Military and aviation heritage in Southern Estonia

This museum and theme park showcases the internal security and military history of Valga and Estonia. The place is perfect for organising summer camps with field activities and a field trip to a World War II battle site near the Väike-Emajõgi River. The programme includes learning to cook pea soup (a popular dish in the military), using camouflage face paints and orienteering in the woods.
The exhibition at the theme park includes military equipment, artillery, an Mi-8 helicopter, a fire engine and various types of machine gun pillbox and naval mine. The tour ends at a Forest Brothers’ bunker, where, on prior request, an alcoholic beverage drunk by the Forest Brothers and smoked lard sandwiches with onion are served. For more serious enthusiasts, the museum displays the largest collection of weapons in Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces, Police and Border Guard Board, Defence League and Internal Security Service organise demonstrations at the museum of the duties they carry out. They are joined in doing so by the Latvian Police, Border Guard and Fire and Rescue Services.

The museum is situated in the village of Lange and covers 10 hectares. It was officially opened in 2002. Its goal is to preserve aviation history related to Estonia and to showcase and promote aviation. Its main partners are the Estonian Aviation Academy, the Estonian Air Force, the Border Guard Aviation Group and the Estonian War Museum. The exhibition displays five helicopters and 33 planes, including anti-aircraft missiles. Most of these rare exhibits date from the Cold War era. The museum has a fine collection of aircraft and missiles, with over 600 exhibits. The Aviation Museum holds an annual aviation-themed event on the second weekend in June.