Top 6 Things to do in Haademeeste, Parnu County

The dunes in Rannametsa have always been a popular place among hikers. Trails and information boards have been built here to protect the delicate nature and still introduce the nature of Luitemaa to visitors.The 2.2 km circular trail, parts of which are a boardwalk, passes through the pine forest on the dunes and Tolkuse Fen, leading to the largest swamp pool of the fen (approx. 96 x 210 m). An 18 metre viewing tower has been established on the top of Tornimagi, the highest dune in Estonia, which takes you more than 50 metres above sea level so you can see as far as 50 km away and even spot Kihnu Island.

At Kabli Nature Centre, you can find useful information about natural values of the region and the holiday options offered by the State Forest management Centre (RMK) all over Estonia. You can watch exhibitions and films about nature, order tours, go camping and swim. Kabli Study Trail, which is 1.8 km long, starts in front of the centre and offers you the chance to learn about coastal plan communities, different types of dunes, various nesting boxes and numerous bird species. You can try spotting the birds yourself from the two tours on the trail.

Nigula Nature Conservation Area has a 6.8 km study trail that runs along a boardwalk. You will get a partial overview of the trail when you hike for about 1 km to the first viewing tower by Lake Nigula. The trail splits in two by the viewing tower and runs through the bare fens towards the forest. The two braches form a loop, which can be covered in about 2 to 3 hours. There are different viewing towers by the trail. And it is great to have a refreshing picnic by the lake after a good walk on the trail! There are a car park, information board and toilet by the start of the trail.

Haademeeste Lutheran Church was built in 1874, about the same time as the Apostolic Orthodox Church, and even though it is smaller than the latter, it is definitely a worthy opponent. The nature stone church in historicist-eclectic style is enlivened by red brick details and two rows of windows with sharp arches on the upper ones and segmented arches on the lower.The house of God was given a slate roof when it was built. People tell a story about how wealthy ship-owners promised to buy the material needed for the roof, so the builders decided to take what they could and selected the most expensive material.

80% of people in Haademeeste converted from the Lutheran faith to Orthodoxy in the 1840s in the hope that they would gain some land for adopting the religion of their ruler, the Emperor of Russia. This invitation was given to people all over Estonia. The first Orthodox congregation in the area, Haademeeste, was created in 1849 and the church was built in 1872. The brick building was plastered and its highest point is the tower with an onion dome above the western entrance. The stucco decor above the windows of the church is the feature that makes it memorable. The three-storey iconostasis in eclectic style is the most remarkable feature of the rich decor inside the church.

Haademeeste coast has long and well known shipbuilding traditions, which are reminded by the memorials in Haademeeste and Kabli, the impressive wooden homes of old captains and ship-owners and family graves in village cemeteries. Haademeeste Museum, created in 1991, gives a good overview of the region's history. Local cultural heritage has been preserved here in words, pictures and videos, and the museum also has more than 300 research papers about the subject.