Haapsalu is a small idyllic town about 1,5-2 hours drive from Tallinn. You can come here on your way to the island of Saaremaa (read about its main town, Kuressaare, in our guide). But it is also a good place to visit on your own. There is a large old castle, beautiful examples of wooden architecture and a historic spa.
The name of the town is Estonian for ‘aspen grove’. There used to be a small settlement on this site, and then there was a castle called the Bishop’s Castle and a house church attached to it. According to the chronicles, the church has existed at least since 1279. It was from this time that Haapsalu officially became a town.
It was actively developed during the time of the Russian Empire. From 1825 it was a popular summer resort for the Russian aristocracy, with the last of the Romanovs and the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky among its honoured guests. As in Kuressaare, people came here for mud baths and other health treatments.
Today, Haapsalu hosts international festivals, the most famous of which is the August festival of the White Lady, the mythical inhabitant of the Bishop’s Castle.
Read more about main cultural attractions below.
The Сastle, The City’s Soul
Haapsalu Castle has a long history dating back to the 13th century, when it was founded as the seat of the bishopric of Esel-Vik. The oldest surviving structure, a 29-metre high watchtower on the western side of the castle, dates from the same period. There is a church on the site, which is considered to be the largest single-nave cathedral in the Baltic States.
Photos: Tõnu Tunnel, Vendo Jugapuu
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The castle has undergone many reconstructions: it was enlarged and rebuilt as the types of weaponry changed. In the 16th century, the outer walls were badly damaged during the Livonian War. In 1710, during the Great Northern War, when Estonia came under Russian rule, the walls were partially demolished.
By 2019, the ruins will have been renovated according to a project by Tallinn-based KAOS Architects. Bridges have been built along the perimeter of the fortress walls, and terraces have been constructed at the top, offering views of the city. Due to the architect’s idea, it is like a gentle musical orchestra that takes the guest on a journey through the present and the past. The new structures are made of black-painted metal. They are attached to the old stonework by means of cantilevers placed in such a way as to minimise any damage. Inside, there are exhibitions on the history of the castle and Estonia as a whole.
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In addition to guided tours, the fortress hosts a variety of cultural events throughout the year. The most famous of these is the Festival of the White Lady. According to legend, this was the name of a woman who fell in love with a canon who served in the castle. Since women were not allowed in the castle in the Middle Ages, the lover disguised the lady as a boy and brought her to the castle to sing in the choir. When the deception was discovered, the canon was thrown into prison and starved to death, while the lady was walled up alive in the wall of the baptistery.
According to the legend, her spirit has not yet been laid to rest. If you look through the round window in the south wall of the castle church during the full moon in August, you can sometimes see her mourning her beloved. In honour of the White Lady, people gather in Haapsalu every year during the full moon and organise a music festival. In 2025 the festival will take place from 8 to 10 August.
Railway Station and Kursaal
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the main public buildings in Haapsalu were the magnificent railway station built in 1905-1907. The second one was the Kuursaal (Spa Hall) – an entertainment centre with a restaurant and music pavilion built in 1898. Both buildings are made of wood and decorated with carvings.
At the time of its construction, the station had the longest covered platform in northern Europe – 216 metres. It was designed by architect Karl Ferheim and engineer V. Westphalen as the last station to connect the town with Tallinn. There are two pavilions on the platform: one for ordinary passengers and one for the emperor’s family.
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However, trains no longer come here: regular passenger trains used the line until September 1997. The tracks were used by freight trains until 2004. Now most of the tracks have been removed and the station pavilion is used for concerts, fashion shows and gourmet dinners. The station also houses the Railway and Communications Museum, with steam locomotives and carriages on the tracks; this part of the museum is open 24 hours a day, free of charge.
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The Kursaal, another fragment of the spa infrastructure from the beginning of the century, was much luckier. This building on the Haapsalu promenade was designed by R. Knüpfer. Knüpfer. has preserved both its function and original furnishings, despite the fact that it was used as a warehouse and cinema during the Soviet occupation. After it was listed and restored in the 1990s, a restaurant was opened here. It is now Haapsalu Kuursaal and is open during the high season from 1 June to 1 September.
For the first few years the house was almost entirely in the sea, but later the land was built up to strengthen the shore. The main hall is flanked by two covered terraces and the windows are stained glass. The central nave, supported by carved wooden columns, has upper light windows that make the room brighter and more spacious. Under the ceiling is an intricate chandelier, carved from wood, as are other interior details.
Old Town
The old town is divided into two parts: the medieval part, around the bishop’s castle, and the spa area, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The city centre has remained largely unchanged since then. As you stroll through the streets, don’t miss the Town Hall, a historic building that houses a museum that tells the story of the spa’s 190-year history and hosts interesting themed exhibitions.
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Part of Haapsalu’s heritage is linked to the Swedes; there were many of them in this part of Estonia, and among the Swedish people these areas were known as Aiboland, which means ‘land of the islanders’. One of the Swedish inhabitants of the town was Ilon Wikland, the most famous illustrator of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books. She grew up in her grandmother’s wooden house on the corner of Linda and Ruytli streets, but in 1944, at the age of 14, she fled the Soviet occupation. However, she remembered Haapsala well: the station was the inspiration for her book The Long, Long Journey and is depicted in the book’s illustrations.
To commemorate Ilon, the Iloni Imedemaa (Ilon’s Wonderland) theme centre for children and adults was opened next to her home: it occupies the entire space of a three-storey wooden house at Kooli 5.
Swedish Legacy
In addition to the illustrator Lindgren, the Estonian-Swedish Museum (Rannarootsi muuseum) on the shores of the picturesque bay of Tagalaht reminds Haapsalu of its Swedish past. It is an ethnographic exhibition thanks to Joran Hoppe, professor of cultural geography at Uppsala University.
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As well as all sorts of household items and handicrafts, there are also traditional Swedish buildings on display. Among them is a small log house with a thatched roof – a typical Estonian-Swedish barn – spikar, in the local Swedish dialect, which in turn comes from German – Speicher. The barn was used to store various products such as fish, meat, clothes and grain. Often several barns were built together to form a long row. This building was built at the beginning of the last century on a forester’s farm belonging to the Riguldi estate, near the village of Höbring, called Bastabak or Saunamäe. Since 2020, the barn has housed a maritime exhibition for children. The lamp from the Vormsi lighthouse is prominently displayed in the centre.
Photo: Arvo Tarmula
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Next to the barn is the smokehouse, which was built in Haapsalu between the wars by Swedish-speaking Estonian fishermen and fishmongers from the Mensaste family. The smokehouse is still in active use, and the smell of smoked fish wafts through the neighbourhood several times a week during the summer: herring, plaice and perch are cooked here.
Mini Villas
In the spring of 2023, a new holiday destination will open in Haapsalu. It combines the features of a glamping site and a hotel room. It consists of five small villas in detached houses with panoramic windows and mirrored glass. They are located by the sea, on the Marienholm peninsula – a part of the city that was previously inaccessible to visitors.
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There are two types of houses: Lux and Boho. The first type has its own sauna overlooking the bay and is decorated in dark colours, while the Boho villas have both light and dark palette.
Each villa has a small terrace with armchairs, a table and a view of the Baltic Sea.
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