Not under conservation as a cultural monument

The paintings in the III class waiting hall at Haapsalu Railway Station were supposedly created in 1951 when extensive major repairs took place in the station. A complaint written the same year, “Disorder in the Haapsalu Station” (Eesti Raudteelane, 27.10.1951), describes the repairs done that year: “A renovation took place here, new and comfortable furniture was provided for the passenger waiting hall. The artistic design of the hall was taken care of as well.” It is likely that the “artistic design of the hall” refers to the interior design of the hall, with the sea-themed paintings.

The author of the paintings is unknown, although there is wide speculation on the matter. According to one oral tradition, the painter is remembered to be an anonymous German prisoner of war who was known as a talented painter, while another suspects Georgi Ragožnik, a former art teacher in Haapsalu who had studied at the St. Petersburg Stieglitz art school. Due to lack of information, it is difficult to attribute the paintings to a certain person.

In 2017, the paintings were conserved by students of the Estonian Academy of Arts in the course of traineeship. By that time, the paintings (a total of eight sea-themed wall pannels, and 16 marbled picture frames) had become covered in dirt, and the oil paint had started to peel off of the plaster base in some places. The paintings were cleaned and the peeling paint was re-secured. They are admittedly a little amateurish in nature, but they are interesting in the context of our cultural history and give the historical waiting hall a special accent. Currently, the room is in use by the Haapsalu Railway and Communications Museum, where the impressive room with the unique paintings is on display as well.

Hilkka Hiiop, Tõnu Tammearu, Varje Õunapuu