A shelter for old machines
Author: Tobias.J.Koch0 COMMENTS
A trip down memory lane
The most-frequented road in Estonia is probably the road between Tallinn and Tartu. As usual though the peculiarities are laying far off the main roads. If you are up for taking a little trip down memory lane, you should definitely take a turn once you are on your way from Tallinn to Tartu or vice versa. When you have reached the town of Paide, which is just another, though a little bigger province town in the centre of Estonia with about 10000 inhabitants, it is not far to Järva-Jaani. Järva-Jaani, even smaller than Paide, is the home of 'Vanatehnika Varjupaik', which means something like shelter for old machines.
What doesn't sound too exciting in the first place is a welcomed surprise once you have entered the property, which is always open for visitors. Don't forget to donate a little entrance fee to the curiously looking police-car at the entrance - just lift the engine hood and throw in a little money. Then you can freely roam around the field and take a look at a picture-book like collection of over 300 cars, tractors, fire-fighters, military vehicles, an old Tatra-Tram from Tallinn, busses and other vehicles from the Estonian Soviet period and from abroad. In between the Zhigulis and Moskvitchs you will also find a few Fords and Mercedes': just enter the door, sit down behind the steering wheel and dream yourself to long bygone days, racing the highways with an ochre-coloured Gaz M20 or the dirt roads with a 'Riga' motorcycle. Or you can climb into the cockpit of an old Soviet fire-fighter, trying to decode the Russian letters and learn about the heavy machine's proper use.
Even though most of the cars don't seem to be working, there's a chance of seeing the machines in action. You can find every single exhibit on the website, click on it and find out if it's still ridable. The machines are marked with a traffic light to signal the state they are in: Red - not working anymore; yellow - not functioning properly; green - ready to drive. According to the website, the project-runners also organise events, where they show off the functioning vehicles.
The car enthusiasts standing behind the project are collecting the machines from all over and they steadily expand it by donations. Be aware though, that you might not be able to recognize every car, because you will discover self-made cars as well.
Järva-Jaani Varjupaik
Pikk tn. 58
73301 Järva-Jaani
Estonia
Tel: +372 386 32 86
Mob: + 372 514 94 85
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