Pärnu State Museums: Pärnu Museum, Lydia Koidula Museum, and Red Tower
If you are willing to get acquainted with the history and culture of Pärnu, we suggest that you take advantage of visiting three museums at once with a single ticket.
Founded in 1896 by the Society of Archaeology, the Pärnu Museum was initially a private collection of various historical items. When the collection thrived and expanded, the Society of Archaeology decided to open it to the general public, which turned out to be a milestone in the museum’s history, having experienced various changes over the following centuries.
Nowadays, it is a modern interactive museum where you can get acquainted with the history of Estonia from the time of the Pulli settlement, the oldest one in Estonia.
Lydia Koidula Museum is named after the Estonian poetess and writer. The building used to serve as a school and the publishing house of the weekly newspaper “Perno Postimees”. The exhibition is devoted to the life of Lydia and her father, Johann Voldemar Jannsen, teacher, journalist, publisher, and prominent political figure. The museum gives an insight not only into the life of the Jannsens, but also into the life of Estonians during the time of the Estonian national awakening.
Located in the center of the city, the Red Tower is the oldest surviving building in Pärnu. In the Middle Ages, the tower served both as a defensive structure and a dungeon. In the courtyard, you can visit a free exhibition dedicated to the history of the region as well as play the medieval “Mill” game.
Inside, there is an exposition; on the top floor, one will find a panoramic cinema hall where a short film about the history of Pärnu is broadcast. The museum offers group tours both in the tower itself and around the area to introduce you to the medieval city of Uus-Pärnu.
Each of the museums can be accessed with a separate ticket, but it is more profitable to visit three museums at once with a single ticket, which costs 16 EUR for adults.
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Pärnu, Estonia
