Before our ancestors settled down, they were hunters and gatherers who led nomadic lives in search of food and shelter. When they started building farms and cultivating fields, they did not cover such long distances any longer, but there was still plenty of physical activity in everyday life. Before the invention of agricultural machines, everything required hard work and bodily effort, from logging to grinding grains into flour on a hand mill. Even children had to walk a lot with the herd, keeping an eye on the animals and acting promptly if a predator was nearby.

During the Museum Night this year, the Estonian Open Air Museum invites you to move around like people did in the old days, before modern vehicles existed. Get moving in the nature!

The locations open during the event are Sepa farm, Sassi-Jaani farm, Köstriaseme farm, Pulga farm, Härjapea farm, Nuki farm and Aarte farm as well as Lau shop and Kolu inn.

Swinging is a work-out

Flying high on the platform of the village swing, singing traditional swing songs to celebrate the spring, and awakening of nature (or even to help it along) was one of the common forms of entertainment for Estonians in the old days.

Come to the village square by 18:30, and the choir ‘Leigarid’ as well as other performers will be there next to the village swing. Bring an Easter egg, ribbons to tie on the swing and your own swing song; other than that, you can sing along, swing along, or push the swing.

The swings on the swing grounds, village green and village square welcome visitors until closing time!

Köstriaseme farm – move around to get warm

Köstriaseme farm is where you can learn how much physical effort various farm chores required and try sawing logs to see how much strength it needed.

Pulga farm – play to move or move to play

Shepherd kids played games that tested their speed, dexterity, flexibility, and balance. Try to walk on wooden stilts, crawl under the shaft bow, and play ‘weighing the year’s bread bag’ or ‘horse game’.

Härjapea farm – home café; charity for movement

The 1930s saw a number of societies whose operations included all kinds of charity endeavours. Härjapea farm features a historical home café whose proceeds will be donated for building a children’s adventure trail on the museum grounds so that moving around in the museum becomes even more exciting!

Sepa farm – quiz on how farm animals move

Farms had a number of animals in addition to people: sheep, pigs, horses, chickens. Do you know how fast these animals can go and what they use for movement? Solve the quiz and learn something new!

Saarte summer café and shop in the Hiiumaa itinerant fishing house

The Museum Night is when you can visit the seaside summer café, which will stay open during the entire summer season, for the first time. Come by to enjoy the charming atmosphere of an outdoor café with a mug of warming tea or a glass of bubbly to the soundtrack of gently lapping waves.

The farms and the inn are open until 23.00; the shop is open until 22.00 or as long as customers keep coming.

Ticket fee: € 1, free entry for children under 8

Cash-only tickets!