Cold War

After World War II, relations between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union deteriorated rapidly. The resulting confrontation came to be known as the Cold War. For Estonia, the Cold War meant two generations of occupation. Tens of thousands of people fled to the West and thousands of those who stayed had to hide in the forests, not to mention the tens of thousands who were sent to the GULAG prison camps or deported. In violation of international law, several hundred thousand Estonian citizens were forced to serve in the Soviet armed forces. The presence of tens of thousands of soldiers and officers of the occupation army had a significant impact on everyday life in Estonia.

The Cold War exhibition reflects Estonian Forest Brothers’ movement during and after the World War II including the life-size underground winter bunker, military service of Estonian men in the Western countries as well as in the Soviet Army, the locations of Soviet troops and nuclear weapons in the territory of Estonia until 1994. Visitors can also take a peek into militarized everyday life of children in the Soviet Union – military toys, drawings, cartoons or even geographical maps used in soviet school system.