Museum of Coastal Swedes. Arvo Tarmula’s photo exhibition

Directors of the museum
1992–98	Maido Limbak
1998–2004	Alar Schönberg
2004–09	Toomas Sula
2009–10	Rea Raus (kt)
2011–	Ülo Kalm

Museum of Coastal Swedes, a cultural establishment that researches, preserves and introduces the culture and life of Coastal Swedes, a.k.a. Estonian Swedes. Active since 1992 in Haapsalu, first exhibition in 1998, open as a national museum since 2002 (opening ceremony attended by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia). The investments and activities of the museum are supported by the Museum of Coastal Swedes Foundation located in Stockholm.

The museum also holds a research library founded by the Coastal Swedes’ Cultural Association. In addition to the permanent exhibition, many public events have been organized at the museum, including building a Coastal Swedes’ wooden sailboat – Ruhnu jaal – in the museum yard and sailing it to Stockholm; also building a Vormsi rupp and Ruhnu lodi (both are boats). In addition, plays (staging Vormsi, Pakri and Vihterpalu style weddings) and exhibitions (fight of the Vihterpalu Swedes for conserving their language and identity, Swedish royal visits to Estonia) have also been organized. A 20 m long embroidered rug (Aibocarpet) depicting historic events in the lives of Coastal Swedes displayed in the history exhibition has received a lot of attention. The museum has marked culturally important places in Coastal Swede settlements and has turned into a Coastal Swedes’ cultural center and a meeting point.

Ruhnu Museum is an affiliated branch of the Museum of Coastal Swedes; the museum has a farm room on Vormsi.

Created in 2014