Star exhibit – armoured car
Between the two world wars, Estonia's own armored cars were made at the Arsenal military factory. One copy of them is in the Jõgewa Military Museum.
The star exhibit at the museum is an armoured car made by museum director Sergei Jeromin in 2018 for the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
The Arsenal factory produced armoured cars from 1926-1928. They were the pride of the young nation and played an important part in its military capabilities. A total of 13 cars were made: 11 for the Defence Forces and two for the Defence League. The armoured cars were 4.87 metres long, 1.80 metres wide and 2.43 metres tall. When empty, they weighed 4.1 tonnes. Since none of the original vehicles have survived, the copy was made to the original technical drawings. The work lasted two years. The public unveiling of the armoured car took place in Paide during the centenary events held on 24 February 2018, with a schoolboy from the town reading the Manifesto of Independence from atop the car. The completion of the armoured car, which was built in a former metalworks, prompted the idea of opening the Jõgewa Military Museum.
Margit Säre intervjuu Sergei Jerominiga 27.11.2020.
www.ev100.ee/et/arsenal-grossley-m-2728
Related objects
Jõgewa Military Museum
This museum is situated by the Tartu-Jõgeva-Aravete road in Jõgeva.
It grew out of an exhibition entitled ‘1900-1945’ showcasing exhibits gathered and curated by military history enthusiasts. The museum opened in 2012. It displays local archaeological findings, military and civilian memorabilia, significant cultural exhibits and a wide range of weaponry. It also presents the history of military conflicts from the Stone Age through to the modern era. The museum has a study room for educational programmes, such as “Don't touch bombs, children!” for schools.
The museum reserves a special place for an exact copy of an Arsenal-Crossley armoured car from 1927, which was researched and built by museum staff in 2018 for the centennial celebrations of the Republic of Estonia.
