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joelj37
Patarei Prison is great (horrible) experience. You can see it "as it is" and really smell the prison life. It is really scary to think how people used to "live" there. If possible, go there when it is dark outside. Doctor department is the best.... :P
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475sjoerdv
The Patarei Tallinn Prison was a pretty nice attraction. Apart from the cold it was very impressing to see everything. It is almost like the time stood still for the last twenty years. You should definitely visit it but do not expect any comfort.
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EalingTravels
Firstly let me say the building in its current state of decay is amazing if you like some dark tourism. The guide who showed us round was knowledgeable and told us a lot of the realities of what a hellish experience it would have been like as a prisoner. All this I would rate as exceptional.But, the tour organisers need to work on their communication. I emailed in advance and found the information I got back was poor as far as how many people were on the tour or what the price would be despite 3 emails. In the end we got a tour for just 4 of us and it was 15 Euros each which was super value for what we saw.On reflection I would highly recommend persisting and setting up a tour as their as few places like this to be seen.
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ZaneE_11
We got a guided tour in the prison which was closed down only 10 years ago. The place is pretty huge and with a guide you can get in the parts which are not open for self-exploring. Well, during the winter period (until May) you can get there only by guided tour booked before and it costs 80 EUR which is split among whatever is the size of the group. You can book a trip also by yourself if you are ready to spend 80 EUR. We did not know about pre-booking and of course, found the place closed. But we asked about it at the seaplane harbor next door and they were so kind to call the guide and the tour booked by 2 was about to start in 10 minutes. The guide knew quite a lot about the history of the place and not only. The place is also used for different art and music festivals/performances, so do not miss it out. Do not expect it to look like museum. It has been abandoned for the last 10 years and nobody has been taking any care of it. Some of the original stuff is there, including cell interior, some furniture and of course - this creepy feeling of abandoned places where you can let your imagination free. In a summer people are allowed to explore part of the place themselves for much less price. I guess, you can have a picnic there also, if you feel like going for it.
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RobM723
Attractions like this really excite me and the chance to go in somewhere that you can still get a real feel for the horrible things that happened there. The 'museum' is currently closed for the Winter but if you search 'Patarei Prison' on Google you can find their website and contact them as they do run a few guided tours a week.We arrived and was met by Andrus our guide and waited for the other people who had asked for a tour. We were joined by another English couple so it was pretty ideal in numbers terms.The whole complex is breathtaking from the outside and you can imagine what it was like when it was full of thousands of prisoners.The first block we went into was a little disappointing, covered in art/graffiti from some previous art exhibitions really took the feel of it away, however, the other two blocks we went into that were untouched, along with the cells, really had an eerie feel to them. Seeing 12 rusty metal bunk beds all pushed together like one huge bed in a room just big enough to accommodate them really showed how horrible it must have been, particularly as they spent 23 hours a day in there and no toilet etc.!Much of the complex was really interesting to look around - unfortunately Andrus wasn't very clear with some of his information and gave some contradicting information so I'm not sure how accurate his information was but it was worth it just to follow him round and admire the building.As stated by some others - Tours must vary - We didn't get to see the hospital rooms or the hanging rooms - the two bits we were most looking forward to, so that disappointed us a little bit. Not sure why there's a difference in the tours but that's how it is I suppose!Definitely worth an hour of your time - especially as its next door to the Seaplane harbor!
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Corcoran1
I assumed that this would be my holiday highlight but I was very disappointed. The original tour was booked via several e-mails only for the guide not show up. Hanging around outside a dilapidated prison mid winter is not ideal. I persisted and contacted Andrus who emailed back the following day to say that he had changed the to an hour later but forgot to tell us. I appreciated his honesty. We rescheduled for the next day and he was there waiting for us with a charming young couple. The tour was hurried I felt and a left me confused. We were told that the prison was just for those on remand and no killings took place but we were also shown a room where men were shot in the head. As they died, I would suggest that this was a killing. We were also told that there was a hanging room but were not shown to it. It wasn't what I expected and although good value I was left very underwhelmed. Andrus was a very pleasant chap and even offered us a lift back to the centre but the tour was poor. Sorry
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hobbitette
We visited In January so the prison museum is closed but if you phone they will give you the time of any guided tours going on. We were told to wait at the gate at 3 and our guide came on the dot. He showed us through the decrepit building with lots of interesting information along the way. Be warned if your concerned about health and safety you might not enjoy the uneven floors, broken steps and ceilings failing in above your head but parts of this building have been standing well over a century and are not going anywhere without the aid of a JCB! We thought it all added to the atmosphere of the place which is eerie to say the least, especially as light is fading and you have to follow the guide by torchlight! The story of these inmates is powerful with many jailed for their political beliefs during the occupation years by the soviets or nazis. Their suffering, torture and sometimes even death was all too believable when you see the tiny cramped solitary cells and even the bigger cells which designed for 12 would hold at least 40 men or women and young people. Our friends had done the tour in the summer and saw a completely different tour so depending on the guide/company you may get to see different things. This was an interesting and eye opening part of our stay in the lovely Tallin.
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anttio681
Awesome place but thats true history because this prison is in that condition what it was when it closed in 2002. I cant believe prisoners really lived in this condition. There is authentic hanging room and all other "as is" The pictures and texts like confessions in cells are very emotial to see. Not for sensitive peoples..
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jameshA7151YW
It's like something out of a film. This desolate prison has become a gem for tourism ever since the EU ruled for the closure due to health and safety issues. The Patarei Prison is unique, eeiry and highly intriguing.The Pros: The prison is one of a kind. It was the most highly recommended place to see by almost every local and I can see why that is so. From the horror-like dentistry and operation room to the dark crammed cells the prison, this place really does represent as near to hell as I'd ever like to tread. Broken glass litters the floor and the rusty watch towers seem vulnerable to even a light breeze but that is what makes this place absolutely brilliant. Left vacant due to the reluctance of the government to take the time to demolish the place the prison may not be around forever, but I am glad to say I took this experience whilst it was available. Truly recommended to anyone. The Cons: Having been closed due to health and safety issues you leave feeling as though you've become more asbestos than man. For me, this experience was worth the day that I probably took off my life expectation. My top attraction within Tallinn.
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GabrielP968
Patarei Prison (Patarei apparently meaning 'battery' in English) is truly one of the weirdest places I've ever been. A disused Soviet-then-Estonian prison that closed in 2005, it's an enormous complex of brick buildings, but instead of the government taking it upon themselves to knock the crumbling thing down or convert it into something more useful, they literally just left it, and I mean they just left it. It's like the day they released the last prisoner, they all went for a beer and forgot about it. A little old woman has set up a caravan at the entrance and, being a cheeky little entrepreneur, charges 3 euros for entry, but once you're in, that's it. There are no guides, no security and no strict paths. It hasn't been cleaned since the inmates left; it's a labyrinth of death-trap prison cells, complete with posters of naked women on the walls, rusty metal sticking out of every surface and glass strewn all over the place. Russian newspapers from 10 years ago are littered on every desk. You can even climb up the rusty-as-hell guard towers, which was terrifying. There is nobody there to stop you doing anything, it's all overgrown and it's genuinely astonishing. It's straight out of a zombie film.And another thing; every room's windows had been blocked out. The cells were literally pitch black; my friend and I had to use my phone and our camera flashes to avoid gutting ourselves on corrugated iron every 5 seconds. In fact, I'll just add this in too; we found a room with a strange pit in the middle of the floor but couldn't figure out what it was. It was filled with insects and rubbish so we just assumed someone had pulled up the floorboards, but in doing my research for this blog today, I've just discovered there was a depression in the floor because that was known as 'The Hanging Room'. I don't think I need to say any more, except that this place is absolutely in no way suitable for anyone other than fit, healthy adults who aren't afraid of the potential for serious injury (or the grotesque imagery that comes with the visit).Then afterwards you can chill in the inexplicably-placed bar on the site, with nice views over the Baltic and cheap beer. Opportunism at its strangest.The whole complex is a weird, creepy and twisted place indeed, but maybe the highlight of my entire trip, which involved hundreds of attractions in numerous cities across 4 different countries. Basically, if you're in Tallinn and you DON'T see Paterei, you're a mug.
