Veterans Day Celebration: A Charity Bake Sale and the Opening of a Military Model Exhibition

April is Veterans Month. To mark the occasion, the Estonian War Museum will host a charity café in support of veterans on Sunday, April 19, open for one day only. We are also celebrating the opening of the new exhibition “From Praying Mantis to Tiger: 20th-Century Military Models” with a special program that is sure to thrill model and military enthusiasts of all ages.

The model exhibition, based on private collections, features nearly 200 military models in various scales, primarily tanks and self-propelled guns, but there are also ships, cars, and quite a few other items. What is a “Praying Mantis” and what is a “Tiger”? Come see for yourself and find out. A guided tour is led by the collection owners themselves.

Some of the heavy weapons and vehicles on display as models are also present in the Estonian War Museum’s collection in real life. They will be introduced during a special tour by Siim Õismaa, a researcher at the Estonian War Museum.

A mini-world awaits children at the manor, where they can try their hand at driving model cars on an off-road track. On the multi-level remote-controlled car obstacle course participants must cross bridges, hills, and ravines, and even water.

Schedule

• From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., a charity café will be open at the manor to support veterans—with baked goods by staff of the Estonian War Museum, the veterans’ wives, and members of the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation. All proceeds will go to the NGO Association of Wounded Warriors. The Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation will also be present with cornflower-themed products.
• From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the off-road track for model cars will be open for children.
• At 12 p.m., a curator-led tour of the exhibition “From Praying Mantis to Tiger: 20th-Century Military Models” with model builders.
• At 2 p.m., a special tour titled Game and Reality at the model exhibition and in the Heavy Artillery Hall.

The Heavy Artillery Hall and armoured train are open and will remain open during museum hours until fall.

The entire program is included in the museum ticket price. The Museum Card and Tallinn Card are also valid as admission.