• Home
• Europe
• Estonia
• Tallinn

Kiek in de Kok, Tallinn

Komandandi tee 2

Tel. +(372) 644 66 86

Kiek in de Kok is a large defensive tower, built in Tallinn in the 70-es and 80- es of the 15th century. In Lower Saxon language Kiek in de Kok means "look in the kitchen". Guards that were stationed in the tower could watch wives in their kitchens. Today Kiek in de Kok houses a branch of the Museum of the City of Tallinn. Most of exhibits are devoted to the medieval history. This includes weapons, cannons, armor and other artifacts. Additionally Kiek in de Kok tower is a site where you can begin an organized tours of the underground bastions of Tallinn.

History

Etymology
The name derives from the tower's height, which allowed its occupants to literally "peek into the kitchens" of nearby houses below. The first written records of the name (or variants like Kyck in de Kaeken) appear in 1577. Earlier, it was simply called "the new tower behind Boleman's Sauna." The current spelling Kiek in de Kök is documented from 1696.

Construction and Early Development (Late 15th Century)
The tower was constructed between 1475 and 1483 as Tallinn's (then Reval's) first dedicated artillery tower, responding to the rise of gunpowder weapons and siege warfare. Medieval stone walls were vulnerable to cannon fire, so fortifications evolved toward thicker, lower, and more robust designs with gun emplacements.

Initial design: It featured powerful firepower compared to other Reval towers—27 embrasures for cannons and 30 for handguns. The upper floor was initially open-roofed (with a parapet of 22 embrasures), paved with cobblestones, and partially covered. The ground floor served mainly for storage, with ammunition hoisted via pulleys through vault openings.
Late 15th-century upgrades: Outer walls were thickened, enhancing its defensive capabilities.

The tower formed part of the broader medieval defensive system of the Hanseatic city of Reval, which grew wealthy through trade and invested heavily in fortifications.

16th–17th Century: Sieges and Major Remodeling
The tower saw significant action and modifications during a turbulent period of conflicts involving Sweden, Russia, Poland, and others.

Sieges: Cannonballs from the 1577 Russian siege (during the Livonian War) remain visibly embedded in the outer walls. The tower played a key role in repelling Muscovite forces in 1570–1571 and especially 1577, helping prevent Tallinn (and broader Estonia) from falling under Russian control at that time.
Remodeling: In the 16th and 17th centuries, the tower was extensively updated. Two lower floors were eventually buried under earthworks. Upper floors received new gun openings suited for wheeled carriages, vents for gunpowder smoke, and a massive new casemate roof (thick vaulted ceiling) on the top floor. Embrasures were modified (funnelled mouths, levelled floors).

In the late 17th century, as part of Swedish fortifications, massive earth bastions (Ingrian and Swedish bastions) were built around it. This buried the lower levels further and integrated the tower into a more modern bastion system designed by engineer Eric Dahlberg. Construction of these advanced angular bastions began in 1686 but was hampered by funding, labor, and politics; only a few were completed before the Great Northern War.

18th–19th Centuries: Obsolescence and Civilian Use
By around 1760, the tower had become militarily obsolete due to advancing artillery and changing warfare. It was taken over by the state and repurposed as:

Archive and storage space.
Living quarters (some floors converted to apartments).
In the early 20th century, even a gym for Estonian heavy athletes.

The surrounding bastions were decommissioned after the Crimean War (1857) and turned into parks. The underground passages fell into disuse but accumulated legends of labyrinths and ghosts.

20th Century: Wars, Soviet Era, and Museum Conversion
WWII: Parts of the bastion passages (under the Ingrian and Swedish bastions) were converted into air-raid and anti-gas shelters in the 1930s. They saved lives during bombings (though chemical weapons were never used).
Soviet period: The passages were upgraded in the 1950s as nuclear fallout shelters with bunk beds, ventilation, etc., but largely abandoned by the late 1970s. They saw informal uses (storage, squats, punks, homeless people in the 1990s–early 2000s).
Museum era: Restoration work in 1958 and especially 1966–1968 transformed the tower into a museum branch of the Tallinn City Museum. Efforts balanced historical authenticity (15th–17th century features) with modern needs (new stairs, heating, etc.). The bastion mound was partially excavated for better access.

