CHURCH, TAVERN, AND CABBAGE GARDEN
The dull everyday life in a small medieval town

Finds unearthed during archaeological excavations on the territory of the former Uus Pärnu (in English – New-Pärnu) tell stories about the everyday life of the people who lived here 500–600 years ago.

Town laws and civic ordinances, together with the restrictions and freedoms that came with the class-based social order, regulated people’s lives in the public space of the city down to what are very personal details in today’s terms. However, the everyday life, view of the world, and daily and yearly rhythms of the mediaeval person were mostly determined by the church – if only because life followed the rhythm dictated by church holidays.

Amidst all the norms and rules, the bourgeoisie of Uus-Pärnu lived their lives within the city walls as best they could – living by trade or handicrafts, sleeping in a wooden or stone house that they owned or rented, dressing according to their class, eating and drinking what they could afford, nourishing their body and soul, and finding entertainment every now and then.

You can find the exhibits and the Russian and Finnish translations of the exhibition on the second floor of the Red Tower.
All the exhibits belong to the collections of Pärnu Museum.

Authors of the exhibition: Margo Samorokov, Katrin Suu
Design: Indrek Aija
Pärnu Museum 2023