Naisaare Island – one of the most secret sites of the Soviet era

Students in Naisaare will be able to experience a real exploration adventure on the island, where, while hiking, they will be able to discover abandoned military buildings, bunkers, the old narrow-gauge railway line, and coastal defense structures, while imagining life in different eras – from Tsarist Russia to the Soviet occupation – and feeling how history connects with nature.

The 19 km² island in the Bay of Tallinn was militarized by the Russian Tsarist Empire in 1912, and the permanent residents were forced to relocate elsewhere. A port, a railway, and the main positions of Peter the Great's naval fortress, the Naisaare coastal defense batteries , were built on the island. During World War I and the Estonian War of Independence, a prison camp was located on the island. After Estonia gained independence, the island became part of the coastal defense system, and permanent residents were also allowed to return. During the Soviet occupation, the island was under military control - a naval mine depot and assembly plant were established there. On Naisaare, you can still see buildings and even equipment left over from the Soviet army. In the past, the island was covered by a dense military narrow-gauge railway network , which is still partially preserved today and serves as a good landmark for hikers. In total, 40 km of narrow-gauge railway was built on the island, the construction of which began in 1913. It was also partly used during the Republic of Estonia and later during the Soviet occupation. Today, a 2.4 km long section has been restored and can be traveled by locomotive and trolley. In the village of Männiku, the former Soviet-era military service building houses a military exhibition that introduces the island's early and recent military history. The Naisaare lighthouse hosts the exhibition "Naisaare in Old Postcards", which provides an insight into the island's former prosperity.