Kiek in de Kök

This stout artillery tower forms part of Tallinn's medieval defences and takes its Low German name, meaning peek into the kitchen, from guards who could reputedly see into nearby homes. Built in the late fifteenth century, its thick walls still bear cannonballs lodged during past sieges. The tower now anchors a museum of the city's fortifications and connects to the Bastion Passages, tunnels carved beneath the earthen ramparts. Visitors climb its floors for exhibits on warfare and reach viewing levels overlooking the old town roofs.