Originally constructed as an apartment building, the house at Pagari 1 in Tallinn's Old Town was turned into a pretrial prison and served as the headquarters of the KGB in Estonia, becoming a feared symbol of state violence during the Soviet occupation.

"Locked Up Stories," the new permanent exhibition at the KGB Prison Cells, tells the story of the NKVD and its successor, the KGB, and the suffering of the people who were imprisoned, tortured and murdered there.

While the KGB Prison Cells serves as a somber memorial, this exhibition also honors the courage, strength, endurance and hope of those who passed through there — both those who perished and those who survived.

The exhibition introduces the role of the Pagari 1 building within the repressive machinery of the KGB, exploring how it operated as well as the means used to convict people.

It also tells the stories of political prisoners held in the Pagari tänav cells, sharing memories of their days and months spent in the cells and the nightly interrogations, as well as how they managed to endure, survive and support one another in their horrendous circumstances.

The creation of a new permanent exhibition also expands the museum's display space, making use of a new, larger area for temporary exhibitions.

Exhibition curator Martin Vaino said that the goal of the exhibition is to tell the story of the building on Pagari tänav as well as the actual people that were held and interrogated there.

"But also to get visitors thinking about the desire to control and the cruelty that characterized the KGB and the entire Soviet regime — and which unfortunately hasn't disappeared from today's world either," he added.

"Locked Up Stories: The KGB in Estonia" was curated by Martin Vaino, Vabamu's curator and head of exhibitions, and Andreas Kalkun, a senior researcher at the Estonian Literary Museum (EKM).

The KGB Prison Cells is a branch of the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!