The Estonian Road Museum houses more than 30,000 items that are preserved and occasionally displayed to the public. During "Curiosity Day," visitors were treated to a special exhibit featuring homemade machines and vehicles taken out of storage for the occasion.

"Most collections actually never make it to public view; this is the hidden side of museums. However, if we do not carry out this essential work of caring for collections, then in the future, curiosity may be in short supply and many of the items currently on display may need restoration or even detailed descriptions. This work requires resources," explained Paavo Kroon, a curator at the Estonian Road Museum.

Similarly, the Mõniste Rural Life Museum opened its storage to visitors, showcasing numerous farming tools and objects that once belonged to the Mõniste Manor. With over 13,000 stored items, Estonia's oldest open-air museum continuously grapples with space constraints.

"We now have to consider where to store new donations from the public, as space is limited. Like other museums, we must make choices. For example, we have three manor chairs and a large picture frame from the manor that are valuable and need to be preserved," said Mare Tamtik, program director and guide at the museum.

Given that museums are also facing cuts in state funding, concerns have arisen about how they can ensure the preservation of culturally valuable items in their collections.

"Recent surveys and studies show that around two-thirds of museum collections are currently housed in conditions that do not guarantee long-term preservation of cultural heritage. Issues such as unsuitable climate conditions and lack of space are forcing museums to seriously reconsider how they collect and what they collect and to potentially limit their acquisition activities," noted Kerttu Männiste, head of the Estonian Museum Association.

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