Kalamaja Museum marks fifth birthday with Pelgulinn exhibition

Tallinn’s Kalamaja Museum is marking its fifth anniversary with an exhibition exploring nearly 160 years of history in Pelgulinn district, ERR reported.

“One Certain City and Shelter: The Story of Pelgulinn” was created in cooperation with local residents and the Pelgulinn Society. It is part of a series about life in neighbouring districts.

“The Kalamaja Museum’s goal is not only to introduce the stories of Kalamaja, but also those of neighbouring wooden-house districts,” museum director Maibel Napa said. She said Pelgulinn resembled Kalamaja in some ways, while also featuring different colours, neighbourhoods, wooden houses and apartment blocks.

The exhibition uses enlarged photographs, models and stories to evoke memories among former and current Pelgulinn residents. It shows how the district has changed, grown and expanded, with views from the 19th century, the early 1900s and the present day, Napa said.

Exhibition curator Jaak Juske is also offering walking tours through Pelgulinn’s historical layers. He said the district had once featured beautiful gardens, many of which burned during the Second World War. A market was later built there during the Kalinin district period, before being closed for the Olympics and replaced by a furniture store. The area is now subject to major development plans.

Juske said Pelgulinn got its name because people could seek refuge there when conflict broke out in the city. The district was subject to Tallinn’s town council and did not fall under Lübeck city law, he said, adding that criminals from Toompea had hidden there.

The Pelgulinn exhibition will remain open at the Kalamaja Museum for two years. The first curator-led tour with Juske will take place on September 4.