Chunks of meat are grilled over an open fire and hare is prepared with the utmost respect for the delicious flavour of the rabbit. Our pizzas get their crisp edges in a wood-fired pizza oven specially brought here from Italy and pasta made with our own pasta maker is better than anything you could buy in a shop. Our wine cellar is full of flavour bouquets that perfectly complement the delicious meals and the beer is always cold.
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.
Haapsalu is the childhood hometown of the Ilon Wikland, illustrator of the books by world famous children’s book author Astrid Lindgren. In the 1930s she lived with her grandparents in a yellow house on the corner of Linda and Rüütli streets. Wikland emigrated to Sweden in 1944. Her time in Haapsalu brought small town motifs to her drawings. In Ilon’s work you will find images of Haapsalu’s wooden houses, fortress walls and railway station.
Interesting to know: Ilon Wikland donated 800 of her original drawings to Haapsalu as a gift. They are displayed in a gallery opened on Kooli street on the site of the children’s theme park Ilon’s Wonderland. Ilon’s childhood home can only be viewed from the outside.
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.
There is sundial designed by artist Roman Haavamäe on the Haapsalu seaside Promenade. The face of the dial depicts the life of man – starting with a child and ending with an old man supported by a cane. On the Promenade also admire the decorative dolomite stairways and decorative columns by the same artist, as well as the ornamented stairs on both sides of the Assembly Hall.
Interesting fact: The sundial shows the local sun time, which is about 90 minutes slower than daylight savings time. Go and check to see if your watch is correct.
The Risti water tower from the Tsar era is part of the Risti railway station complex. The railway station with the railroad lines was built in 1904, the station building was completed a year later, the water tower was probably built in the same period.
The water tower was used to supply water to steam locomotives. There was a water tank or a reservoir at the top of the tower and a water heater or a boiler on the lower floor. The boiler was used to prevent the water from freezing in the tank.
You can go to the reservoir along the historical spiral staircase. On the ground floor, you can see the tools of the time and an exhibition describing the work in the watertower.
Come and see this memorial to one of Estonia’s most famous composers, who grew up in Lääne County – Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962). The memorial, which was created by Aime Kuulbusch, is located in front of the composer’s former home, on the shores of Väikese Bay.
Did you know…? The majority of Kreek’s works were created in Haapsalu. Kreek’s most important ‘secret service’ was composing sacred music and arranging sacred folk songs and choral canons, whilst publicly maintaining a standoffish attitude towards the church.
On the Promenade make a stop at the monument to Carl Abraham Hunniuse (1797-1851), who established the resort of Haapsalu.
Dr. Hunnius was the first to notice that the local residents used the sea mud to find relief for their ailments and was inspired to start investigating the properties of the mud. At his initiative, the first therapeutic mud baths were established in Haapsalu in 1825.
Interesting fact: Haapsalu was named an Imperial resort, and Russian Tsars Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II and their families all vacationed here and took the mud baths.
Come and try a Haapsalu therapeutic mud bath in the Hestia and Fra Mare Spa hotels!
Ridala Church is one of the most valuable churches in Läänemaa from the artistic point of view. It has been dedicated to Mary Magdalene whose figure in the church is one of the oldest sculptured figures in Estonia.
This archaic sanctuary lacks a belfry. Be sure to take a look at the medieval paintings. The altar, the triumphal arch group and pulpit are also remarkable.
In the churchyard the most valuable things are the trapezoid gravestones dating back to the 13th century with sun cross and arbour vitae motifs. The two massive stone crosses near the main entrance of the church are very old.
Interesting facts:
According to a folk tale the church was built by a giant maiden as a dwelling house.
The world-famous Russian composer Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky stayed in Haapsalu in 1867. To commemorate him, a memorial bench was erected on the Šokolaadi Promenaad (Chocolate Promenade), where the maestro loved to watch the sunrise from the shore and marvel at the swans.
Interesting to know: in Haapsalu, Tchaikovsky continued to work on his opera ‘Voyevoda’ and composed the cycle of piano pieces ‘Souvenir de Hapsal.’ After having heard the Estonian folk song “Dear Mary”, he later used the melody in his famous VI Symphony, the first notes of the tune were also carved into the dolomite memorial bench. Today, the bench is equipped with a technical solution with the aid of which you can listen to the composer’s music and information related to him.
One section of the Haapsalu promenade was named the Chocolate Promenade in the first half of the last century. There was said to have been a café that offered excellent hot chocolate, the aroma of which spread throughout the area. This is one of the stories of the romantic spa town that has been told from generation to generation.
The Chocolate Festival gives this story a new life. The festival features a chocolate fair, a truffle and cake competition, workshops and good live music.
The Haapsalu promenade around Kuursaal is once again filled with hot chocolate aromas. The best taste experiences are brought to you by Estonia’s best master chocolatiers.
The Österby fire station was originally built in the 1930s, but fully restored in 1998. It is a place that is closely connected to the social lives of the people who lived during the period of the first Estonian republic. The stone jetty, meanwhile, which is 265 metres long, was constructed in the early 20th century by local farmers.
Did you know…?
*There was a regular boat service between Österby and Haapsalu until 1994