On May 12, the Estonian Maritime Museum will open its jubilee exhibition “BEGINNING. Estonian Maritime Museum 1935–1940” at the Seaplane Harbour, dedicated to the museum’s 90th year of operation. The exhibition takes visitors on an immersive, era-authentic journey into the founding years of the museum. It will remain open until January 11, 2026.
According to the Head of the Maritime Museum, Urmas Dresen, the idea for the Estonian Maritime Museum was sparked in the 1930s by local seafarers who wished to preserve their maritime lives and adventures. “The discovery of historically valuable items during an inventory at the Port Factory warehouses and the desire to safeguard materials related to seafaring motivated the founding of the museum. This jubilee exhibition takes visitors on an immersive journey back to the museum’s early years and highlights the importance of preserving maritime history as part of Estonia’s identity as a maritime nation,” says Urmas Dresen, longtime Head of the Estonian Maritime Museum and one of the exhibition’s curators.
In 1935, an adapted warehouse in the Tallinn harbor became home to the museum’s first exhibition, showcasing ship models, paintings, photographs, and numerous maritime-related artifacts. “Since much of what was exhibited back then has survived to this day, we can present the museum’s early activities in the lively harbour environment in a very authentic manner,” Dresen adds.
The Jubilee Exhibition features fascinating gems from the Museum’s collection
“The exhibition includes a ship model handcrafted by the museum’s first director, Madis Mei, as well as a unique model made from the bones of a marine animal—something rare in the Estonian muuseums scenery,” says Dresen.
Visitors will also see the flag of a sailing boat that sank near Ristna, Hiiumaa, in 1932, and a diving suit from 1935 featured in the exhibition’s signature visual. “The diver was one of the museum’s very first exhibits and usually greets visitors in our permanent exhibition at Fat Margaret,” Dresen notes.
Please see the The Diver’s journey from Fat Margaret’s to the Seaplane Harbour HERE.
A Multi-Sensory Experience reflecting the period’s atmosphere
Contemporary solutions are used to recreate the atmosphere of the museum’s birth as faithfully as possible. “In the first room, for example, we’ve used a special lighting design that allows visitors to experience a black-and-white, era-inspired space with a miniature model of the original museum building in the background,” explains Dresen.
The founding of the Estonian Maritime Museum coincided with a golden age of maritime museum creation across Europe. “At that time steam ships began to replace sailing ships prompting the need to document the preceding era. While the Estonian Maritime Museum was opened in 1935, the world’s largest maritime museum, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, was established two years later,” concludes Dresen.
The exhibition will be opened to visitors at the Seaplane Harbour from May 12, 2025, until January 11, 2026.