Kiek in de Kök

Kiek in de Kök, in Tallinn

Kiek in de Kök is a powerful medieval artillery tower of Tallinn, with a picturesque name. The Tallinn audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this imposing tower of the fortifications, become a museum, which watches over the old town since the fifteenth century.

The artillery tower with the picturesque name

Kiek in de Kök, here is a name that intrigues! It actually comes from the Low German spoken formerly by the merchants of the Hansa, and means literally a glance into the kitchen. This amusing nickname was given to this tower because, from its height, the guards could observe what happened in the neighbouring houses, right into the kitchens of the lower town. But behind this picturesque name hides a powerful artillery tower, built in the fifteenth century to reinforce the defences of Tallinn. Massive, endowed with thick stone walls pierced with loopholes and capable of hosting cannons, it constituted a key element of the defensive system of the town, at the foot of the Toompea hill. Its walls still bear the traces of cannonballs, witnesses of the sieges that it underwent. Today transformed into a museum, it retraces the history of the fortifications of Tallinn and gives access to underground passages dug under the ramparts. An imposing medieval tower and a witness of the military history, Kiek in de Kök is a fine stop of the discovery of Tallinn.

What to see

Here you discover the powerful artillery tower of the fifteenth century at the foot of Toompea, whose name in Low German means a glance into the kitchen, because the guards observed there the neighbouring houses; massive and pierced with loopholes, it still bears the traces of cannonballs and today shelters a museum of the fortifications giving access to underground passages. Kiek in de Kök is an imposing tower of Tallinn. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

Kiek in de Kök lies at the foot of the Toompea hill, in the old town of Tallinn, reachable on foot. Become a museum, it can be visited according to its own hours and conditions, which vary, and gives access to underground passages. It is best to check them before coming.

What does the name Kiek in de Kök mean in Tallinn?

It comes from the Low German spoken formerly by the merchants of the Hansa and means a glance into the kitchen, because from the height of this tower, the guards could observe the neighbouring houses; it is a powerful artillery tower of the fifteenth century, become a museum of the fortifications.

Where is Kiek in de Kök in Tallinn?

At the foot of the Toompea hill, in the old town of Tallinn, in Estonia.