NEW! Permanent exhibition

THE MADONNA AND THE KEY. THE MANIFESTO AND THE BATHING MACHINE

From 21.02.2026

Pärnu Museum presents a new and meaningful permanent exhibition that invites visitors to discover the story of Pärnu and Pärnu County both within the wider history of the Baltic Sea region and at the key turning points of Estonian history. The exhibition unfolds through four distinctive themes: “The Story of Our Origins”, “A Tale of Two Cities”, “The Birth of the Nation-State”, and “Pärnu, the Summer Capital”.

A new open storage display offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore objects from the museum’s collections that are usually not accessible to the public.

THE STORY OF OUR ORIGINS

Curator: Margo Samorokov

The known story of settlement in Pärnu County, and in Estonia more broadly, begins just over 11,000 years ago at the Pulli settlement site, where the first people settled at the mouth of a stream that once flowed into the Pärnu River.

The rich material uncovered during archaeological excavations has made it possible to study the way of life of the inhabitants of this Early Mesolithic settlement, which is unique not only in Estonia but across Northern Europe. From here begins the wider story of human settlement in the region. Over the following millennia, people were constantly on the move in response to changing natural conditions. With these movements came new knowledge and new material culture, reshaping earlier settlement patterns.

Regardless of the period, water has always accompanied the people of this region – the sea, rivers, lakes, or even bog islands that offered refuge, such as the site of the Soontagana hillfort.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

The Formation of Pärnu’s Urban Space
Curator: Indrek Aija

The exhibition focuses on the history of the city of Pärnu – its origins and development – highlighting both the natural conditions that shaped the formation of the urban space and the economic and geopolitical factors that influenced its growth. The establishment of a town at what had previously been an uninhabited river mouth was driven by intensifying trade between East and West. As two local powers simultaneously laid claim to this strategically important harbour site, a phenomenon unique among Livonian towns emerged: a twin town. The Bishop of Ösel–Wiek founded a settlement on one side of the river mouth, while the Livonian Order established its town on the opposite bank.

Across subsequent historical periods, the exhibition presents Pärnu as a Hanseatic town, a fortress town, a port town, and a resort town.

THE BIRTH OF THE NATION-STATE

Curator: Kristiina Vunk

The exhibition "The Birth of the Nation-State" explores, through the example of Pärnu and Pärnu County, how Estonian society moved toward independence.

During the first two decades of the 20th century, Estonians had begun to recognise their strength as a nation. The number of well-educated Estonians, including those with higher education, had grown significantly. Earlier modest aspirations to participate in decision-making about their own affairs developed into confident demands. In early 20th-century Pärnu, Estonian societies and schools, nationally minded intellectuals, politicians, and shipping entrepreneurs had already become an integral part of local life.

The exhibition introduces individuals whose activities over several centuries helped prepare the ground for the proclamation of the Republic of Estonia in Pärnu on 23 February 1918. The Estonian state did not emerge on its own, and there is good reason to remember again and again those who helped shape the path to independence.

PÄRNU, THE SUMMER CAPITAL OF ESTONIA

The story of Estonia’s leading resort — and a chapter in Europe’s shared history of seaside leisure
Curator: Tiit Kask

Although the first “summer visitors” arrived on the banks of the Pärnu River nearly 11,000 years ago, the story of Pärnu as a resort began only in the 1830s, when the elite fashion for seaside resorts, originating in England, was spreading across Europe.

During the 19th century, Pärnu developed into a coastal resort distinguished by its many parks, shaded avenues, and elegant architecture — the enchanting Cinderella of the Baltic Sea. In the 1920s, Pärnu became a paradise for sunseekers, and in the 1930s it was recognised as the leading resort of the Republic of Estonia. During the Soviet period, it functioned as a year-round sanatorium resort and a popular holiday destination. Since 1996, Pärnu has once again held the title of Estonia’s Summer Capital.

OPEN STORAGE

Curator: Piret Pedanik

“In every community there are objects or buildings whose practical value has, over time, been replaced by symbolic meaning. This has happened either gradually or as a result of political change, and every developed community possesses such heritage. The question is simply how — and by whom — it should be preserved. It is precisely the knowledge or tradition passed on through the core of the community that gives symbolic buildings and objects their value. Such a core group of people, those who care most deeply about the continuity, development, and interpretation of their living environment, also formed an important pressure group in the establishment of museums in the modern era. Pärnu Museum was founded in a period that primarily recognised and valued universal, that is, encyclopaedic museums.”
Vunk, Aldur. 2021. Pärnu Museum 125. An Encyclopaedic Museum.