Estonia’s self-styled summer capital is famous for its long strand of white sand and the vigour of its cultural and social life in high season, as sun-deprived Estonians, worn down by months of long, dark nights, hit the beach and shed much of their winter reserve. Once a member of the Hanseatic League, Pärnu has been a holiday resort since 1838, with bracing mud baths one of its main attractions; although it was described as “almost Riviera-dazzling” by a pre-war English writer, it’s less polished and less narcissistic than that suggests. Space-obsessed Estonians say the beach is too crowded in summer, but crowded is a relative term and it’s rarely unbearable. The town centre, spread around the main street, Rüütli, has a delightfully dozy feel, while parkland and fragrant pine woods lie between town and sea. When you’re bored of the beach, you can spend hours wandering aimlessly along streets lined with functionalist villas, fairy-tale wooden houses and sprawling private gardens filled with lilac and apple trees. Behind this idyllic façade lies a cutting-edge centre, with challenging contemporary-art shows, good theatre and world-class concerts at the sparkling steel-and- glass concert hall. SightsPärnu beach Pärnu’s pride and joy is its long, soft, sandy beach, dotted with brightly painted benches and swings, volleyball nets and primitive changing kiosks covered with cosmetics ads. The Sunset Club, housed in the functionalist Beach Café with its mushroom- shaped terrace and seafront decking area, is the main venue for parties. Cars must be left several streets back (parking 25 EEK for two hours, 50 EEK for a day). There are plenty of kiosks selling snacks and suncream behind the beach, where you can stroll through pine woods, or hire bicycles (T 050 28269), in-line skates and motorized scooters (T 050 18 121/056 45 7732). One kiosk has internet access (40 EEK per hour). Pärnu Mudaravila Ranna puiestee, T 044 25523 (24 hours), http://www.mudaravila.ee. Reservations essential; 150 EEK for a mud bath, cash only. If a mud bath is a must, the best place to try it is this neoclassical cream-and-pink confection, constructed in 1927. Inside, uniformed staff walk briskly through the echoing, high-ceilinged corridors, while ailing patients, as well as the simply curious, gaze at the lemon-and-cream walls; the atmosphere is sober, the aroma slighty chemical. The mud, which comes from Haapsalu, is used to treat joint and spinal problems, radiculitis, cardiovascular disorders, diseases of the locomotive system and the perpipheral nervous system, functional disorders of the nervous system and even gynaecological diseases. Rannahotell Ranna puiestee 5. This ship-shaped structure, with circular windows, deck-like railings and a curved section resembling a funnel, is one of the purest and most beautiful functionalist buildings in Europe. The style, which followed the doctrine that form must be function-led, was hugely popular in the 1920s and 1930s, when Pärnu was developing at lightning pace, which explains the many flat-topped, streamlined villas. The town architect at the time, Olav Siinmaa, was an enthusiast; his own house (Rüütli 1a) is a weird modernistic mix of no-frills surfaces and dizzyingly odd angles. Kuursaal Mere puiestee 22, T 044 20367, http://www.kuur.ee. Sun-Thu 1200-0200, Fri and Sat 1200-0400. Built in 1880, this sprawling summer pavilion lacks the elegance of its counterpart in Haapsalu but it’s a far livelier affair, with live music and DJs in summer. The cavernous yet cosy interior is a bizarre mix of Black Forest hunting lodge and provincial discotheque, with a huge dancefloor at its back, while the vast terrace out back offers views of the local song bowl, ringed with coloured bulbs. Ammende’s Villa Mere puiestee 7. One of the finest examples of Art Nouveau in Estonia, this flamboyant blend of the Brussels style with a hint of Russian influence was completed by St Petersburg architects in 1905. It is now an upmarket hotel with a sprawling terrace and one of the best restaurants in town. Pärnu Uue Kunsti Muuseum (Museum of New Art) Esplanaadi 10, T 044 30 772, http://www.chaplin.ee. Daily 0900-2100. Housed in an ugly former Communist building a few streets north of the beach, this well-designed museum hosts excellent contemporary-art exhibitions, with a seasonally appropriate summer show on the loose theme of nudity; the work on display is mostly of international quality. Bizarrely, you can take home bags of much better stuff, but it’s a relaxing enough place to sit and there’s a good bookshop (1100-1700) with tourist guides and maps as well as books on art. You can also access the internet here (30 EEK per hr, 15 EEK for 30 mins). Pärnu Old Town Little remains of the ramparts of this much-besieged fortress town, besides its 17th-century gatehouse, with its pretty orange-and- green doors. Punane Torn (Red Tower), at Hommiku 11, is one of the town’s oldest buildings. A stolid, three-floor fortress tower dating from the 15th-century, confusingly, it’s now white. Tallinn Gate Kuninga 1. Erected in 1667 and rebuilt the following century, this gatehouse once marked the old route to Tallinn. Today, it’s the unofficial gateway from the Old Town to the resort area. You can walk along the nearby moat, admiring the romantic rampart ruins and open-air amphitheatre, where concerts are held in summer. Jekateriina Church (St Catherine’s church) Vee 16. Daily 0900-1600. The richest example of ecclesiastical baroque architecture in the country, this gaily painted green-and-yellow Orthodox church was built in the second half of the 18th century on the orders of Catherine the Great, who passed through Pärnu in 1764. Eliisabeti Church (Elizabeth’s church) Nikolai 22, T 044 31381. Jun-Aug daily 1200-1800, Sep-May Mon-Fri 1000-1400. If nothing else, the architect of this ochre-tinted mid-18th-century church deserves credit for attempting to reconcile the wildly contrasting concepts of Lutheran and baroque; although unusually ornate by the standards of northern European Protestantism, it’s still a long way from being excessive. Named after Empress Elizabeth of Russia, it has one of the best organs in Estonia and frequently hosts concerts. There’s a bizarre rose window whose stained glass recalls the ‘cheeses’ used in Trivial Pursuit. Pärnu Muuseum (Museum of Pärnu) Rüütli 53, T 044 33231, http://www.pernau.ee. Wed-Sun 1000-1800. 30 EEK. Located in a dismal modern building enlivened a little by a symbol of a boat, this old-fashioned museum explores the history of the town from its origins in 9000 BC. No commentary in English. The museum is awaiting a move to new premises in a converted 19th-century granary on Aida, opposite the concert hall. Kontserdimaja (Concert Hall) Aida 4, T 044 55800, http://www.concert.ee/http://www.pkm.concert.ee. Box office Mon-Fri 1100-2000, Sat 1 hr before concert. Opened in 2002, this stunning steel-and-glass venue next to the river has state-of-the-art acoustics. As well as big-name pop, world music and classical concerts, it hosts free contemporary-art exhibitions showcasing local and international names. The galleries are spread over three floors, so you can admire the views as well as the art. Lydia Koidula Memorial Museum Jannseni 3, T 044 33313.Wed-Sun1000-1700. 15 EEK. The dilapidated façade does not prepare you for the polished interiors of the house where one of Estonia’s most significant poets was brought up. Visit the schoolroom, where Koidula’s father, a leading figure in the country’s National Awakening, founded the first Estonian newspaper (Perno Postimees) and taught Estonian to local fishermen’s children. The family later moved to Tartu, and Koidula, having married a doctor from Riga, settled on Kronstadt, an island near St Petersburg, where she longed for her native land and died young of cancer, leaving two daughters and a nation forever in awe of her patriotic poetry.
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