Northern Tartu County

Route: Tartu – Kärkna – Lähte - Äksi – Kukulinna – Saadjärve – Igavere – Välgi – Selgise – Peatskivi – Alatskivi – Rupsi -– Kolkja – Varnja – Koosa – Tähemaa –Emajõe - Suursoo - Kavastu - Tartu

Although the River Emajõgi splits Tartu County into northern and southern halves, in ages past the river has also been an important east-west trade route. River crossing points, which have been established in geographically suitable locations, have played an important role in the development of Tartu County and its road network. Indeed one such location is the city of Tartu itself, where the wide river valley narrows down, thus creating a point of an easy crossing. When travelling through the countryside, one should bear in mind that the River Emajõgi may be an obstacle to direct communication, that may make the journey longer, but perhaps be more interesting.

1. Firstly, we cross the River Emajõgi in Tartu and head outside the town, taking the Jõgeva Road. At Kärkna crossroads we turn left and cross the railway. After 1.5 km we turn left again, taking the gravel road which leads us directly to the ruins of the Kärkna monastery. The earliest written records (1234) mention the Kärkna monastery as Valkanam, Valkena or Falkenau. Later also known among the people as the Muuge monastery, it was one of the largest Cistertian establishments in old Livonia. The monastery was founded by Herman I, the first Bishop of Tartu, in the second quarter of the 13^th century. He became blind in his old age and spent his final years in the monastery, where he is also buried. Nowadays, all that remains for a visitor to see are overgrown low wall structures, former monks’ fishponds and the River Amme.

2. We return to The Tartu–Jõgeva Road and continue our journey northwards. The village of Lähte is a relatively large and locally important settlement of approximately 1000 inhabitants. The settlement of Lähte was founded after the Great Northern War. The first written records mentioning the village (Lecktekül) date from 1725. The site of an ancient hillfort near the school house – Palalinn of Lähte – is evidence of a far more ancient settlement. Palalinn was the closest northern hillfort to Tartu. It is estimated that the hill fort was constructed and inhabited in the final quarter of the first millennium. The opportunity to visit the viewing platform in Lähte and enjoy the sight of the beautiful Vooremaa landscape should not be missed!

3. As we continue our journey, the slender tower of the Äksi church soon appears before us. Of the local ministers, the best known was Otto Wilhelm Masing (1763–1832), who was the editor of several Estonian-language newspapers and journals, and who introduced the letter “õ” into the Estonian alphabet. There is a memorial dedicated to him right in front of the minister’s house. The Saadjärve Nature Centre and the Museum of WWII Estonian Volunteers in Finland share the same building in the Äksi village on the banks of Lake Saadjärv. Here visitors can learn both about the nature of Vooremaa and the heroic struggle of Estonian volunteers in Finland during World War II. From Äksi we head to Kukulinn on the banks of Lake Saadjärv.

4. The manor of Kukulinn is located on the picturesque south-east bank of the Lake Saadjärv. A Neo Gothic extension with lancet windows and small castellated towers was added to the older manor building in the second half of the 19^th century, the giving whole manor a sort of English flavour under old and majestic trees. Unfortunately, no suitable use has been found for this splendid manor and it is slowly falling into decay.

5. Not far away from Kukulinn, the neoclassical main building of the Saadjärv manor, surrounded by a high fence, has been thoroughly renovated. The manor complex includes a number of auxiliary buildings that have also been preserved: a distillery, which provided the manor’s main source of income during the 19^th century, a granary and a drying barn. The gardener’s house built from granite stones is a prime example of the 19^th century architecture.

6. Next we travel through Toolamaa to the Tartu–Narva Road and turn northwards. Igavere is one of the oldest Vooremaa villages, and was mentioned (Igateveri) in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, written in the beginning of the 13^th century. The postal station of Igavere was an important stopping place on the St Petersburg–Tartu–Riga postal road. Besides ordinary mortals, many royal dignitaries have also stopped or passed through here while travelling from St Petersburg to Western Europe.

