The story of Aiboland

Heading west from Tallinn as far as you can before you get you feet wet, will take you to Haapsalu. It's a nice place to wander around but there's something in particular to see, which tells a fascinating part of Estonia's history.

Starting at the bus station which used to be the railway station, which is now a museum, the nicest way into town is along the former railway line that skirts along the bay. The docks/marina area is like an elongated doughnut with a lake in the centre. As you follow around the side of the lake, you'll pass a statue to local composer Cyrillus Kreek (1), who used to live here. It's a nice place to sit and watch the world go by while listening to some of his music, but at the far end on Sadama is a museum, that's also something of a social hub.

Every Thursday, a group of ladies meet up at the Rannarootsi Museum (2). It’s a chance for these Estonians to knit, sew and weave whilst having a good natter in Swedish. Why Swedish? Because it’s their language.

For a thousand years, Swedish-speaking people have lived in this part of modern day Estonia, although only a couple of hundred are here now. For many visitors to Haapsalu who stumble across the museum, it is a surprise that this used to be an area mostly populated with Swedish speakers.

And so the Torsdagstanterna (Thursday aunties) make gloves, scarves, hats and rag rugs which are sold in the museum shop – keeping traditional crafts alive and helping the museum coffers. However, there is one thing they have made which is of epic proportions: the Aibotapet (Aiboland Tapistry).

This 20-meter work of art ryely depicts the often dark thousand-year history of the Swedish-speaking people of Aiboland – their name for the north-west coastline and islands of modern Estonia. A history that was almost wiped out by a mass exodus towards the end of the Second World War.

For English and French visitors, parallels with the Bayeux Tapestry will spring to mind. Without that, who would remember the Battle of Hastings? After all, few can recall the Battle of the Northallerton.

Curiosity piqued by the tapestry can be sated in the other rooms of the museum which fill in the details. Here you can gain an insight into the daily lives of these coastal people and how they often had to eke out a living (if you like ducks, better skip the bit about winter bird hunting).

Speaking to the museum staff headed by Ülo Kalm, there is a real feeling of drive and energy not only to preserve but to grow.

Summer has meant heading to Ruhnu (Runö in Swedish) with a host of volunteers to renovate a farmstead which had been abandoned during the exodus. They also have ambitious plans to build a new visitor centre.

This sense of growth is bolstered by the popularity of learning Swedish at a nearby college in Noarootsi (Nuckö). Also, some of the people who left in the 1940’s or their descendants have been coming back, even if just for the summer.

But to think of this as a revival would be misleading. The old folk and the old ways are being remembered but there is also a new found interest in creating new bonds between people on either side of the Baltic. The Swedish being learned is Standard Swedish unlike the Aiboland dialects which were not even intelligible to each other, let alone mainland Swedes.

So what will the future bring?

Well next Thursday it will bring a group of ladies to the Museum to knit, sew and weave whilst having a good natter in Swedish.

Leaving the museum, with some knitting from the Thursday Aunties in hand, why not wander along the promenade and have a seat on the Tchaikovsky Bench (3) before heading for the castle. If you want to know more about the town you could call in on the friendly people at the tourist info office (5) and if all that knitting has got you in the crafty mood, head to the lace museum (6).

Getting there

There are regular buses from Tallinn to Haapsalu taking around 1:30 hrs.