Lavassaare: Railway Museum and the History of the Peat Industry

The Eesti Muuseumraudtee has more than 80 vehicles and other items of rolling stock, including five steam locomotives. The indoor exhibition is housed in a former peat industry residence and displays more than 500 historical photographs, objects and documents relating to the Estonian narrow-gauge railway. As a result, the focus is not only on technical vehicles but also on the development of various types of railway in Estonia. In addition to public narrow-gauge railways, the collection documents industrial and military railways. Its history began with the VP-1-899 steam locomotive, which became the collection’s first exhibit. The site is also significant for local history: the peat industry site in Lavassaare was selected for establishing the collection.

The 2 km-long museum railway is part of the outdoor exhibition. The journey starts in front of the museum and lasts 25 minutes. In addition, from the beginning of June to the end of September, a museum train runs between the museum in Müramaa and Lavassaare on Saturdays and Sundays. The short journey is part of the outdoor exhibition, while the seasonal museum train provides the connection between Müramaa and Lavassaare. The time of year is therefore important for your planning if you would like to include the museum train. The museum railway itself forms part of the presentation of railway heritage outdoors, while the indoor exhibition brings together historical photographs, objects and documents.

Today’s settlement of Lavassaare was established in 1919 with the founding of the Lavassaare Peat Industry (Jõõpre Peat Industry). The town is therefore not only a setting for railway history but is also connected with the region’s industrial development. The former residence known as “raba kontor” is also part of the historical context. It was brought from Aruküla to Lavassaare in 1923. In Aruküla, the building was dismantled and the beams were numbered; it was then rebuilt in Lavassaare’s old settlement. The Lavassaare–Pärnu (Pootsi)–Sindi railway line was completed in 1924 for transporting peat.

Lavassaare Cemetery is located in a peat extraction area with a high groundwater level and vegetation typical of this terrain. Around 60 prisoners of war from Camp 286 are buried in the approximately 650-square-metre cemetery. A carved erratic boulder at Ülejõe 6 stands at the site of the demolished barracks of the Lavassaare camp. Its inscription reads: “Stop. Remember. Think. In the years 1941–1944, a fascist concentration camp stood here.” The combination of cemetery, landscape and memorial stone makes the history of remembrance an independent focus alongside the railway museum.

Where was the Lavassaare prison camp located?

The Lavassaare prison camp was located in Vana-Lavassaare, two kilometres northwest of the new settlement.

How do you reach Lavassaare Cemetery?

The cemetery can only be reached on foot from the car park. The path is approximately 250 metres long, partly paved and secured with wooden planks.

What connects Lavassaare with Pärnu and Sindi?

The Lavassaare–Pärnu (Pootsi)–Sindi railway line was completed in 1924 for transporting peat.

What is the “raba kontor”?

The “raba kontor” is a former residence that was brought from Aruküla to Lavassaare in 1923, rebuilt there and thus became part of the old settlement.

To the main travel overview: Lavassaare.