Museum A-Ö » Technology and industry » The Shipyard of Jakobstad

The Shipyard of Jakobstad is situated in the Old harbor of Jakobstad and is presenting the war indemnity schooner Vega and the two-masted galeas Jacobstads Wapen, a replica which was built following the original drawings from 18th century and got ready in 1994.

The Jakobstad region is famous for its maritime history and has a 450 years long tradition of building ships. When the original galeas Jacobstads Wapen was launched in the year 1767, it was one of over a thousand ships that were built in the area. Jacobstads Wapen was the first vessel from Jakobstad that was free to sail to international waters.

The war indemnity vessel Vega is a three-masted schooner, built-in wood, and rigged as a schooner ship, which in 1952 was delivered to the Soviet Union as part of the heavy war reparation claim, which was imposed on Finland as a condition for peace.

With Tallinn as her home-port Vega served as a school vessel 1952-1979, so many Estonian sailors were trained on board. As the war indemnity has great historical importance to Finland, the Estonian Republic donated the vessel to the Vega foundation, and she was transported to Jakobstad, Finland in June 1997. Vega is situated in a hall at the Shipyard and is still under reparation. It will never sail again, but people can come and see it during summers from Monday to Friday at 11-16 and due to agreement during other times.