Take a pilgrimage in West Harjumaa The westward routes across Harjumaa are to be recommended, and run mainly away from major highways, allowing anyone using them to enjoy the full beauty of Harjumaa, its nature and its various cultural sights. West Harjumaa is especially rich in manors, but it also has a good many new urban areas. The view when leaving Tallinn is of an entire shoreline featuring an impressive limestone bank, which alternates with beautiful sandy beaches in Vääna-Jõesuu, Keila-Joa, Kloogaranna, Lohusalu and Laulasmaa. Due to the fact that the aim of the pilgrimage is to introduce the beautiful shrines of Harjumaa, we will not take the trail that runs along the shoreline. PILGRIMAGE ROUTES IN WEST HARJUMAA ROUTE Tallinn (Viru Square) - Keila - Paldiski - Padise - Harju-Risti - Riisipere - Hageri - Tallinn Tallinna The pilgrimage to Harjumaa starts from Tallinn and heads off towards the city of Keila. You can go there by train, bike or on foot, and if these options are not suitable for you, all of the shrines can be accessed by car, although you might miss an interesting natural or cultural sight if you take the car and drive along the highways. If you start your pilgrimage on a bike, you must first take Paldiski Road to the Haabersti roundabout. You can also use public transport, using trolleybus No. 6 from the city centre or No. 7 from Balti Jaam railway station. To the left from the roundabout is the Õismäe residential area. To begin to leave the city, you have to take the Paldiski road, to the right of which is Lake Harku. At the beginning of your pilgrimage, you can use the cycle and pedestrian track, but at one point that track will come to an end. The road from Tallinn to Keila is full of cars, and is therefore not very safe. The distance from Haabersti roundabout to Keila church is nineteen kilometres. NB: A safer and more reasonable alternative is to take the train from Balti Jaam railway station to Keila and then continue your journey on foot or by bike. Elron train timetables http://elron.ee/en/ A. Keila City is located in the western part of Harju County. The steeple of Keila church is very tall and is visible from quite a distance. 1. St Michael’s Church in Keila, built during the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries. This the most spacious medieval country church in Harju County; its structure is very similar to the late Gothic era in Tallinn. The neo-Gothic décor of the steeple dates back to the year 1851 (the stonemason responsible was Johann Gottfried Exner). The church features a spread of Renaissance and Baroque art, including the multi-storey altar wall (by Tobias Heintze, 1632). The pulpit and the triumphal arch were produced by the same master. The painting, Jacob’s Dream, was commissioned in remembrance of Pastor Eberhard Morian (1669). The churchyard features large stone crosses dated to the seventeenth century and the former private chapels of the various landlords in the region. In addition to the church, you should also visit the county museum in Keila, which is just a short walk away from the church. Harju County Museum is located within the Keila manor building. Should you feel hungry, the city of Keila has several cafes and restaurants in which you can eat, and also shops in which you can replenish your food and water supplies. Where to eat in Keila you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/ From Keila, you should travel towards Paldiski. The distance is 24km. For your information, this road also has high levels of traffic. NB: You can also take Elron trains from Keila to Paldiski. We recommend using this option, because walking across Paldiski and Pakri peninsula will cover quite a few kilometres. B. Paldiski City - the port city of Paldiski includes Pakri, the most impressive peninsula in the north-western part of Estonia, and the largest of Estonians islands - Väike-Pakri and Suur-Pakri. At the end of the peninsula, you will find Pakri lighthouse. Paldiski is a city that was closed during the Soviet era, and is now a home for a little over 4,000 residents. The city also has three shrines. 2. St Nicholas’ Church in Paldiski, Mere Street 12, built in 1842. The Classicistic church building, which was taken over by the Soviet army for over half a century, was revived as a house of God in 1999, when it was also refurnished. The altar painting, Resurrection (by Bernhard Plockhorst, 1888), had been preserved and was returned to its rightful place in 1998. The shrine’s pre-military idyllic past is recalled by the bright-coloured painting by J Weidenstrauch, entitled ‘View of Paldiski Church’. 