Occupation Museum Tallinn

Occupation Museum, Tallinn - darkometer rating : 5 - A modern museum in the heart of Tallinn that focuses on the periods in history that most Estonians would rather forget about, in particular the nearly five decades as part of the Soviet Union . Though comparatively small in size, its compact exhibition is excellent, rich in intriguing artefacts and an absolute must-see for any dark tourist visiting this corner of the world. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: in general see also under Estonia . As its name implies, the museum's topic is the succession of occupations of the country in the 20th century: first by the Soviet Union in 1940 – as Germany invaded Poland from the west, the USSR took eastern Poland and the Baltic states as agreed in the Hitler - Stalin - or Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact . Then, as Germany invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, Estonia fell under Nazi occupation. The Germans, who had actually been welcomed by many Estonians as liberators from Soviet rule, were eventually kicked out again by the advancing Soviet troops towards the end of 1944. From then, the longest period of occupation ensued. Until 1991, Estonia remained a constituent part of the USSR . But just as with the other Baltic states (see Latvia and Lithuania ), this had always been seen as an occupation by the general population. Cultural repression took the form of the folk traditions and songs in the Estonian language having been made illegal. Quite physical expression of terror took the form of tens of thousands of Estonians being deported to the gulags in Siberia.