Museum Night at the Computer Museum

The Computer Museum of the University of Tartu was popular among visitors on 21 May, the Museum Night, attracting about 1,000 people.

There was a constant flow of visitors to the Computer Museum at the Delta centre from 18:00 to midnight. The museum guides Alo Peets and Anne Villems, employees of the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, guided the people through the history of computing equipment and introduced various exhibits. The rarest items on display at the museum are components of Ural-1, the first computer in Estonia from the year 1959, the Soviet-era mainframe console EC-1060, the computer ISKRA-226, the personal computer Juku, former Prime Minister Mart Laar’s computer from the year 1992, laptops from the 1980s, a supercomputer from the year 2000 and several old Apple computers.

In addition to visiting the museum, it was possible to play old and beloved computer games, such as Super Mario and Pacman, in the Delta lobby that evening. The games offered a joy of recognition for older visitors and also younger guests enjoyed playing. The visitors also had the opportunity to take a tour of the Delta building, guided by computer science students.

The Computer Museum of the University of Tartu was founded in 2001, when Meelis Roos, now deceased, started collecting historical computer technology. 

The museum is open by advance booking only. To book a visit, write to arvutimuuseum@ut.ee.

To expand the collection, individuals and institutions are welcome to donate computing equipment to the museum. For example, we are currently setting up a display of old mobile phones. If you are willing to contribute your time or expertise to the Computer Museum, please contact Alo Peets at alo.peets@ut.ee, or write to arvutimuuseum@ut.ee.