Timeline and museum design
The International Memorial Museum for the Victims of Communism in Patarei Prison will be designed by Motor and KOKO architects. This was the result of a public procurement carried out by the museum’s developer, the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory. The winner of the procurement was announced on 2 April 2021. The museum will be developed in cooperation with European memory institutions and with the support of the Republic of Estonia.
The sale of Patarei and the establishment of the museum was decided by the Government on 26 April 2018. The museum is scheduled to be opened by 2026. 3D photos of the winning design can be seen below.
The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory has managed the temporary exhibition area "Communism is Prison" in Patarei in recent years, while preparing for the construction of the museum. The future exposition introduces the occupations’ period in Estonia to local and international audiences, as well as the functioning of communist regimes and their crimes around the world, along with the history of the building.
preliminary development schedule of the International Memorial Museum for Victims of Communism at Patarei Prison, which may change depending on the situation and course of work:
- 2017-2019 Planning the museum, creation of the research centre and international support network.
- 2019-2022 Creating and operating the temporary exhibition area, designing the future museum, and the development its permanent exhibition
- 2023 Conservation and restoration of the museum space and the beginning of construction
- 2024-2025 Construction of the museum space, adding exposition content, checking and supplementing the exhibition’s design solutions
- 2025-2026 Museum opens
The signing of the design contract is a significant step. The deliberation process regarding the museum has taken place over many years and is finally materialising. Having Motor and KOKO as our partners instils certainty as they have proven themselves in the field. The developer also has a solid relationship with the building’s owner.
Project Manager Ott Sarapuu, Motor
Patarei’s exposition will likely be the biggest museum project of the decade in Estonia. For Motor and KOKO architects, it is a great honour and responsibility to be part of the process.
Such a delicate and profound topic necessitates modern and symbolic visual solutions. The little daylight that peeked into the cells through Patarei’s narrow windows became the memorial museum’s principal metaphor.
The victims’ fates and the crimes committed in the former sea fortress were long kept in the dark. The museum will bring the stories and people to light. Therefore, the central design idea is the use of light and shadow. For a prisoner, light symbolises freedom. A ray of sunshine falling into the prison cell through a window embodies hope.
The photos above illustrate the main idea of the procurement’s winning design and reflect merely a small part of the future exposition.
here's how the museum will look in the future
