Lavassaare: Moorland and Railway History

Lavassaare combines moorland and local history, with peat extraction and railways playing an important role. The Estonian Museum Railway is located in the settlement of Lavassaare, in the wider Pärnu region and about 17 km northwest of the city. Nature and railway themes offer different perspectives on the area during your stay.

Moorland and peat history

Lavassaare Nature Reserve was established in 2016. Its protected habitats include raised bogs, transitional and quaking bogs, beak-sedge communities, species-rich fens, and old semi-natural forests and old broadleaf forests. The Lavassaare restoration area includes remnant bog, drained peatland forest and the surroundings of Lake Lavassaare in the Lavassaare bog area.

The wider Lavassaare bog area includes, among others, the Maima, Elbu, Nurme, Kaisma and Laisma bogs. Estonia’s largest peat extraction areas are also located there. During the peak of peat extraction, Lavassaare grew into a settlement of about 450 residents. The historic peat-industry settlement included a workshop, office, depot, storage buildings and officials’ houses; workers lived in wooden barracks. Moorlands and peat extraction areas shape the wider region, while the historic peat-industry settlement is part of Lavassaare’s local history.

Museum railway and railway history

Between June and September, the museum train runs regularly along a 2 km route between the museum in Müramaa and the village of Lavassaare. A journey takes about 25 minutes. Visitors can choose between a steam train, a diesel train and a picnic train. As the service is seasonal, check the current timetable before your trip.

The Estonian Museum Railway’s indoor exhibition features more than 700 historical photographs, objects and documents about the history of narrow-gauge railways in Estonia. The Estonian Museum Railway is Estonia’s only narrow-gauge railway museum. The Museum Railway Society was founded in 1987 and began collecting railway vehicles. Peat transport also shaped the area’s railway history: the old Lavassaare peat railway junction was established in 1922. The Lavassaare–Pärnu (Pootsi)–Sindi line was completed for peat transport in 1924.

Memorial sites and practical information

The Lavassaare prison camp was located in nearby Vana-Lavassaare, two kilometres northwest of the new settlement, from 1941 to 1947. At the site of the demolished barracks, a carved boulder bearing an inscription at Ülejõe tänav 6 commemorates the former camp. Check the condition of the boulder before your visit.

Lavassaare Military Cemetery is located in a peat extraction area with a high groundwater level and vegetation typical of this terrain. From the car park, you can reach it only on foot via a path about 250 m long, which is partly paved and reinforced with wooden planks. As the condition of the path may change with maintenance, check it before your visit.

Swimming and fishing are permitted as small-scale recreational activities at Lake Lavassaare. Check the protected-area rules on site for seasonal restrictions. This helps you understand the opportunities at the lake, as well as the paths and memorial sites that complement a stay in Lavassaare.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lavassaare, Tõstamaa, Tahkuranna, Audru, Saarde, Surju, Kuiaru, Are.

To the main travel overview: Pärnu.