The Estonian Agricultural Museum is evolving into the Rural Curiosity Center (MUHK). The transformation from a traditional agricultural museum into a rural life discovery center began in spring 2025, when the permanent exhibition “Barn Symphony” opened in the museum’s barn building. By autumn 2026, the main manor house located in Ülenurme Manor Park will also receive new exhibition content. The Museums Accelerator of the National Heritage Board supports the project “Developing the Rural Curiosity Center (MUHK) at the Estonian Agricultural Museum through a New Permanent Exhibition” with €90,000.

The new permanent exhibition focuses on one of the key paradoxes of our time: how to feed a growing global population on a planet that itself does not grow. It tells the story of soil as an often invisible but essential bridge connecting people, nature, and food into a single system. This is a fundamentally important and timely topic that requires broader public discussion and increased awareness.

In line with the concept of a discovery center, the permanent exhibition of the Rural Curiosity Center will become a place for experimentation, hands-on learning, and active participation. For this reason, the museum places particular emphasis on the quality and relevance of interactive exhibits. The Museums Accelerator specifically supports the creation and production of hands-on exhibits for the new permanent exhibition at MUHK / the Estonian Agricultural Museum.

The exhibition concept, developed by the experienced exhibition design company MOTOR OÜ, was completed at the end of last year, and construction will begin in February 2026. The new permanent exhibition will open to visitors in autumn 2026. Those who wish to take a final look at the current long-standing permanent exhibition and learn more about the content of the upcoming one are invited to attend the community day “What Kind of Museum Do You Want?” on 24 January.

The Museums Accelerator is a funding programme designed to support museums in making rapid development leaps in public-facing activities and services. Its goal is to help museums launch initiatives that, after their initial implementation, are financially self-sustaining.