3. The Orthodox Church of St Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Healer in Paldiski, Muuli Street 4, built in 2003. The wooden church with its miniature onion-shaped cupola has been rebuilt from a former city museum building. Paldiski and the Pakri peninsula have other points of interests besides their churches. The city’s history is full of twists and turns. Read more here. Other points of interest in Paldiski include Paldiski nuclear submarine training centre, Paldiski railway station, the bastions of Peter the Great’s former fortress, Peter the Great’s lighthouse, Pakri lighthouse, Pakri coastal cliffs, Paldiski Naval School, Pakri islands, and Leetse Manor. Paldiski also has some nice eateries, such as Café Peetri Toll, Peetri Pizza, and Lõunasadama Café, as well as various shops. The accommodation and eateries on the road are mainly in Laulasmaa, in Keila Municipality. From Paldiski, head towards Padise. You’ll find St Matthew’s Church of Harju-Madise, one of the most beautiful churches in Estonia and Harju County along the way (10km). 4. St Matthew’s Church in Harju-Madise, built between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. A well-maintained church that is situated on a high coastal terrace. The tall steeple also functions as a lighthouse, shining a light across Pakri Bay. The pulpit was constructed in 1784 and on top of it is a roof which features a carved sun wheel, which folk have called the ship’s steering wheel. The altar triptychon dates to the year 1631. The former bone chamber now features a prayer chapel. People can leave their requests to have a prayer said, and these are taken up by the congregation each Sunday. The main destination for that part of the road is one of the oldest monasteries in both Estonia and Europe. Padise Monastery is located at approximately 10km from Harju-Madise, or 20km from Paldiski. C. Padise Municipality/Padise Village Padise Monastery: it is probable that even by 1220 the Dünamünde Cistercian Monastery had been granted thirty ploughs of land at Padise and its surroundings, as compensation for the efforts of the monks in Christianising the local population after Estonia was conquered. The history of the monastery is long and complicated. Read more here. http://www.padiseklooster.ee . Padise hill fort is located near Padise Monastery, and there is the beautiful Padise Manor directly across the road from the monastery. For further information on the history of Padise Manor, click here. The day has been full of impressions, but it has also been tiring. Therefore you should now think of where you are going to stay for the night. Where to sleep and eat in Padise you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/ From Padise, you can travel further west for about 9km 5. Church of the Holy Cross in Risti, built between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. The church is dedicated to the Holy Cross of Christ, and formerly belonged to the Cistercian Monastery at Padise. It has a rare round tower (built in the fifteenth century, although half of the tower collapsed in the seventeenth century), and massive walls from various stages of its construction. The interior features unique arch paintings. A bulky pillar and a low triumphal arch add archaic charm to the church. The choir features the grave plaque of a merchant’s wife, Gertrude of Tallinn (1531), while in the steeple the bell is the oldest church bell in Estonia. The Baroque pulpit was made at Tobias Heintze’s workshop in approximately 1630. The outstanding medieval polychrome carved piece, a large crucifix (fourteenth century), has been taken from Risti Church and is now part of the museum exhibition at St Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn. There is also the resting place for the children of silence in the churchyard. From here, you’ll be entering Lääne County. If you wish, you can continue with the wayfarer’s churches Lääne County. Instead, if you’d rather continue your pilgrimage through the churches of Harju County, you have to turn back towards Tallinn. The distance between Padise Monastery and Nissi Church is approximately 24km. You have to come back to Vasalemma Manor (6.5km), which nowadays houses Vasalemma School. When you come from Padise, turn right from the manor and head towards Riisipere. The distance between Vasalemma intersection and Nissi Church is 17km. D. Riisipere and Nissi municipalities 6. Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nissi, built in 1873 ‘A nose as long as the steeple of Nissi Church’ is how the old saying goes. The steeple of the stylish neo-Gothic country church (by St Petersburg’s architect, David Grim) is very slender and tall and can be seen from afar. The furnishing in the light and spacious shrine is uniform in style: its altar, pulpit and its balcony for the gentry. The choir room is lit through the magnificent stained glass windows which were made in Riga and which show St John the Evangelist and the Apostle Peter (H Beyermann, 1902).