KGB Museum, Tallinn

The KGB Museum in Tallinn offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex and often secretive history of the Soviet era, particularly focusing on the intriguing story of the Viru Hotel. Built in 1972, the luxurious Viru Hotel was a symbol of Soviet prestige, intended for foreign guests. It was also a hub of covert operations by the Soviet state security organs, the KGB.

A distinctive feature of the hotel was its top floor, which was off-limits to the public and shrouded in mystery. Soviet managers claimed this floor housed only technical rooms. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the KGB's hasty departure in the early 1990s, the true nature of these rooms was revealed. They were found to contain sophisticated, almost cinematic, listening devices reminiscent of James Bond movies, used for surveillance and espionage.

The museum, located on the 23rd floor of the Hotel Viru, has been preserved exactly as the KGB left it. This includes the infamous "technical rooms," now ironically marked with signs saying “There’s nothing here” in English and Estonian, echoing the dismissive official responses of the Soviet era.

The guided tours at the KGB Museum are not just about showcasing the remnants of surveillance technology. They delve into the peculiarities of life under Soviet rule, covering aspects such as espionage, sex work, and even the culinary aspects of the occupation era. The museum serves as a treasury of stories contrasting the idealized Soviet propaganda – portraying a society of content citizens under wise leadership, free of accidents or disasters – with the harsher realities of everyday life in the Soviet Union.