Haapsalu (until 1917 the German and Swedish names Hapsal were used) is a city in western Estonia, on the Haapsalu Bay (Baltic Sea). It has about 12 thousand inhabitants. Seaport. Famous climatic and balneological health resort. It is the capital of the Lääne province. The city has Haapsalu Airport.
- Bishop’s Castle. The castle, built during the times of the Livonian Order, is undoubtedly the most important attraction in Haapsalu. Until recently, the old building was a permanent ruin, but in May 2019, renovation works were underway on site to make the structure a little more suitable for sightseeing. The castle grounds can be entered all year round and are free of charge. However, if we would also like to visit the museum and the church located in the inner courtyard, we have to pay 4 euros. Unfortunately, we were not able to find out whether this is the right amount, because the aforementioned renovation prevented us from entering.
- African Beach and Surrounding Area. The name of the most important beach in Haapsalu may seem misleading, which – as is often the case in this part of the world – we owe to the Soviets. There used to be wooden sculptures of African animals here, which the Reds turned into fireplace fuel during World War II. The beach itself is not particularly impressive, and the water is not the cleanest (due to seaweed). Nevertheless, in its immediate vicinity you will find several interesting “walking” points.
- Railway Museum. The long, old-school railway station, which now houses the Railway Museum, was opened during the Tsarist era (in 1907, to be exact) so that the Russian upper class could conveniently commute to the popular resort town that Haapsalu was at the time. To keep the bourgeoisie out of the rain, a 214-meter colonnade was built, which is said to be the longest such structure in the entire Russian Empire. Entry to the tiny museum costs 3 euros, but the locomotives (and other tracked vehicles) displayed outside can be viewed for free and will be quite an attraction for fans of this type of monument. We were supposed to jump on the ride, but we spent almost an hour there.
- Abandoned military airport. A bit past the town of Paralepa (there is a forest park with another beach here), at the height of the village of Kiltsi, you will find the entrance to the area that was once a Soviet military airport. The area is forbidden to enter, but the numerous traces of the tombstones clearly indicate that the local youth do not care much about it. The airport was quite large and if you are a fan of relatively safe urbex, you will be very happy to visit it. In the branches of the access strip you will find numerous hidden bunkers, where you can roam freely. It is worth hurrying, because in May 2019 the first bulldozers appeared on the site, probably with the task of giving the airport a shape more adapted to modern times.
- Ungru Estate. The ruined Ungru Estate, located right next to the airport described above (from Kiltsi, continue west along the main road – you will quickly see the estate on your left), is one of the greatest local curiosities that you will not find in standard guidebooks. The history of the building is quite unusual. It is connected with the figure of an Estonian nobleman who was madly in love and met a Merseburg princess in the 19th century. The little lady decided that she did not want to leave Merseburg because her daddy’s castle was a real hit and all. The enterprising young man returned to Estonia and began building the estate, which is an almost perfect copy of the German building. Unfortunately, the investment did not pay off in the form of a bedding, because the princess died before the construction was completed, and the nobleman put his stick on everything in despair. The Russians also contributed to the deplorable state of the building, partially dismantling it during the construction of the airport we already know.
