Estonia’s very first hotel museum, Hotel Viru and the KGB, officially opened at the Sokos Hotel Viru on January 13 as part of this year’s Tallinn – the European Capital of Culture 2011 programme.
“The idea of opening a museum has been pondered over for more than ten years because of our visitors’ extreme curiosity about the activities of the KGB in the hotel and the room on the 23rd floor that the organisation left behind,” said Anu Soosaar, the hotel’s managing director.
Noting that the hotel has been a major landmark of the city for nearly 40 years, she added: “We believe that now that Tallinn has become a European Capital of Culture it’s the perfect time to tell the story of the Hotel Viru and the KGB’s part in this story, and speak about the entire era in general as it can give guests who have travelled great distances to visit us the chance to get a sense of our past.”
The museum can hold up to 25 visitors at a time, with entrance via a queue in the hotel lobby. It can be visited only with a local guide. Tickets cost 7 euros for the general public, 5 euros for guests of the hotel.
