Museums

Museums help to maintain cultural continuity by skilfully linking the past with the future. Museum exhibits tell stories or allow us to interact with the items. They let us feel what it is like to sit in an airplane cockpit or steer a ship, what life was like centuries ago or how electricity is created.

Modern museums speak to and offer activities to visitors of all ages. They organise educational programmes, museum classes, virtual tours, film programmes and other events. Local lore museums help to preserve the identity of the country, its towns and villages. Over time, museums have become active community and social centres, where people interested in history, or the future, meet up.

Museum statistics provide the following information:

• how many museums there are in Estonia;
• the distribution of museums by subject area;
• how many people visit museums each year;
• how many exhibitions and educational programmes are organised;
• how many museum objects, incl. digital objects, there are;
• how many scientific and other publications are published by museums;
• how many people work in museums;
• the financial situation of museums.

Museum statistics are necessary to get an overview of Estonian museums and for the government to be able to make decisions on the preservation and development of culture.

In addition to museums, there are many science centres and expositions in Estonia, offering visitors an interactive and educational experience. The definition of a museum was revised in 2023, and some institutions were categorised as science centres or expositions; other institutions previously excluded from the sample were also added under these categories.

Science centres combine science and technology with hands-on experience, allowing visitors to explore and discover the laws of science in playful and immersive ways.

Expositions focus on a specific topic, covering a broad spectrum from history and culture to nature and technology. In 2024, there were about 100 expositions open in Estonia, offering visitors a wide range of learning and experience.

Statistics on science centres and expositions provide the following information:

• how many people visit science centres and expositions;
• how many museum objects there are in expositions;
• the financial situation of science centres.

Museums, science centres and expositions all play a crucial role in supporting education and preserving cultural heritage, as they enable visitors to learn, discover and experience the world in new, exciting ways.