As you drive along the lakeshore northwards, you reachthe neo-Gothic with its slender steeple. Thechurch participates in the Wayfarers Churches project andis open throughout summer. The Äksi church has an im-portant part in the cultural development of Estonia, beingthe home church of Otto Wilhelm Masing (1763-1832), aminister and writer, who introduced the letter “õ” into theEstonian alphabet.

After having seen enough of Äksi, you go south by themain road. For your last stop, turn left beforehamlet to go to the viewing platform you can see from faraway. It is about 15 metres high and gives you a perfectopportunity to view the Vooremaa striped landscape inthe north and the highest buildings of Tartu in the south.

Äksi church

Lähte

Another 15 kilometres

up and down the

drumlins and you are

back in Tartu!

The landscape in Peatskivi village (1.5 kilometresnorthwest from Alatskivi) has been shaped by Kalevi-poeg, the legendary ancient giant of Estonians.

Lake Saadjärv is the biggest, southernmost and mostfishy of the lakes in Vooremaa.

Saadjärv Manor House

Saadjärv Nature Centre

Museum ofWWII Estonian Volunteers in Finland

Ice Age Centre

Saadjärve Yachting Club

Thestory goes that Kalevipoeg once fell asleep so soundly,that the wolves ate his horse. The only thing left was itssaddle that had turned into stone – the Saddle Stone( ). The high mountain slope where Kalevipoeg issaid to have slept is called the bed of Kalevipoeg. In fact, itis an ancient Estonian settlement dating from 3 centuryBC. Nowadays this is the place for bonfires and villageparties.

Several manors of BalticGerman nobility have been situated on the beautifulshores of the lake. On the northern coast, you can see thegrand with its renovatedclassicist style main building, currently in private hands.The manor ensemble comprises several facilities, such as adistillery that generated a large portion of the estate'sincome in the 19 century, a stable for oxen, a combinedgranary and grain dryer, and a beautiful gardener'scottage.

In Äksi village on the southern coast of Saadjärv you'll findthe where you can see how thelandscape of Vooremaa has evolved and what itspeculiarities are. The building also houses the

.In summer 2012, a new will be opened inÄksi. Its multifunctional sound and light installations andinteresting exhibits give you an impression of the ice agein Vooremaa about 15,000 years ago and a chance tothink about climate change. You can walk around and seethe exhibitions on your own, but you can also order acoached study or entertainment program.

If you want to get to know Lake Saadjärv as it is, the bestplace for it is in the . You can goon the lake on a yacht or catamaran, go swimming or takea sauna.

Sadulakivi

The road onward passes through old biodiverse forests

and over the hilly kame field of Selgis to the southern part

of Vooremaa (land of drumlins), the most prominent

collection of ice-age moulded landforms in Estonia; it is

like a geological open-air museum.

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Text: Annereet PaatsiLayout: Triinu SarvPrint: PaarPhotoes: Tartu Countypublic photostock

www.visittartu.com

Tourist information centre; tourist information

Hiking trail; lookout tower

Museum; manor house

Church; monument

Horseback riding; protection area visitor centre

Hotel; accommodation

Caravan stop; internet

Hunter’s lodge; scenic view

Tenting site; camp fre site

Natural features; archaeological place of interest

Historical place of interest

Filling station; beach

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The tour ofNorthern Tartu CountyThe tour ofNorthern Tartu County

Travel Routes in Tartu County

Tartu Visitor Centre/Raekoda Town Hall, Tartu ESTONIA

Ph/fax +372 744 2111info@visittartu.comwww.visittartu.com

Travel Routesin Tartu CountyTravel Routes

in Tartu County

About two-thirds of the 147,000 inhabitants of TartuCounty live in the city of Tartu. The rest live in rural areasand towns. It hasn't always been the case. For a longperiod of time, Estonians were a people of land andforest. In order to get to know the inhabitants of TartuCounty and grasp the earnestness and profoundness ofEstonians, it is necessary to take a glance at the landscapeand people around Tartu.

