GUIDED TOURS ON PÄRNU DAY

Guided Tours on Pärnu Day

On PÄRNU DAY, April 5, guides from the Pärnu Guides Association will take you on free walking tours to the river promenade, streets, parks, famous Pärnu residents' paths, and the suburbs. A diverse and interesting selection of thematic tours awaits walkers and listeners! 

Riverbank Walk 
at 10:00 from Pärnu Museum (Aida 3)
We will take a walk along the banks of the Pärnu River between the two bridges: Kesklinna Bridge/Great Bridge - new bridge. We'll reminisce about events that took place here, the buildings that were once here, and how everything has changed. We will talk about this and look at some old pictures. Of course, we will also talk about the Pärnu River. Did you know that trains once ran on the river! The guide has photos to prove it. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of spirits and ghosts that occasionally appear in former buildings, but they will be mentioned. Guide Imbi Vesik

Everyone has their own street, bench, and tree...
at 11:30 from Pärnu Central Library (Akadeemia 3)
The streets of our hometown have seen quite a lot over the centuries. Street names have been changed depending on the political regime and the vision of the city government. Historical figures have moved here, in whose honor streets have been named, even though they have no direct connection to Pärnu. We ourselves and historical figures have had our favorite spots in the city. We will explore the city's street network from the Middle Ages to the present day. Guide Rita Tammela

There were plenty of small bookstores
at 13:00 from Johann Woldemar Jannsen's sculpture (Rüütli 14)
Pärnu's first thorough bookstore was located at Rüütli 14. Interestingly, if we reverse house number 14, we get the address Rüütli 41, where the reputable bookstore “Looming” (later “Apollo”) operated for a long time, considered the last store trading mainly or solely in books. More than 150 years of diligent book trading by merchants on Rüütli, Kuninga, Vee, Riia, Jänesselja (Tallinna) streets, and in the city's life in general, fits between the first and the last. Our walk will take us along Rüütli street. We start at the statue of papa Jannsen (at the edge of Children's Park), because it was his founded Pärnu Postimees that always kept an eye on everything happening. Guide Eve Sass

Walking in the footsteps of Olev Siinmaa
at 14:30 at the Olev Siinmaa monument on Vallikäär slope opposite his home (Rüütli 1a)
Olev Siinmaa (1881–1948) is one of Estonia's legendary architects and one of the most outstanding functionalists of the 1930s. His name is primarily associated with Pärnu, where he served as the city architect from 1925 to 1944. The light-colored private houses and beach architecture in Pärnu became a symbol of European trendiness during Estonia's first independence period. Under Siinmaa's influence, many buildings were designed in Pärnu that still appear fresh and light today and have given Pärnu an important part of its milieu and identity as a resort town. It was during Siinmaa's tenure that Pärnu's resort acquired its modern appearance. Guide Heli Tooman

Wooden architecture and suburban atmosphere in Riia 1 suburb / Suure-Jõe street - for how long?
at 16:00 from Independence Square, near the monument (Rüütli 42)
In the 19th century, Suure-Jõe street was one of the city's main thoroughfares with its narrow-gauge railway and authentic suburban atmosphere. Today, we find beautifully renovated wooden buildings here, with doors that deserve special attention, but also the last remnants of the suburban atmosphere and the empty Pärnu prison building and old hospital. Guide Ester Preimann