY-SA 4.0
An interactive science centre in a former shipyard building at Noblessner north of Tallinn, presenting inventions of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in a form you can try. The idea is specific rather than general: instead of a science museum explaining principles, PROTO rebuilds particular inventions from the age of steam and early electricity — flying machines, submarines, vehicles — and makes them rideable or operable, many through virtual reality. The building is part of the story. Noblessner was a submarine yard founded by the Nobel family in the early twentieth century, then a closed military zone in the Soviet period, then redeveloped after independence into a residential and cultural quarter on the waterfront. That move from forbidden zone to open seafront is the story of post-1991 Tallinn in miniature. Practical points: entry is ticketed and costs more than Tallinn's traditional museums. Allow two to three hours — the experiences take time and there can be queues at holidays. Very well suited to families and school-age children.
Noblessner was a closed Soviet military area and is now an open quarter.
Founded by the Nobel family in the early twentieth century.
Among Tallinn's best for families, particularly on a wet day.
Noblessner, Kalamaja district, Tallinn
Steam Icebreaker Suur TõllA steam icebreaker moored at the Seaplane Harbour museum north of Tallinn, among7 minutes walk4.8
Seaplane HarbourA maritime museum inside a concrete seaplane hangar: Lennusadam was built in 1917 minutes walk4.7
Skåne BastionAn earthwork bastion from the Swedish period north of the Old Town, known today 17 minutes walk4.1
Epping TowerA defensive tower of the Tallinn town wall in the north-east of the Old Town, wo18 minutes walk4.4
Tower behind NunsA tower in the northern sector of the Tallinn town wall, one of three connected 18 minutes walk4.6Yes — it is not only a children's centre. The inventions shown are genuinely historical and the context is explained, and the virtual experiences are well made. But if you are alone and prefer contemplative museums, it may not be your first choice.
The Kalamaja and Noblessner districts themselves: waterfront, restaurants and restored industrial buildings, plus the nearby Seaplane Harbour, among Tallinn's best museums. The whole area makes a comfortable half day away from the Old Town crowds.