LOCATION AND ACCESS
The museum building
The Red Tower is located in the Old Town of Pärnu, at 11 Hommiku Street. The building is located in the area between Hommiku and Hospidali streets and Rüütli and Malmö streets.
The 12-metre Red Tower is recognisable by its round shape, white exterior, and red roof. It is the only building like this in Pärnu.
The Red Tower is open between 1 May and 31 August from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and in summer (usually between 20 June and 20 August), from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the winter period – from 1 September to 30 April – the Red Tower is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Arrival and parking
You can get to us by city bus, car, or bike, or on foot. You can only access the Red Tower from Hommiku Street. In a GPS search, use the address ‘Hommiku 11’.
If you are coming by city bus, exit the bus at the Pärnu bus station. From the bus station, you can get to us along the route Ringi – Malmö – Hommiku (about a 3-minute walk).
If you are coming on foot from toward the beach, turn from Rüütli Street to Hommiku Street.
You can lock your bike in the bike rack in the courtyard of the Red Tower.
If you are coming by car, you can only get to the museum by turning from Malmö Street onto Hommiku Street. Hommiku Street is one-way. You can park for free for an hour on the left-hand side of Hommiku Street, but please be aware that there is often no space to park there.
The closest place to park a tourist bus is in front of the Pärnu Hotel. From there, you can get to the Red Tower by going across Iseseisvuse Square, then along Rüütli Street and turning right onto Hommiku Street (about 5 minutes on foot).
Entering the museum
The Red Tower can only be accessed from Hommiku Street. Enter the rectangular courtyard through the open gates and you will see the Red Tower in front of you. The distance from the gates to the museum door is about 25 metres.
The courtyard is enclosed on both sides by a white wall about 2 metres tall. The courtyard is paved with limestone slabs. On the wall to your left, there is usually an exhibition on boards with texts in Estonian and English.
Directly in front of the building is the large black oversized wooden boardgame (Mill Game), with instructions for the game in Estonian and English on the wall. Instructions are also available in Finnish and Russian in the boxes for the game buttons.
You can watch the outdoor exhibition and play the game for free when the gates are open. All we ask is that you put the game buttons back in the boxes when you are done with them. The buttons are quite heavy and you have to be on top of the board to move them.
There is only one door leading to the Red Tower, which is on the right side of the tower if you are facing the tower. The door, which is painted red, is opposite a wooden fence painted the same shade of red. There are usually some garden chairs opposite the door for those waiting.
The door opens outward and to the right. The handle is a heavy forged circle. There is a loose dirt mat in front of the door. The door of the Red Tower can be difficult to open in humid weather.
There is a sign next to the door on the left indicating the opening hours of the museum. If there is a notice with a time of day on the sign, there is probably a group in the tower, the door is locked, and you have to wait to get in. If there is no notice and you need help opening the door, knock on the door or call the ticket desk of the museum at +372 443 3488.
After you enter through the door, you need to continue straight ahead. First, you will enter a narrow hallway covered with a dirt mat. From there, a single step about 10 cm high leads down to the circular reception floor of the tower (the ground floor).
There is a dirt mat on the floor. Come straight to the ticket desk, where the administrator will be waiting for you. You will recognise the administrator by the black name tag. The administrator will help you choose the right ticket and introduce the facilities and offers of the Red Tower. You can also ask them further information about the exhibitions of the museum.
Leaving the museum
To leave the museum, take the way you came.
RECEPTION AREA OF THE MUSEUM
The museum is open to guide dogs, and other well-behaved pets are welcome by prior arrangement.
There is currently no loop amplifier in the Red Tower.
Feel free to ask for assistance from the administrator at the ticket desk. Generally, the administrator speaks Estonian and English, and in exceptional cases, also Russian and Finnish.
Please note! Before your arrival, it is important to know that you can only go upstairs in the Red Tower via a narrow staircase built into the wall, which has 23 stone steps. The handrail of the staircase is a coarse rope fixed to the wall on the right. The attic of the tower can be accessed by a modern metal staircase with 18 open steps and a metal handrail on the right. Both staircases include a turn. The staircase built into the wall turns left, and the metal staircase turns right.
Wheelchair access to the upper floors of the tower is unfortunately not possible.
