Pagari 1

The building used to be the KGB headquarters in Tallinn. People used to say that Pagari 1 had the best view in Tallinn, if not the whole country. From its basement, you could see straight into Siberia! There’s a memorial plaque on the wall in memory of those thousands for whom the road to Siberian prison camps started right here. Nobody knows how many people were tortured in the basements and how many were shot in the courtyard will probably be never known. A joke from the Soviet time asks: "Why is the doorknob worn down on the outside but not on the inside? Because many go in, but few come out." Nowadays there is a museum of the KGB prison cells down in the basement. After being recently renovated, the upper floors of the building have beautiful and luxurious apartments. But not suprisingly to locals, the developers had real difficulties finding the buyers. The house is rumoured to be haunted and one must have a cold heart or nerves of steel to take up residence at this address.