The KGB Hotel – Tallinn

KGB Hotel Museum Tallin

Another relic from the old Soviet days, Estonia has Hotel Viru, the first high rise tourist hotel in Tallinn.  Officially there were 22 floors but a keen observer would notice a 23rd floor if you count the windows from the ground outside.KGB Hotel Museum Tallin  As travel and tourism were’t really allowed in Soviet times, any guest at the hotel would have been under tight surveillance from the KGB and they needed the top floor to run the spy operations.

KGB Hotel Museum Tallin

The top floor is now a KGB spy museum, complete with spy camera, listening stations and bugged cuff-links. KGB Hotel Museum TallinAs our guide told us, the listening was so bad that if someone was in their room complaining about the toilet paper being rough mysteriously a few minutes later housekeeping would arrive with the good stuff.  Of course people caught on and would start complaining about needing a drink and then minutes later the bar man would show up with a libation.  Pretty funny, actually.

 

 

More photos from the KB Hotel/Museum in Tallin, some amazing views of the city from the top of the building, as well: