The Museum
of the Estonian War of Independence was established in 1919 and restored in
2001 under the name of the Estonian War Museum ? General Laidoner Museum.
According to the museum’s statutes, its tasks include locating, collecting,
preserving, researching and disseminating objects and materials related to
Estonian military history as well as researching military history and
developing international relations with other relevant institutions.
The
permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions of the War Museum tell 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.
History
The Museum
of the Estonian War of Independence was established on 19 January 1919 by ordinance
of Major General Johan Laidoner, Commander?in?Chief of the Armed Forces. The
War of Independence was in its second month of battles, Tartu had been
liberated a couple of days before and the endurance of the Republic of Estonia
was far from ensured.
In 1919,
Taavet Poska, private of the 6th Infantry Regiment and front photographer, was
appointed coordinator of the museum. In November 1921, he became the deputy
treasurer and later assumed the role of director. Taavet Poska was head of the
Estonian War Museum 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. At that time, the museum was located in the Old
Town at 5 Vene Street.
Once the
Red Army had occupied Estonia in the summer of 1940, the Museum of the War of
Independence was closed and its property had to be removed from Vene Street. It
was initially taken to Kopli, to the Red Barracks. Later on, the Red Army
claimed any working equipment, some objects were given to other museums, some
were taken to Russia and many were simply destroyed.
New beginning and present day
After
Estonia had restored its independence and Russian troops had left, the question
of what to do with Viimsi Manor, the former summer residence of General Johan
Laidoner, Commander?in?Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces arose. Up until the
early 1990s, the manor had housed the radio surveillance unit of the Soviet
Union North Sea Navy, which had left its “mark” on the building. On 15 September
1993, Viimsi Parish Council decided to turn the manor into Viimsi Parish
Museum, which began to collect items and information primarily related to Johan
Laidoner.
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
and took over the facilities of the parish museum. The restoration of the
Estonian War Museum began from scratch, as the pre?war property had been
destroyed or given away. The museum continued adding to the collections created
by the parish museum. Fortunately, the Estonian people 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. People now began donating these items and
documents or depositing them with the 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.