Pärnu County is totally my place under the sun!

I was born and raised in Pärnu and all my grandmothers and grandfathers are from this area. I am close to my roots here, so Pärnu County is totally my place under the sun. I’ve lived my whole life here. After graduating from high school, I immediately went to work because I wasn’t quite sure about my future vocation. At the same time, Pärnu had become renowned as Estonia’s summer capital and tourism industry brimmed with potential. So I found a job at a travel agency and a year later started distance learning studies in tourism management because my job was exciting and I didn’t want to give it up. For over 10 years I was employed as a Sales and Marketing Manager in the hotel industry. It was an exciting time when the hospitality business started to boom with the numerous establishments popping up and Pärnu became the spa capital of Estonia. Prior to the creation of my own company Lahendaarium, I was involved in organising various festivals and event marketing and later also in supporting the development of creative companies at Pärnu County Development Centre.

Today I am self-employed as the Creative Director of Lahendaarium. I deal with marketing services and drive around a lot, as my clients are found all over Estonia. Every week I visit Tallinn, but sometimes also Narva, Haapsalu or Paldiski. It is nice to start the journey in the early morning, have a busy day and arrive back at home in Pärnu in the evening. There is no routine and every week is compellingly unique.

For me, Pärnu is lovely, safe and cosy. It is good to live here, because no city in Estonia is so far away that you cannot reach it in a day. In addition, Pärnu is an ideal city for starting up and running a business, as well as for freelancers and families with young children. Pärnu is uncongested, you can cycle everywhere, and Tallinn and Riga are just a few hours’ drive away. I find that Pärnu County is inhabited by very cordial and sincere people who respect their work but also enjoy their spare time. At the end of the work or school days, the health and light traffic trails are filled with athletes, cyclists, hikers, walkers or roller skaters.

I have always considered Pärnu to be a very safe city, neither too big nor too small. Everything is just the right size and very close by – one day you are on the beach, then you drive into the woods and the third day you spend in the city centre. It’s a very special sense of community when you know your neighbours and can greet other residents on the street. Big cities have much more anonymity and isolation from the community.

I enjoy being able to walk to the sea or bike to the river. While living here, we forget about it and take it for granted, but in reality most Estonians do not have that opportunity. I like that everything is close by, kids can walk to school or home, you don’t have to drive long distances every morning or evening to get anywhere. Everything is going at its own pace and time has a different value.

Big cities create a deceptive impression that because they are bigger in size, also bigger things can be done there. Of course, the possibilities of a smaller city are more limited, but in a small town, all actions have more weight, as there are fewer events and things going on, which also makes people more grateful for them from the very start. When you look at cities and distances in the whole wide world, Pärnu is by far the best place to have your home at. Other cities in Estonia are just as far away from Pärnu as driving from London suburbs to downtown, for example.

It is just great here in Pärnu!