Järva: Museums, Bogs and Historic Sites

In the tower on Paide Vallimägi, the Ajakeskus Wittenstein takes visitors through different historical periods: each floor is dedicated to a different era and uses sound and lighting effects as well as video programs. Beyond this tour, Järva offers many ways to explore history, everyday life and the landscape.

Museums exploring history, everyday life and technology

The Tammsaare Museum Vargamäe is located in the birthplace of Estonian writer Anton Hansen Tammsaare. The topics on display include the setting of his novel “Truth and Justice” and the typical household of an Estonian farming family. At the Eesti Piimandusmuuseum, historic dairy-farming objects are displayed alongside workshops on making butter, karask, sõir, kohuke and ice cream.

The Eesti Jalgrattamuuseum presents the history of the bicycle as an important means of transport in Estonia until 1990 and displays almost 200 historic bicycles. The easiest way to get there is by car or bus; cars and buses can park for free in front of the building. The Estonian Broadcasting Museum offers a different perspective on technology: its permanent exhibition spans the first test broadcasts to the present day. Visitors can also create their own radio program or television news report there.

Järva-Peetri Church is a three-aisled hall church dating from the second quarter of the 14th century. The building offers a very different perspective on history from the museums’ collections and hands-on activities.

Technology and media history in Järva-Jaani

The Järva-Jaani Museum Center coordinates and manages four museums with exhibitions for visitors of all ages. The Järva-Jaani Vintage Technology Sanctuary houses more than 500 machines, including buses, trucks, tractors and fire engines. The sanctuary also includes a separate railway museum in a museum carriage, presenting the history of narrow-gauge railways.

The Järva-Jaani Cinema Museum focuses on the technology behind filmmaking: exhibits include cameras, lighting equipment, film developing and editing equipment, and a large collection of projectors. Film screenings are demonstrated using a whirring projector. The Killavoor event is also held in Järva-Jaani, every year since June 2004.

Bog trails and protected landscapes

The Kõrvemaa Landscape Protection Area also extends into Järva County. It protects characteristic landforms, forests, and freshwater, heathland and bog communities. Kakerdaja Bog is the largest bog in Kõrvemaa; its many pools lie on two levels.

The Kakerdaja Nature Trail offers a four-kilometer boardwalk through the bog and a three-kilometer circular trail around Väike Kalajärv and Suur Kalajärv lakes. The routes differ both in length and in the type of path described. There is parking for six cars at Suur Kalajärv. At the Noku rest area, parking is available for twelve cars or two buses.

The Väätsa Nature Trail is also a three-kilometer circular route that starts and ends at the same place. It passes through the Väätsa Landscape Protection Area, where bog forests alternate with transitional bogs. Swimming is possible in the lake by the Rava Oak Grove. The oak grove is protected; it is home to old oaks, larches and a pine tree several hundred years old.

Activities and getting around

You can drive recreational and racing go-karts on the paved Aravete Kart Track. The race track is 1.001 kilometers long; motorcycles can also be ridden there. Türi Adventure Park has five courses, including a low course for children and activities on a course 10–12 meters high. The park is located in the Kõrgessaare drumlin area in Türi Municipality.

Those interested in crafts can take wet- and needle-felting workshops at Kilplaste Koja. They are suitable for both beginners and experienced participants. Türi railway station offers a glimpse into the region’s transport history: it is a transport hub in Järvamaa and was built in 1900 together with the Tallinn–Viljandi narrow-gauge line. Each place and activity has its own focus, from bog landscapes and circular trails to museums, crafts and motorsports.

Discover more destinations: Paide, Türi, Kahala, Käravete, Esna, Peetri, Järva-Jaani, Paide, Albu, Imavere, Koigi vald, Türi, Koeru Parish, Ambla Parish, Väätsa Parish.

See the overview of destinations: Estonia.