The Estonian Maritime Museum opened two new exhibitions at the Seaplane Harbour. The exhibition Cabin-conversations with Johan Pitka takes you across the ocean to Latin America with the rear admiral. The exhibition Small Ships, Great Masters showcases the works of renowned Estonian model builders.
‘With these new exhibitions, we are able to bring to light the forgotten sides of the history of Estonian maritime affairs. The legendary rear admiral is known by his significant contribution in founding the Estonian state and our national defence. Yet, a lesser-known fact is that in his youth, he sailed across the ocean multiple times as the captain of a sailing ship,’ commented Urmas Dresen, head of the Estonian Maritime Museum. ‘Every ship model leads us to reflect on the events surrounding the original ship. At the same time, we seldom think about the creator of the model and how the model was made,’ he added.
19 February of this year marks 150 years from Johan Pitka’s birth. Cabin-conversations with Johan Pitka, the exhibition dedicated to this anniversary, looks back on the time that he himself has deemed the golden years of his life – his life as a long-distance captain sailing to Latin America.
The exhibition Small Ships, Great Masters will showcase 26 masterful ship models from Estonian model makers. The works of Juri Žurba, Ago Kalbergi, Pavel Vedehhin, and Aleksandr Stepanov are highly valued both in Estonia and abroad. The exhibition is complemented by a collection of catalogues that introduce the ship models of the Estonian Maritime Museum and model construction in general.
The exhibitions are open to the public until 15 January 2023. All additional information can be found on the website of the Estonian Maritime Museum at https://meremuuseum.ee/lennusadam/en/.
Photos: Aron Urb
