Estonia, Investments, Tourism

Haapsalu castle.

“Haapsalu castle, the most famous sight in Lääne County built in the 13th century, had problems with arranging large scale events and offering tourist services,” said Monica Hankov, Director of the Business Environment Division at Enterprise Estonia, while describing the project. “The open-air stage was depreciated, there were not enough parking places and the castle was poorly illuminated. Nor were there any tourist services offering active activities and there was no compact information system presenting the castle,” listed Hankov.

The project included solving all those bottlenecks in order to increase the number of tourists visiting the city, to extend their visiting time and thus animate entrepreneurship in the region. As of today, guests visiting Haapsalu will find a fully maintained castle area where it is comfortable to look around and where a lot of exciting activities can be found. In order to improve the infrastructure of the castle, an open-air stage was reconstructed, a car park was constructed and security systems and lighting installed, and the wall area and the moat were tidied up. With a view to offering active activities, medieval attractions were constructed, a handicraft workshop, a bow-track and a big checkerboard, the chequers of which may also be used as seats during the organisation of events and themed topics, were built in the castle. An interactive website in Estonian and English on the Episcopal castle was created, information signs and stands were installed and an audio guide service was launched for better information.

The cost of the project was MEEK 17.1 of which MEEK 13.7 was support from the Regional Competitiveness Improvement Programme of Enterprise Estonia, which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Enterprise Estonia began to receive applications for the Regional Competitiveness Improvement Programme in December 2007. More than BEEK 13 of the structural aid to Estonia (2007-2013), amounting to more than BEEK 53, has been granted for the use of Enterprise Estonia. The budget of the Regional Competitiveness Improvement Programme until 2013 is BEEK 1.5.

The objective of the Regional Competitiveness Improvement Programme is to make different regions more attractive for undertakings, investors, qualified labour force and guests. Local governments and non-profit associations may apply for aid for the implementation of projects aimed at promoting the local tourism industry and recreational management. Applications for the development of visiting centres, hiking tracks, study trails and small ports, for exhibiting natural values and developing the supporting infrastructure of tourist sites are welcome. Using the support from the programme, local governments can also develop the infrastructure of the local business environment, e.g. build access roads, renovate sewage systems and reutilise former military, industrial or agricultural sites.