Located close to the Mariehamn city centre, the Maritime Quarter is an oasis for schooners and wooden boats, and also has a little seafarer’s chapel out at the end of the pier. Most people come to soak up the atmosphere of the wooden storehouses and boathouses.
The waterfront quarter in East Harbour is small, but charming. Here, you can wander among the storehouses and along the piers. You’ll often catch a whiff of pine tar and, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to watch one of the regularly ongoing activities in the quarter. From the clang of the smith’s hammer to the renovation of old motors or the shipwrights currently building the galeas Emelia. Her launch is planned for 2024 during the Tall Ships Race in Mariehamn.
Culture, arts and crafts
The Maritime Quarter is also a living gathering spot for art and traditional handicrafts. Among the boatbuilders, sailmakers and joiners, you’ll also find numerous gold and silversmiths, artisans and artists who have their workshops and studios in the Maritime Quarter. One of these is visual artist and illustrator Jonas Wilén, who is one of the most well known artists in present-day Åland.
Also worth a visit is the boat and shipbuilding museum, Guldvivas jewellery workshop and shop as well as the SALT handicrafts house, which has a large selection of local art and artisan foods for sale.
If you’re hankering for a dining experience on the water, take a lunch or dinner cruise on the M/S Sunnan II, an excursion boat done up in an old-fashioned steamboat style. Otherwise, a pizza at Pub Niska comes highly recommended!