Tickets
Disabled persons up to the age of 16 and their accompanying persons and severely disabled persons aged 16 and over and their accompanying persons can visit the museum free of charge. The entitlement to the benefit can be proven with a disability card.
In addition, children aged 8 and under, persons repressed by occupying powers (clause 7 (1) 2) of the Persons Repressed by Occupying Powers Act), conscripts of the Estonian Defence Forces, members of the Pärnu Tourist Guides Association and the Estonian Guide Association as well as guides who have completed the museum’s guide training, members of the Estonian Museum Association, members of ICOM, journalists with prior agreement, one teacher/guide per every 11 students/tourists, and Museum Card holders are entitled to free admission to the museum.
A discount ticket can be redeemed by pensioners, students, and ISIC or ITIC holders upon presentation of the appropriate document.
If you cannot go upstairs, or if you are unsure if are able to or dare to go up the stairs, the administrator can offer you up to 50% off the price of your ticket and tell you about the history of the tower and the mediaeval city of Uus-Pärnu on the reception floor.
Cloakroom
You can leave your outerwear on the second floor of the Red Tower. There are wrought-iron coat hooks attached to the iron beams. If necessary, the administrator will help you hang your clothes on the hooks. Personal belongings should be taken with you, while bulky bags can be left with the administrator at the ticket desk if you wish.
Toilet
The toilet is located on the ground floor of the tower, to the left of the model of the tower, behind the red door. The toilet is inside the wall and therefore very narrow.
The door opens outward and to the right. The door can be closed from the inside with a hook. The toilet room consists of a slightly more spacious front room with a sink and a separate toilet behind a door. The door opens outward and to the right. We recommend closing the big door with the hook and leaving the inner door open so there is more space.
Shop
To the left of the ticket desk is a small display shelf and a glass display case, which is used to display both the merchandise of the museum shop and the miniature exhibition. If necessary, the administrator can introduce the products on sale as well as the exhibits.
VISITING THE EXHIBITION
The administrator will give you a written guide in Estonian, English, Finnish, or Russian. The guide is a small booklet that briefly describes what is on display in the tower and helps you find your way around the floors. Unfortunately, the only way to move between floors is via narrow stairs.
The Red Tower has three floors. Generally, the administrator recommends that you start on the ground floor, then move to the cinema lounge in the attic (third floor), and finish on the second floor with the mediaeval model of Uus-Pärnu model and the exhibition in display cases.
On the ground floor is the ticket desk of the museum and a model of the tower, and on the wall to the left of it, a display with introductive text in Estonian and English. Translations of the text introducing the model in Russian and Finnish are also available – please ask the administrator. The administrator will show a model of the tower and talk about the history of the tower, which is included in the ticket price. The floor of the tower has a hatch covered with safety glass, from which you can see into the basement. You can step on the glass.
You will then be led to the cinema hall on the third floor. You will enter a dim room, where you can watch a 10-minute animated film about the history of Pärnu. You can start the film yourself. Next to the staircase is a remote, which is activated by touching it. Select the language you want (Estonian, English, Finnish, and Russian are available) and click ‘Start’. There are ten swivel seats in the cinema hall. We recommend not moving them so that your head would not cast a shadow on the 360-degree screen. Above the panorama screen is an additional screen showing years and brief descriptions of events. If no one is waiting, you can watch the film several times. Please make sure that there are no people waiting.
We recommend that you finish your tour of the tower on the second floor, where you will find a sixteenth-century model of Uus-Pärnu. There are buttons on the model which, when pressed, light up the model and illustrations and descriptions of the buildings appear on a screen on the wall. The first floor of the tower usually also has an exhibition in display cases. The texts of both the model and the exhibition are available in Estonian, English, Finnish, and Russian.
There are currently no tactile texts in the tower.
The museum offers tours and experience programmes for all age groups, available in Estonian, English, Russian, Finnish, German, French, Swedish, and Japanese. To book a tour, please contact visit@pernau.ee. Educational programmes are offered in Estonian. To order educational programmes, please contact haridus@pernau.ee.
FEEDBACK
The Red Tower is constantly working to improve accessibility and we highly value your feedback!
We welcome your suggestions and thoughts at visit@pernau.ee or via our feedback form:
https://www.parnumuuseum.ee/feedback