Audru Church arboretum

Audru church park hosts one of the most unique arboretums in the Baltic and Nordic countries.

The history of the Audru church dates back to the first half of the 17th century when the construction of a wooden church began under the guidance of countess Magdalena von Thurn. The church was inaugurated on 9 October 1636, bearing the name Audru Holy Cross Church.

The current stone church built in 1677–1680 under the patronage of Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie is one of the few preserved 17th century country churches in Estonia.

The church is surrounded by a rich arboretum established in the years 1970–1996 by the Estonian silviculturist Raimond Erik Prentsel. Based on the information known, this is the only arboretum surrounding a church in Estonia and is one of the most unique in the Baltic and Nordic countries due to the number of non-native species, and its dimensions.

A historical sight for those interested in gardens and culture

In 2019, as many as 227 woody plant species were counted around Audru church: 27 woody plant taxa are native and 200 non-native. Among others, the church garden features rare species and varieties such as:

• Manchurian fir,
• dark-bark spruce,
• Khingan fir,
• American elm,
• Siberian elm,
• field elm,
• Mongolian oak,
• northern white cedar (Pyramidalis compacta),
• field elm (Umbraculifera).

The forest park covering nearly 2.1 hectares is protected under heritage conservation. In the church garden, there is a memorial stone to honour the brothers Aleksander Saebelmann-Kunileid and Friedrich August Saebelmann, the founders of Estonian national choir music. Their father was a parish clerk and schoolmaster in Audru.

Additional info

How to get here? It is only 10 kilometres from Pärnu to Audru church park.