The Kalamaja Museum, on Tallinn's Kotzebue tänav, first opened its doors in 2021, with the museum's content created in close collaboration with the people of the Kalamaja district.

"From the very beginning, this museum was created with the idea that the people who come here and who live around here, ought to have a say in what a museum is like," said Kalamaja Museum Director Kristi Paatsi.

It was locals, for instance, who suggested that the museum could have a kitchen where food could be prepared. "Perhaps we, the museum staff, would not have thought of having a public kitchen in a museum," Paatsi said.

"All of the items in the living room have been donated by the people of Kalamaja. This museum is bursting with both the present and past life of Kalamaja."

Last year, the Kalamaja Museum was named the best community museum in Europe. The year since then has been spent traveling around the world and telling more and more people about the museum and its work.

"We have traveled from New York to Lviv to talk about the Kalamaja Museum. We have been invited to a lot of conferences, and people from all over the world have come here to see how a museum like this was created – how it is even possible for people to create this museum. This concept is definitely very different," Paatsi explained.

Paatsi's own work has also been recognized with an individual award. In October, online platform Blooloop named Paatsi among the top 10 in its 50 influential figures in the museum field from around the world.

"Being selected as one of the ten most influential figures in the museum world is quite an honor," Paatsi said.

"Perhaps the most unique feature of a community museum is that it is never finished. It is always changing. There are always people who want to donate items or tell stories."

The museum has two temporary exhibition spaces. One currently houses an exhibition on the magical realism of Tallinn's Kopli district, while the other features an exhibition about the story of journalist Piret Tali's family.

"A lot of ideas come to the museum when people themselves offer to do something here, bring something, or organize a city tour or exhibition about the city. These people are the most important ones for us here at the museum," said Paatsi.

Paatsi believes a major reason behind the museum's success is listening to the local community, adding that it is really important for museums to ask local people and target groups more about what they would like to see there.

"That way, the museum will be successful, people will be happier to come and feel more connected to the museum," Paatsi said.

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