Municipalities
Like other municipalicies of the Romantic Coastline, Tõstamaa is characterized by diverse nature - a long coastline, beaches and wooded meadows, piles of stones, sand dunes, ancient forests and beautiful rivers and lakes. In Tõstamaa municipality are the most glorious lakes of Läänemaa County that are also the richest in fish. The wealth of Ermistu Lake is also the giant stocks of lake mud, which are used in many rehabilitation centers as therapeutic treatment. Preservation of the diverse nature of the Tõstamaa and Varbla coastal regions and Kihnu Island falls on the newly established Kihnu Strait Marine Park.
Sorgu Island that is under nature protection is a tiny rocky island of five hectares, which is a natural rock-garden and a paradise for sea birds. The granite from the island can be found in the cobble stone pavings and the piers of Pärnu city. Manilaid or Manija Island is located less than a kilometer from the mainland and year-round almost 35 people live here. The whole island is like a valuable coastal meadow, which is characterized by the growth of rare plants and the constant ringing of the voices of coastal birds. On warm nights of early summer, one may hear here a loud toad recital - in Manija there is the Estonian and probably Western European largest population of the natterjack toad.
As for historical and cultural values, the pride of the municipality is Tõstamaa Manor, in particular its mansion. The mansion is the most beautiful one of all the restored manor houses of Pärnu County. Since 1921, the Post-Classical style mansion has been hosting the local school. The last baron of Tõstamaa estate was the scientist Alexander Stael von Holstein (1877 - 1937), who was born and raised in Tõstamaa and was a Professor of Sanskrit language and the Head of the Department of Beijing University.
In total, seven manors belonged to the historic parish of Tõstamaa, out of which knight’s estates were Tõstamaa and Pootsi. To this day, little has been preserved of the Pootsi manor center. The mansion is privately owned and heavily upgraded; most of the outbuildings have been destroyed. Today, however, a carpet workshop awaits guests in the former steward’s house and in the current visitor center of Pootsi manor.
Interesting sights are the village churches in Tõstamaa, Tõhela, Seliste, Kõpu and Kastna. Of the five churches located in the municipality, the only Lutheran church is the St. Mary's Church of Tõstamaa, the other four are Orthodox churches. Unlike other Orthodox churches built in the second half of the 19th century, the Seliste church is a wooden building. The church was built by monks in Riga and it was brought from Riga in the form of detail parts over the ice to Seliste. The bell tower of the church has a beautiful view of the sea and the surrounding area.
The most important part of the economy in the parish is agriculture. Of big importance are the fisheries and wood processing, and increasingly gaining pace is tourism and recreation.
