Kiek in de Kök and Bastion tunnels
OLD TOWN, TOOMPEA HILL

I participated in a guided tour to the part of the historic city wall fortification that is open to public, the famous Kiek in de Kök artillery tower from 1475 and the spooky bastion tunnels. It is located on and beneath Tompea Hill in the Old Town. Kiek in de Kök is a German nickname for towers that are part of town fortifications, and literally means "peep into the kitchen", because the tower occupants could actually look into the kitchens of nearby apartments. Tallinn's Kiek in de Kök is 38m high and has 4m thick walls. Today it serves as a museum and a photographic gallery.

Part of the museum is the bastion tunnels, that where built during the Swedish rule in the 1600s. There you can go on a guided tour in narrow, dark and damp passages inside the city wall fortification. Along the tour, where you walk in the passages and downwards on narrow stairs, the guide tells the history about the bastion with dolls, flags and films and even a small "train" going downwards while showing a film about Tallinn's architecture and history. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours and is one of the most interesting tourist attractions I have ever been to. The bastion has served many functions; prison, escape for punks, war/bomb shelter, shelter for the homeless, museum.