The Aland Maritime Museum is a museum in Mariehamn in the Aland Islands, Finland. It is located in the western part of the town on the sea on Hamangtan, about 1 km at the other end of Storangatan. Along with Alands Museum it is the most important museum in the islands and a monument to the past glory of Alanland claim as the holder the worlds largest fleet of wooden sailing ships in the past.
The major piece of the museum is a four-masted barque named Pommern moored in the harbour which was built in Glasgow in 1903, which is anchored behind the museum building. The traditional museum designed like a ship prow cutting into the land, has been called the “kitsch museum of fishing and maritime commerce.”
The Aland Maritime Museum is considered as one of the world finest museums related to merchant sailing ships. The building that depicts this glory is laid out in two floors with a plethora of objects relevant to the past glory of the shipping era. The museum has a library wing which has large collection of old archives of books and photos. Souvenirs of books, picture post cards are also available on sale in the museum shop.
The museum has created the central core of a ship depicting a mast, saloon, galley and cabins. The Ships figureheads, which have been moot witness to events of shipwreck, storms and other glorious or inglorious incidents, have been displayed along with boats; the prominent figurehead displayed is that of the male statue which once decorated the ship, the "California".
In addition, nautical trappings, a number of ships in bottles and sea chests are also on display. Portraits of the paintings of the ships, done by local artists that were specially commissioned by the captain of every ship are exhibited in the museum. Even the models of the ships of different times have been prepared thought fully for display on a uniform scale model so that even now the difference between a Baltic schooner and an ocean-going windjammer could be easily discerned.
The major piece of the museum is a four-masted barque named Pommern moored in the harbour which was built in Glasgow in 1903, which is anchored behind the museum building. The traditional museum designed like a ship prow cutting into the land, has been called the “kitsch museum of fishing and maritime commerce.”
The Aland Maritime Museum is considered as one of the world finest museums related to merchant sailing ships. The building that depicts this glory is laid out in two floors with a plethora of objects relevant to the past glory of the shipping era. The museum has a library wing which has large collection of old archives of books and photos. Souvenirs of books, picture post cards are also available on sale in the museum shop.
The museum has created the central core of a ship depicting a mast, saloon, galley and cabins. The Ships figureheads, which have been moot witness to events of shipwreck, storms and other glorious or inglorious incidents, have been displayed along with boats; the prominent figurehead displayed is that of the male statue which once decorated the ship, the "California".
In addition, nautical trappings, a number of ships in bottles and sea chests are also on display. Portraits of the paintings of the ships, done by local artists that were specially commissioned by the captain of every ship are exhibited in the museum. Even the models of the ships of different times have been prepared thought fully for display on a uniform scale model so that even now the difference between a Baltic schooner and an ocean-going windjammer could be easily discerned.
