CULTURE: Hungarians on wheels – Ikarus buses in Estonia

The Tallinn Liszt Institute – Hungarian Culture Centre and the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport, in cooperation with Tallinn Bus Station, opened a joint exhibition “Hungarians on Wheels – Ikarus Buses in Estonia”, which takes a look at the relations between Estonian and Hungarian transport history on Ikarus buses.

The exhibition was opened on 02.06.2023 as part of the Retrobus Festival at Tallinn Bus Station’s waiting platforms and can be visited until June next year.

The first Ikarus buses arrived in Tallinn in 1956. Soon, Ikarus made up two-thirds of the buses driving around Tallinn. Ikarus, which played an important role in Estonian transport history, was represented in Estonia over time with various models.

The exhibition provides an overview of how the connection between Tallinn and Ikarus was established and how the Hungarian buses arrived in the Estonian capital. The exhibition takes us to the birth story of Ikarus, and introduces its legendary models, among them probably the most beautiful bus of all time, the Ikarus 55/66. The exhibition also talks about why the Ikarus 200 series became the most-produced bus in the world. The exhibition also summarizes the relations between the Hungarian factory and the Estonian capital. It takes a look at, among other things, such fun moments when the event was celebrated when an Estonian bus driver completed a million kilometres behind the wheel of a particular Ikarus.

Exhibition opening on the waiting platforms of Tallinn Bus Station.
Photo by: Teele Toova / Postimees