In 1917, by order of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, a seaplane harbor with a hangar was built on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the former industrial neighborhood and port of Kalamaja in Tallinn. Part of the Peter the Great’s Naval Fortress, it was a unique structure for its time, both in its monumental proportions and construction technologies. For several decades, it served as a hideout for aircraft of the Estonian Air Force until it was abandoned. Only in the 21st century, the country’s government could carry out a thorough overhaul of the building and save it from further decay.

Today, within the walls of the seaplane harbor, there is one of the best and most accessible museums in Northern Europe, the Lennusadam Estonian Maritime Museum. Its exposition, located both inside the hangar and in the open, will impress even those whose interests lie far beyond military and naval technology. Here, you can see the most extensive collection of old-time ships in the country and even more modern ships. Moreover, the exhibits are full-sized, and you can safely touch and study most of them on your own! To get more accurate information about the samples you may find curious, use the interactive multimedia screens installed for visitors’ guidance.

The gems of the Lennusadam collection are the Suur Toll icebreaker and the operational EML Lembit submarine.

The icebreaker Suur Toll is moored to the pier near the seaplane harbor. It was built in the early 19th century. During its almost century-old history, it managed to sail under the flags of the Russian Empire, Finland, and the USSR, until the Republic of Estonia got hold of it. Onboard the ship, you can learn the conditions in which the crew lived and worked and study the structure of the engine and boiler rooms.

In comparison with the comfy cabins and halls of Suur Toll, the rooms of the Lembit submarine will strike you with their asceticism and austerity. Lembit was built in the thirties of the last century. Seventy-five years of action include World War II when the submarine served the Soviet Navy. Today, it is the only surviving submarine of Estonian naval history.