The exhibition at the Niguliste Museum, dedicated to the Year of the Estonian Book, presents relics, ranging from the Catechism of Wanradt and Koell to Kalevipoeg

2025 marks 500 years from the publication of the first book in Estonian. Marking the Year of the Estonian Book, an exhibition opens on Friday, 25 April at the Niguliste Museum which presents the rarest relics of the history of Estonian books and provides an overview of the development of the written language and published materials from the 16th to the 19th century.

In honour of the anniversary, everyone has a rare opportunity to see with their own eyes the manuscripts and printed works that deeply resonate in the cultural memory of Estonia: the Kullamaa socage register book (ca 1524–1532), the Catechism of Wanradt and Koell (1535), Georg Müller’s sermons (1600–1607), Reiner Brockmann’s poem (1637), and the Wastne Testament (the New Testament, 1686), to name a few of the oldest publications. The earliest known Estonian-language printed work, published in 1525, has not survived and only written accounts of its existence remain. The exhibition, however, presents exceptionally rare fragments of the 1535 Catechism of Wanradt and Koell, the first partially preserved Estonian-language publication. It marks the beginning of Estonia’s printing culture and rich literary heritage.

The exhibition features many rarities and unique items that are not usually on display. Some of them, such as letters from Martin Luther (from 1531, 1532 and 1533; the Tallinn City Archives), the lament of Käsu Hans (ca 1708; the National Archives) and songs by Kristjan Jaak Peterson (1818; the Estonian Literary Museum), will be exhibited only for a limited time. As a result, the thematic focus of the exhibition will shift over time, with four smaller exhibitions embedded within the more extensive one. There will be a seminar day dedicated to each of them. The thematic highlights are: “Beginnings of the Written Word” (25 April – 25 May), “Poetry and Song” (27 May – 3 August), “The Light of Education” (5 August – 28 September) and “Freedom and Awakening” (30 September – 26 October).

“The exhibition summarises the history of the Estonian book culture and written word from its beginnings till the National Awakening, from the Kullamaa manuscript to Kalevipoeg, from hymn books to song festivals, from the ABC-Book to academic writing. Through rare books and significant literary works, the display tells the story of how Estonians were educated and became a cultured nation: how they learned the Word of God, learned to sing hymns and read, began writing and composing poetry, and became an educated and free people,” says Aivar Põldvee, the curator of the exhibition.

The symbol of the exhibition is the ABC-book rooster from the Estonian and Latvian ABC-Books.  The image of the “forefather” of our ABC-Book rooster, a rooster-shaped reliquary in the Castle Church of Wittenberg, made its way to us through an engraving by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door of the same church, an act that sparked the Reformation. The image of Luther on display is a copy of the work by Cranach, painted by Franz Burchard Dörbeck. Besides Dörbeck, we know his friend from Riga, Kristjan Jaak Peterson, whose only surviving original portrait will arrive from the Academic Library of the University of Latvia. We share the 500th anniversary of the first book in our native languages with the Latvians. Our histories are closely connected and shaped, in many ways, by the same books.

Merike Kurisoo, Director of the Niguliste Museum, highlights and thanks the curators and partners of the exhibition: “The curators of the exhibition dedicated to the 500 years of the Estonian-language book are among our foremost experts on book history, and historians of the Early Modern Period Estonian education, culture and ecclesiastical life: Aivar Põldvee, Lea Kõiv and Tiiu Reimo. The exhibition, which presents exceptionally valuable original works, was born in collaboration among the Tallinn City Archives, Tallinn University, the Estonian Literary Society and dozens of libraries, archives and memory institutions in Estonia and Latvia. Underneath the centuries-old vaults of Niguliste, some of the most significant treasures of Estonian cultural memory are gathered: book relics up to 500 years old, alongside the masterpieces of our historical ecclesiastical art.”

St Nicholas’ Church (Niguliste) holds a special place in the story of the Estonian book. The first printed books arrived in the library of the church in 1470. The oldest public library in Estonia, the predecessor of the Tallinn University Academic Library, was established in 1552 at St Olaf’s Church. A century later, the library of St Nicholas’ Church was merged with it, and soon the large book collection of the pastor of Niguliste Nicolaus Specht was added.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a diverse public programme; an educational area will be set up for learning activities.

The exhibition is a part of the Year of the Estonian Book 2025 programme and is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, and the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Curators: Aivar Põldvee (Tallinn University), Lea Kõiv (Tallinn City Archives) and Tiiu Reimo (Antiquarian Book Committee, Estonian Librarians’ Association)
Exhibition design: Tiit Jürna and Asko Künnap
Graphic design: Asko Künnap
Coordinator: Annika Teras