An overview of the archival collections extending over eight hundred years is represented in the permanent exhibition, the so-called treasury. The exhibition shows the 13th-century parchment codices of the Lübeck Town Law, privilege charters donated to Tallinn by the Kings of denmark and Sweden, by the Masters of the Teutonic Order, and the Russian Emperors, Tallinn City Council register books from the 13th–18th centuries, manuscript books from the 13th–15th centuries and printed books from the 15th–17th centuries.

Visitors can see the earliest testimonies of written Estonian, among them sermon manuscript (1600–1606) of pastor Georg Müller of the Holy Spirit church of Tallinn and fragments of the catechism of Wanradt and Koell, the earliest surviving printed book in Estonian (1535).

“The treasury” also exhibits the earliest written document surviving in Estonia – the privilege charter issued in Tallinn by papal legate William of Modena (1237) (see: Eesti vanim ürik).

Visits of the permanent exhibition should be arranged in advance (tel + 372 645 7401, [email protected]).

In addition to the permanent exhibition the archives exhibits documents in thematic exhibitions in the exhibition room at Tolli 6.