This garden suburb covers an even bigger area than Lasnamäe, spreading south along the highway to Pärnu, but it’s home to just 11% of the city’s population (40,000), and a paradise for anyone seeking a spot of peace and quiet. Villas are tucked away in pine forests (Nõmme means “heath”) and sprawling gardens ensure everyone privacy. The suburb developed after the opening of the local railroad station in 1872, as the local Baltic-German landlord, Nikolai von Glehn, sold land to the richer inhabitants of Tallinn, who built summer cottages here; it became a town in 1926. Permanent residences sprang up in the 1930s, when it was seen as a highly desirable place to live, and you can still see traces of functionalist and Art Deco architecture amidst the pines. Unsurprisingly, many of the residents were deported by the Soviets for being “bourgeois”. Getting there: Bus 36 from Viru väljak or electric train from Balti jaam. SightsNõmme Museum Jaama 18, T 670 0202. Tue-Fri 1000-1700, Sat 1000-1600. 10 EEK, free with Tallinn Card. Housed in the old railway station, this low-tech museum relates the history of the town. Some explanations in English. Kristjan Raud Museum Raua 8, T 670 0023, http://www.ekn.ee. Wed-Sun 1000-1800, closed Mon-Tue. T 670 0023 for tours. 10 EEK, free with Tallinn Card. Much more interesting than the above, this exhibition devoted to Kristjan Raud (1865-1943), the illustrator of the national epic, Kalevipoeg, is found in the artist’s green-painted 1920s wooden house. His chunky, symbolist-influenced works are the main event. Von Glehn’s Castle and Park Vana-Mustamäe 48. Built in 1886 by the area’s landlord, the castle is more of a modest folly. The park, which is essentially a forest, is a wonderfully remote place to roam. There are odd statues lurking in the grounds, including a stone crocodile and a peculiar-looking Kalevipoeg.
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