At the end of the 1850s, a blueprint that provided for construction on breakwaters was completed. The work started in the winter of 1859. By 1863-64, both breakwaters with a total length of 2150 meters were completed 230 meters from each other. The breakwaters are popular places among holiday-makers and have put bases to at least one tradition, people in love should walk hand to the end of a breakwater and kiss there to live happily ever after. Since the Middle Ages, the settling of sand in the river mouth has been a major obstacle to the development of Pärnu's sea trade. Ships with deeper draughts could not enter the port and it was troublesome to carry goods to ships in roadsteads with barges and small beach boats. At the request of major retailers in Pärnu, log walls were built in the river mouth between 1804 and 1811. After they were destroyed, a new project was approved in 1862 to build new moles from stone. The moles are more than 2 kilometers long. The cornerstone was placed on 11 August 1863 by Baron von Lieven, Governor-General of Estonia and Livonia. Nearby farmers were able to earn a living by helping in the construction of the moles by carrying large amounts or large and smaller field stones to the site. The construction work, which also included shore reinforcements and dredging, ended in 1869.

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Pärnu's Breakwaters - Public Info

Visit page of the element - Pärnu's Breakwaters

Inserted: 02-08-2022 05:08:36