Lavassaare: Moorland Landscape and Peat Railway History

Lavassaare is a destination for travelers who place greater emphasis on moorland landscapes and railway history than on a classic coastal setting. The Estonian Museum Railway is located in the Lavassaare settlement, in the wider regional area of Pärnu, between moorland areas and approximately 17 km northwest of Pärnu. This provides a clear combination of protected nature, peat industry history and a seasonal museum experience when choosing your destination.

Nature Reserve, Moorland and Lake Lavassaare

The Lavassaare Nature Reserve was established in 2016. Protected habitats include raised bogs, transitional and quaking bogs, beak-sedge communities, species-rich fens, old semi-natural forests and old deciduous forests. Estonia’s most extensive peat extraction areas are located in the Lavassaare moorland area. The wider regional Lavassaare moorland area includes, among others, the Maima, Elbu, Nurme, Kaisma and Laisma bogs.

The Lavassaare restoration area comprises remnant bog, drained bog forest and the surroundings of Lake Lavassaare in the Lavassaare moorland area. Lake Lavassaare is a public body of water; swimming and fishing are permitted there as small-scale recreational activities. The approximately 3.5 km path to the lake is marshy and in poor condition. These varying path conditions are part of the practical orientation when incorporating nature experiences and historical destinations into your travel planning.

Narrow-Gauge Railway as the Centerpiece of the Local History

The Estonian Museum Railway is Estonia’s only narrow-gauge railway museum. Its indoor exhibition displays more than 700 historical photographs, objects and documents relating to the history of narrow-gauge railways in Estonia. Between June and September, the museum train operates regularly on a 2 km route between the museum in Müramaa and the village of Lavassaare. Visitors can choose between a steam, diesel or picnic train for the approximately 25-minute journey.

This museum has a longer regional development behind it: the Museum Railway Society was founded in 1987 and began collecting railway vehicles. Lavassaare’s old peat railway junction was established in 1922; in 1924, the Lavassaare–Pärnu (Pootsi)–Sindi railway line was completed for peat transport. The present-day settlement of Lavassaare emerged in 1919 with the establishment of the Lavassaare (Jõõpre) peat industry. The historic peat industry settlement included a workshop, office, depot, storage buildings, officials’ houses and wooden barracks for housing workers.

Historical Memorial Sites

The more recent history of the place is also present in the landscape. The Lavassaare prison camp was located in nearby Vana-Lavassaare, two kilometers northwest of the new settlement, from 1941 to 1947. At the site of the demolished barracks, at 6 Ülejõe tänav, there is a carved boulder with an inscription commemorating the former camp.

From the parking area, the military cemetery of Lavassaare can be reached only on foot via a path approximately 250 m long, which is partly surfaced and secured with wooden planks. The cemetery is located in a peat extraction area with a high groundwater level and vegetation typical of this terrain.

For the main travel overview: Pärnu.

More Destinations

More places under the same destination:

Saarde, Koonga Parish, Surju, Kuiaru, Kihnu Vald, Are, Tahkuranna.