What to do and see in Parnu County, Parnu County: The Best Museums

You must go to the exciting Kihnu Museum when you visit the island. It like an anchor in preserving and introducing the cultural space of Kihnu, which has been entered in the UNESCO heritage list.The museum was founded in the former schoolhouse of Saarekula Village in 1974 and thoroughly renovated in 2009. You will find everything that concerns the everyday lives of people in the museum – tools, clothes, handicrafts, furniture. You will also find exhibitions that introduce famous Kihnu men, such as historian Theodor Saar, Captain Enn Uuetoa and silversmith Peeter Rooslaid, and the works of Kihnu nativists.

Vuhti House is a home gallery that sells ceramics and textiles – rugs, curtains, bedspreads, cushions. The house itself is a restored building in functional style that is located in the historical villa district of Parnu. You can also look around inside the house.

In the museum, you can learn about the life and work of Carl Robert Jakobson, who played a leading role during the times of Estonian national awakening in the 19th century, and the farm he established. Animals are still kept on the farm so you can see cows, sheep and horses. You can also see the restored old farm buildings such as the cattle barn, mill, etc. You can try your hand at farm work and learn about old ways. Farm Work Day, Autumn on the Farm, Christmas on the Farm and others have become traditional events. You can enjoy Estonian national food on the farm if you pre-order.Useful information!CR Jakobson is on the Estonian 500-kroon banknote.

Vene talu or Russian Farmyard is home of Russian culture and traditions located in Parnu county. Discover Russian folk art, taste tea prepared in a samovar, or try on a Russian costume. This family-owned museum introduces the heritage and knowledge passed on through generations. We kindly ask you to inform us about your visit beforehand. All visits are by appointment only.

Ceramic specialist Eddi Leet, who opened his pottery in 1996, has become a household name for his beautiful work. For many years he concentrated on crystal glazing, but more recently he has taken to bright orange and red tones.Since autumn 2009 his pottery has operated out of the Maarja-Magdaleena Guild in the Old Town of Parnu. Here you can put your own pottery skills to the test under the guidance of the maestro himself!

Lydia Koidula (1843–1886) was a famous poetess and publicist during the national awakening of Estonia who spent her youth in Parnu. The memorial museum works in the house that was her home from 1850 to 1863. It is known as Parnu Ulejoe Schoolhouse where her father JV Jannsen, who is also the father of journalism in the Estonian language, worked at the time as the schoolmaster. Your can learn about their lives and activities in the context of national awakening in Estonia, take a look at a typical school and home from the middle of the 19th century and find out about the start of Estonian journalism (Perno Postimees from 1857).

In the Car museum at Halinga the emphasis has been put on the cars manufactured in the Soviet Union and therefore the museum is one of the largest in this field in the European Union. Its exhibition also contains many interesting models from other parts of the world. The exhibition will be complemented constantly with several new exciting models under restauration waiting to be added to the museum's collection.

The local museum opened in the basement and chimney hall of Tostamaa Manor in 3006 introduces the life of local people through items and photos. You can see several exhibitions in the basement hall of the museum, which include a room full of different tools, illustrated stories of history, items from the Soviet times and also items associated with the sea and the lives of fishermen.You take a closer look at the mantle chimney and different exhibitions in the chimney hall on the third wall.

When visiting the art galleries of Parnu, you can always rely on the Museum of New Art to surprise you with its exhibitions of modern art. The museum’s collection contains more than 400 works, and more than 1200 documentaries are kept in its videotheque. Established by Mark Soosaar, the art centre is extremely important in the cultural life of Parnu.Did you know...?*The international exhibition of nudes known as 'Man and Woman' has become a tradition at the museum*The Parnu Film Festival, at which international documentaries compete with each other and new Estonian documentaries are premiered, has been held more than twenty times