Vabamu Announces New Executive Director to Support Program Renewal

As the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom prepares for a period of renewal, the Supervisory Council of Vabamu has appointed Dr. Maarja Merivoo-Parro as Executive Director, effective August 2026.

Maarja Merivoo-Parro is an internationally recognised historian who has throughout her career helped bring academia and wider society closer together. “I look forward to joining the Vabamu team and working together to explore new ways of telling Estonia’s story honestly, clearly and inspiringly. In my view, Vabamu is not merely a building, but a Conversation with a capital C that bridges generations, national borders and identities,” says Maarja Merivoo-Parro.

The leadership change comes at a time when Vabamu’s message about the importance of freedom, both in the Baltic region and beyond, is becoming increasingly relevant, and when Vabamu’s permanent exhibition is due for renewal. The aim is to mark the 110th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia in 2028 with a visitor experience that speaks to a new generation and invites the public into dialogue.

Ivo Lille, who has led the museum since 2024, is stepping down to pursue new challenges. “Leading Vabamu has been a positive and enriching experience, and I felt this was the right moment for someone new to guide the museum into its next stage of development. Maarja is one of the curators behind the current permanent exhibition, which opened nearly a decade ago. I look forward to seeing how she will shape Vabamu’s physical space and its cultural role in society.”

Sylvia Kistler-Thompson, daughter of the museum’s founder Olga Kistler-Ritso, said on behalf of the Vabamu Supervisory Council: “We are grateful to Ivo Lille for his contribution and delighted that Maarja Merivoo-Parro has accepted the leadership role at Vabamu. She brings a unique combination of professional expertise and creativity in sharing historical knowledge, enabling her to approach complex topics in a way that resonates deeply with both Estonians and the wider international community. Vabamu aims to expand its work in preserving and interpreting key questions of Estonia’s recent history: the occupations, the struggle for freedom, the restoration of independence and the successful rebuilding that followed, as well as Estonia’s emergence as an international leader in building a digital state. Maarja is exactly the kind of leader whose knowledge and experience will help us achieve our goals. The Kistler-Ritso Foundation also plans to support Maarja’s documentary series Estonia is in the Eye of the Beholder, which tells the story of Estonians around the world from the earliest times to the present day.”

About Vabamu

Vabamu is Estonia’s largest private museum and the largest active non-profit museum in the country. Its mission is to educate people in Estonia and visitors from abroad about the recent past, encourage reflection on the fragility of freedom, and stand up for its preservation. Founded by Estonian-American refugee Olga Kistler-Ritso in partnership with the Estonian government, Vabamu carries forward the shared wish that Estonia never again be occupied by a foreign power. In addition to its two museum sites, Vabamu and the KGB Prison Cells, Vabamu has developed NoVa, an educational platform supporting young people’s civic engagement, and Global Conversations, an initiative connecting Estonia with international academic and innovation networks, including Stanford University and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL).