ATLASES OF THE MARINER - Historical sea charts of the Baltic Sea

For centuries, sailors have travelled the waters of the Baltic Sea, yet the region’s first true sea charts were not created until the late 16th century. Over the following centuries—especially in the 17th and 18th centuries—Swedish and Russian cartographers laid the foundations for systematic marine charting. Sea charts were cutting edge technology of their time: strategically and economically valuable documents that were carefully protected.
The maritime collection of the John Nurminen Foundation comprises nearly one thousand old maps of the Baltic Sea and northern waters, dating back as far as the 15th century. At the heart of the collection are eight rare atlases, images of which are featured in the exhibition Atlases of the Mariner.

The exhibition, built at the Ehrensvärd Museum in Suomenlinna, introduces in its first room the basics of marine charting and the history of mapping the Baltic Sea. The second room presents four sea atlases from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The charts take visitors across the entire Baltic region, offering Swedish, Dutch, Russian, and English perspectives.

The exhibition is presented in Finnish, English, and Swedish. It is produced by the John Nurminen Foundation in collaboration with the Ehrensvärd Society.

Summer 2026

Daily from 4th of May to 31st of August:
May at 10:30 -16:00
June to August at 10:30-13:00 and 13:30-17:30

On weekends:
April and September, Saturday-Sunday at 10:30-16:00