Today: Kiek in de Kök Fortifications Museum
The site is now a major tourist attraction and museum complex over 500 meters long, including:
The main Kiek in de Kök tower (six floors of exhibitions on Tallinn's defensive history, weaponry, daily life near the walls, and artists who lived there).
Connected towers: Maiden Tower (Neitsitorn, with its own colorful history as a dwelling, artists' studios, and now a café; legends of ghosts and a buried girl), Marstall Tower, and Short Leg Gate Tower.
Bastion passages (underground tunnels/casemates from the 17th–18th centuries, about 470m renovated): Used historically for troop movement, storage, and shelter. Now includes the Carved Stone Museum and exhibitions (e.g., on civil defense).

Architecture

Built between 1475 and 1483, it was Tallinn's (then Reval's) first dedicated artillery tower, designed to counter the rise of cannons in siege warfare. Its strategic position on Tõnismägi helped protect the lower town. The name, first recorded around 1577 (with variants like Kyck in de Kaeken), refers to the tower's height allowing defenders to literally "peek" into the kitchens of nearby houses.
Cannonballs from the 1577 Russian siege (during the Livonian War) remain visibly embedded in its outer walls, testifying to its combat history.

Overall Dimensions and Form
Height: Approximately 38 meters (125 ft).
Base: Circular with an overall diameter of 17.3 meters.
Wall thickness: Up to 4 meters (13 ft) — exceptionally robust even for medieval fortifications.

It is a massive, cylindrical stone structure with a distinctive red-tiled roof and a weather vane on top. Originally somewhat lower, it gained height and defensive modifications over time.

Architectural Evolution and Key Features
The tower underwent significant modifications across centuries, blending late medieval artillery design with later adaptations:
Original Late 15th-Century Design:

Multi-story circular tower with thick limestone walls.
Ground floor: Primarily storage with the original entrance, a narrow light/air shaft, and no embrasures. Ammunition was hoisted via pulleys through vault openings.
Upper defensive floors: Featured stepped embrasure floors for better gun handling, niches for recoil logs, and fireplaces for igniting matches.
Top floor: Initially an open, waterproofed cobblestone platform with 22 embrasures in the parapet (some sources note up to 27 cannon embrasures and 30 handgun embrasures total across floors). The center remained open for mortars/catapults, possibly partially roofed.

16th–17th Century Reconstructions:
Outer walls thickened for greater resistance.
Two lowest floors buried by earthworks of the Ingrian (and later Swedish) Bastions, turning them into "underground" levels.
Upper floors adapted for wheeled cannon carriages: embrasure mouths funneled outward, steps leveled, and smoke vents added above chambers.
Uppermost floor: Reinforced with a new outer wall and a massive casemate-style vaulted ceiling (2m thick at thinnest, up to 4m at the crown).

Later Uses and 20th-Century Restoration:
By 1760, obsolete as a defense; used for storage, archives, and apartments.
1958–1968 restorations converted it into a museum while preserving a compromise between 15th–16th century and 17th-century elements. New flagstone floors, modern utilities, and an additional staircase were added. The bastion mound was partially excavated on the south/west sides for better access.

Interior Layout
The tower now spans six floors of exhibition space:
Visitors enter via a modern annex connected through a former embrasure.
Floors house exhibits on Tallinn's fortifications, weaponry, daily life in the towers, and a 3D model of the medieval city walls.
Spiral staircases and vaulted ceilings are characteristic.
Top levels offer panoramic views over Tallinn's Old Town.

Associated Structures: The Fortification Museum Complex
Kiek in de Kök anchors a 500+ meter-long museum complex that includes:
Maiden's Tower (Neitsitorn): Tallinn's only rectangular tower (originally open-backed), heavily modified over time into a residence before restoration.
Marstall/Tallitorn (Stable Tower).
Short Leg Gate Tower.
Connected by restored wall walks with excellent views.

Bastion Passages (connected underground galleries):
Built late 17th–early 18th century as part of Swedish-era bastions (designed by Erik Dahlbergh).
About 470 meters of renovated limestone barrel-vaulted tunnels (1.5–2.5m wide, 2.5–3m high).
Thick scarp walls (3–4m), air holes (no direct embrasures), and vertical access shafts.
Served as shelters, storage, and troop movement corridors; later used as air-raid shelters, storage, and even housing for the homeless. Now includes the Carved Stone Museum.

Architectural Significance
Kiek in de Kök exemplifies the transition from medieval wall-based defense to artillery-focused, earthwork-augmented systems. Its extreme thickness, circular form (to deflect projectiles), and multi-level gun placements made it one of the most powerful towers in the Baltic region. The layered modifications visible today illustrate centuries of military engineering evolution — from open parapets for early gunpowder weapons to reinforced casemates for heavier artillery.