Narva, located on the Estonian-Russian border, has been razed to the ground and rebuilt several times throughout history.

Residents who left in 1944, as battles destroyed more than 90 percent of the city, never returned to home. Their stories have never been told before and the exhibition fills this gap.

"It is impossible to fully make amends for this, but to some extent, I would like to address the injustice faced by those people who dedicated decades of their lives to improving Narva, only to have a criminal regime suddenly decide that they are worth nothing," said exhibition curator Zurab Jänes.

There are many stories about the people who contributed to pre-war Narva, but few artifacts. These have not been systematically collected in the past, and there wasn't much left to salvage from a city destroyed in the war.

As a result, the exhibition includes broken crosses from the Garrison Cemetery, a vase found in the ruins of the old town, and the Annika family's suitcase, which was placed on a sled when they left Narva.

"My aunt had only one suitcase. She was one of the last to leave. The suitcase contained the Town Hall's account book and not a single German mark, as the city no longer had any money. It also held a few of her personal belongings, and she pushed that suitcase ahead of her on a kicksled all the way to Jõhvi," said Rein Annik, a resident of Narva.

Annik said 25,000 people fled Narva at that time and their descendants could help contribute stories and artifacts to the Narva Museum..

Narva's time in the USSR has also been included as a layer in the exhibition. Items on display include Soviet-era ideological street signs and a portrait of the state traitor Nikolai Trankmann.

This is also a part of Narva's complex and multilayered history, AK said.

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