Sights in Lahemaa National Park
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Palmse Manor
The restored Palmse Manor and park at Palmse, 8km north of Viitna, is the showpiece of Lahemaa. In the 13th century a Cistercian monastery occupied the land, and it was later developed as a private estate by a Baltic-German family (the von der Pahlens) who ran the property from 1677 until 1923 (when it was expropriated by the state).
Fully restored to its former glory, the manor house, dating from the 1780s, contains period furniture and fittings. Other estate buildings have also been restored and put to new use: the ait (storage room) is a summer exhibition hall; the viinavabrik (distillery) houses a hotel and restaurant; the kavaleride maja (house of Cavaliers), once a …
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Sea Museum
The former Soviet coastguard barracks at Käsmu (Captains' Village) now shelters the Sea Museum. In the 1920s a third of all registered boats in Estonia belonged to this village; at one time there were 62 long-distance captains living here. From 1945 to 1991 the entire national park's coastline was a military-controlled frontier, with a 2m-high barbed wire fence ensuring villagers couldn't access the beach or sea.
The museum has photographs and memorabilia tracing the history of the village and exhibits on marine life from the area. It also hosts the Viking Days festival in August, when Vikings of all nations congregate for a bloodless battle.
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Forest Museum
The impressive, fully restored Sagadi Manor houses a Forest Museum, with exhibits on the park's flora (notably mushrooms) and fauna (stuffed animals). The collection of chainsaws and hunting rifles is impressive indeed. On the grounds is a decent hotel.
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