Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Estonia Tartu Museum of KGB Cells

Museum of KGB Cells

The secret cells in the basement of the KGB's Estonian "Grey House" have been preserved as a grim Cold War museum.

Tartu, Estonia

Added By
ahvenas
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Museum of KGB Cells   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Room plan of the cellar chambers.   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
A “fixation” chair.   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Museum of KGB Cells   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
The Museum is located behind the door in the middle.   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Museum of KGB Cells   ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
Suitcases of deported that were brought back from prison camps  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A nondescript house close to the center of the Estonian city of Tartu once held a dark secret in its basement.

Between 1940 and 1954, during the first Soviet occupation of the country, the KGB operated against the Estonian people right in their own backyard. Citizens suspected (or simply conveniently accused of) political subversiveness would be disappeared to Siberian gulags, but not before passing through Tartu's "Grey House." While the upper floors of the bleak edifice were used as office for the secret police, the cellar of the house was used as a clandestine holding dungeon. The exterior appearance of the house was kept deliberately ordinary as not to create any suspicion. From the front, the building gave no indication of its sinister purpose, but the backside of the house had cellar windows protected with metal bars. Summary executions would also take place at the Grey House, ensuring that some poor Estonians did not even get the chance to suffer through the Soviet gulag system.

There were 13 prison cells and three smaller solitary rooms where unfortunate political prisoners would be interrogated and judged.

The Grey House was returned to its original owners in 1991, and the basement cells were opened as a museum and memorial in 2001. Today, the rooms have been restored to the original conditions under which detainees suffered. Some cells display exposition regarding the Estonian resistance to the Soviet regime, giving information about the deportations and prison camps, as well as the secret societies and so-called "forest brothers" who acted against the Soviet power.

Thousands of doomed Estonians passed through these cells, but today they are a powerful reminder of the brave men and women that fought to take back their country.

Related Tags

Soviet History Hidden Prisons Secret World War Ii Military

Community Contributors

Added By

ahvenas

Published

April 10, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://coldwarsites.net/country/estonia/the-kgb-cells-museum-tartu/
  • http://www.dark-tourism.com/index.php/usa/15-countries/individual-chapters/932-tartu-kgb-cells-museum
Museum of KGB Cells
15b Riia
Tartu, 51010
Estonia
58.373261, 26.71988
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Old Observatory in Tartu

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Tartu Student Lock-Up

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Karl Ernst von Baer Statue

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tartu

Tartu

Estonia

Places 8

Nearby Places

Old Observatory in Tartu

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Tartu Student Lock-Up

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Karl Ernst von Baer Statue

Tartu, Estonia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tartu

Tartu

Estonia

Places 8

Related Stories and Lists

9 Places Where You Can See Spying and Surveillance in Action

spies

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Memorial cross near the soldiers’ graves.

    Kristiansand, Norway

    Executed Russian POWs' Memorial Graves

    Five soviet prisoners of war were executed at this spot just days before the liberation of Norway.

  • Balcony under the red star.

    Dolinka, Kazakhstan

    KarLag Memorial Museum

    A sober museum housed in the original administrative building of one of Stalin's largest gulags.

  • Sillamae, Estonia.

    Sillamäe, Estonia

    Sillamäe

    This Soviet-era "closed town" was a top secret uranium producer often left off of maps.

  • Bunker under Gare de l’Est

    Paris, France

    WWII Bunker Under Gare de l'Est

    A subterranean shelter remains intact under a busy Paris railway station.

  • Plot E

    Seringes-et-Nesles, France

    Oise Aisne American Cemetery, Plot E

    This secret cemetery where no flag is allowed to fly holds the bodies of American soldiers convicted of heinous crimes during WWII.

  • Villa Rose

    Gland, Switzerland

    Villa Rose

    This secret Swiss fortress is disguised as a harmless pink house, complete with fake windows.

  • Mound, crypt and statue

    Berlin, Germany

    Soviet Memorial (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal)

    For patriotic Russians, this memorial honoring the Soviet soldiers who died liberating Berlin in 1945 is the most sacred location outside of Russia.

  • The Bronze tree.

    Warsaw, Poland

    The Monument Tree of Pawiak

    A bronze replica of an elm tree that honors the victims that perished in Pawaik Prison.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.