Our History
Founded in 1989, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation is a non-profit educational organization that built, owns, and operates the Tall Ship of Delaware as a cultural and maritime heritage resource. The ship and foundation serve as catalysts for educational and community development in Delaware and beyond.
The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (KNF) is a non-profit educational organization that invites students and visitors to explore the cultural and maritime heritage of Delaware and its enduring ties to Sweden and Finland. KNF is a volunteer-based organization that built, owns, and operates Kalmar Nyckel from our homeport of Wilmington, Delaware. The ship serves as a floating classroom and an inspirational platform for educational programs that reach more than 30,000 people each year.
Launched in 1997, Kalmar Nyckel is the official Tall Ship of Delaware and a recognizable icon for its home state. Our ship serves as a catalyst for educational, social, and economic development in Delaware and beyond.
As a non-profit educational organization, KNF offers people of all ages and backgrounds a variety of sea- and land-based recreational and educational experiences. While we voyage throughout the mid-Atlantic from Virginia to New England each season, today’s ship resides at our stunning Copeland Maritime Center campus on Wilmington’s historic riverfront – just 200 yards from Fort Christina National Historic Landmark and the original ship’s landing site at “The Rocks” in 1638.