This resort town was a favourite summer spot of the Russian tsars. The railway station was built according to the original designs with the complex consisting of four parts –  the passenger terminal, imperial pavilion, a sheltered passage linking those, and a unique covered platform extending 216 m long. Good to know: the Russian Tsar himself was in favour of the idea of building the station and supported its construction. The first passenger train arrived in Haapsalu in 1904 and the last one left in 1995. Take advantage of a unique opportunity to travel from Haapsalu to Riisipere (50 km) by bike as the old railway bed has been turned into Lääne County health trail. Today, there is a bus stop in front of the railway station. The station belongs in the National Register of Cultural Monuments.  

Poet Ernst Enno came to Haapsalu in 1919, when he became a school adviser in Lääne County. His Haapsalu period was not the peak of his career, but it was here that he wrote his best children’s songs. If you are walking on the Haapsalu embankment stop by the park named for him and monument dedicated to him. Interesting facts: Ernst Enno’s grave is in Haapsalu’s Old Cemetery, where many famous cultural figures rest under the indigenous trees. The author of the monument is Roman Haavamägi, whose is famous for his sculptures, including monuments that are located primarily in Haapsalu.

In front of the Hestia Hotel Haapsalu, on the shore of Väike Viik in Haapsalu, you will find Juhan Raudsepp’s sculpture ‘Stick-breaker’. It symbolises someone who has recovered from their illness in Haapsalu and breaks their walking stick in half, since they no longer need it. Interesting facts: In 1992 the sculpture was stolen and broken up into four pieces. To the disappointment of the thieves, it proved to be hollow, so they sold the sculpture. Thankfully the pieces were recovered and the sculpture was restored to its former glory.

Haapsalu’s main street, Karja, begins at the Swedish Market. The name of the street (“herd”) originates from the time when animals belonging to the citizens of the town were led out to pasture down this road. As late as the beginning of the 20th century, the Swedish Market was an empty square where the fish market was held. Many plots of land in the area belonged at that time to Estonian Swedes (or Coastal Swedish) families. In the 1930s, a small park with the town well was built here. To decorate the square, the sculpture “Boy With A Fish” was commissioned from the sculptor Juhan Raudsepp (erected in 1936). Good to know: The fountain side is still a nice and romantic place to sit. During the summertime festivals such as August Blues and the White Lady Festival the Swedish Market is transformed into a small open air stage.