In the Footsteps of Seaside Aristocrats: The Bathing Culture of Kuressaare

When seaside resorts gained popularity across Europe in the mid-19th century, the wave of interest quickly reached Estonia as well. Kuressaare soon became a favoured destination for rest and recovery. Wooden bathing huts and elegant promenades were built along the shoreline, welcoming both locals and visitors – landowners, merchants, and members of high society.

The first bathing structures in Kuressaare were modest, but over time, beautiful wooden pavilions appeared. There, one could change clothes, take curative dips in the sea, and then stroll along the promenade – ladies with lace parasols and flowing dresses, gentlemen in hats with polished walking canes. Bathing was not merely for swimming – it was a social ritual.

Kuressaare’s golden age as a resort also included a mud spa, attracting guests in search of health and healing. The sea, the sun, and the therapeutic mud were seen as natural elixirs. Days followed a gracious rhythm: morning baths, afternoon walks, and evening concerts in the park.

Today, we may stroll the seaside park without lace parasols and silk gloves, but the spirit of that time still lingers – in the benches beneath the trees, the old alleys, the soft murmur of the sea, and the quiet dignity of the landscape. If you close your eyes and listen to the waves, you might imagine a sea-colored dress fluttering in the breeze and a glint of golden opera glasses scanning the horizon for familiar silhouettes.

In the TallinnVintage collection, you’ll find objects that might have once belonged to someone from that era – enamel mugs for tea in a wooden summerhouse, vintage sunglasses, or little keepsake boxes perfect for collecting seashells. These pieces are memories. And perhaps, a whisper from Kuressaare.