7. From Igavere we travel to Pataste and take the gravel road heading east. The forests here hide the village of Välgi, where we can find the Church of Holy Alexander Nevski. This orthodox church was built in 1859, on a high hill. There are numerous Votian-style burial sites in the neighbourhood of the church. As we continue our journey, we soon reach the village of Selgise, where the landscape features numerous hills, a legacy of the ice age.

8. Before we reach Alatskivi, we pass through the village of Peatskivi, which, according to folk legends, was the resting place of ancient Estonian hero Kalevipoeg. After several heroic deeds, he lay down to rest here. He fell into such a deep sleep that he did not notice the wolves that ate his steed. A stone saddle was all that was left (Sadulakivi – the Saddle Stone in Estonian). This high hill, which actually was the site of an ancient hill fort (III centuries BC), is nowadays known as Kalevipoeg’s Bed. Kalevipoeg’s Bed is a popular place for village festivities, including an annual competition for strong men.

9. Themost outstanding building in the majestic manor complex of Alatskivi is the Neo-Gothic mansion, designed by the Lord of the Manor Arved von Nolcken himself. The swan-white mansion with an articulate façade and numerous smaller and larger towers stands on the brink of the beautiful primeval valley of Alatskivi. The interior is decorated with huge fireplaces, wooden panelling, Corinthian pillars, stucco ceiling ornamentation, oak parquet, and German stoves, all of which are slowly being restored to their former glory by specialists.

Alatskivi has a church, a memorial dedicated to the Estonian War of Independence and a cemetery, where we can find the grave of the Estonian poet Juhan Liiv.

10. Now it would be appropriate to turn back for a moment to visit the Museum of Juhan Liiv at Oja farm in the village of Rupsi. Here, at the home of his brother Jakob, Juhan Liiv, one of the most beloved of Estonian poets, spent his final years and found shelter during the hard times in his life. There is an exhibition on the life and activities of the Liivs and another small exhibition on the life of Eduard Tubin, a famous Estonian composer, who was also born and lived in the same area. While heading back to Alatskivi, we may also pay a visit to the former Naelavere village school.

11. Back in Alatskivi, we turn right and head towards Lake Peipus. Here, on the banks of the lake, we enter a completely different cultural region. This is the home of the Old Believers

, who fled over the lake from the persecutions of Imperial Russia in the 18^th century, and to this day, they still preserve their beliefs and traditions. On the both sides of the village streets of Kolkja, Kasepää and Varnja we can see numerous dwellings and outbuildings, chapels, and cemeteries stretching right to the brink of the water, with onion and vegetable patches, and rows of dried fish hanging under the roofs. In Kolkja and Varnja it is also possible to visit the museum of Old Believers, and tourists are even welcome in the chapels, provided they observe the proper dressing code.

12. On the way home, we take the alternative route via the gravel road from Koosa through Tähemaa and Viira to Kavastu. Before embarking on the road to Kavastu we visit the site of Varbeki or Uue-Kastre hillfort in the village of Alevi on the left bank of the River Emajõgi. Here, on the last piece of solid ground before the marshlands, a stronghold was built in the 13^th century, that was supposed to provide protection against enemies from Pskov and Novgorod. The stronghold was destroyed by the Russians during the Livonian War. Later, in the 18^th century, the river inn of Kantsi was built on the ruins of the stronghold to serve travellers on the River Emajõgi. Exactly how long the inn operated, is not known. On the same spot today, we can find the Centre for the Wildlife Reserve of the Emajõgi Big Marsh .Under the modern steel-and-glass building we can see the different layers of history through the glass floor.

13. We return to Kavastu. The beautiful manor building has not been preserved. The Kavastu dairy, built with granite stones, was restored to its original design on the high brink of the river bank in 1992. The dairy operated until 2007. Kavastu’s “trade mark” is however the raft. Raft trips over the River Emajõgi, which were once so common , have indeed become the past and it is now only possible to experience an actual raft trip in Kavastu. No internal combustion or electricity is required here, the raft runs on the sheer muscle power and is even capable of transporting a car over the river. From Kavastu, we travel roughly another twenty kilometres – and return back to Tartu!