The versatile landscapes of Tartu County have much tooffer, whether you prefer to enjoy nature and scenery orare more interested in the place's history. You can rest inthe tranquillity of marshes and forests, enjoy the sunsparkling on lakes, or go sightseeing in places that haveplayed a significant role in the different stages of theintricate history of Estonia, the border area between Eastand West.

Hill forts, burial mounds, sacred groves and the legends ofour giant hero Kalevipoeg are signs of an ancient era offreedom in Estonia. Stone forts and fortified churchesalong with manors in green parks stand as silent witnessesof the long German rule. Orthodox churches and project-wise identical community centres and railway stationsreminisce of the Russian Tsarist period. The Old Believersliving on the western shore of Lake Peipus remind us of afraction of the complex history of the Tsardom of Russiaand the Russian Empire.

centres and abandoned statefarms surrounded with fields that are left of the Soviettimes may cause controversial and perplexed feelings.During your tours, you can rest your weary feet in the coolshade of medieval churches or recreation areas alongsidethe hiking trails. This might give you an idea why there arestill quite a few Estonians who prefer to live among thewoods and fields, far away from other people.

The Emajõgi River divides Tartu County into northern andsouthern parts. This river flowing from east to west is alsoan important waterway and trade route. The oldestsettlements of Tartu County were situated on its shores,and in medieval times, the river was an importantHanseatic trading route. Furthermore, the Emajõgi is thereason that the city of Tartu came into existence as atrading post where the river and land routes met. Tartu liesin the place where the otherwise wide floodplain on eachbank of the river is narrow, thus offering an easierpossibility to cross the river. The Emajõgi River is thesymbol of Tartu County and has greatlyshaped its settlements. Because of theEmajõgi, we shall divide the county tour intotwo parts.

The huge multi-storey kolkhoz(Soviet collective farm)

As you go further inland, you come to . This is theplace of the most valuable architectural gem of the area:the manor house of Alatskivi Manor dating back to 1885.This luxurious neo-gothic castle was designed by Arvedvon Nolcken, the owner of the manor. The bright whitemain building of t

The renovated castle isfurnished with the elegance of the earlier times and nowserves as a museum open to the public. You may dine inthe landlord's former dining room. There are concert andexhibition events in the manor; because of its romanticand stylish nature, it is also often used as a place forweddings.

There are other sights in Alatskivi as well, such as a smallvillage church in a pine grove and a cemetery with amemorial to people from Alatskivi who died in theEstonian War of Independence. No need to fear hunger,since there are several places in the vicinity where you candine out.

When you are in Alatskivi, it is recommended to take asmall detour south and visit the . This is theplace for keeping and reviving the material and spiritualheritage of Juhan Liiv (1864–1913), the most belovedpoet in Estonia. The buildings and furnishings of thisopen-air museum give a chance to see the life of Estonianpeasants at the turn of the 20 century.

Alatskivi

Liivi Museum

he manor with its towers and turretsand strongly structured façade stands at the edge of theAlatskivi prehistoric valley.

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If your time is up, you can now go back to Tartu. If you

are interested in a longer tour, go back north t

hrough Alatskivi to Kallaste.

Tartu – Kõrveküla – Aovere – Vara – Koosa – Varnja – Kolkja –Nina – Alatskivi – Rupsi – Alatskivi – Kallaste – Peatskivi –Selgise – Välgi – Pataste – Igavere – Saadjärve – Äksi – Lähte –Tartu.

Head outside of Tartu taking Narva Road (road No. 3).

Drive north-east through the low-density cultivatedlandscape full of fields until you reach Lake Peipus. You'llnotice that the surroundings have changed and do notlook very Estonian any more.

villages situated on the narrow shore of the lake,are inhabited by Russian Old Believers who fled here fromtsarist repressions as early as during the 18 century. Theyhave maintained their beliefs and ancient traditions forcenturies. People live side-by-side in long street-villages.Between houses, you can see chapels and cemeteriesreaching the waterfront. For a long time, the Old Believershave earned their living as fishermen and by growingonions and vegetables. When it's autumn, you can seegolden onions drying in almost every yard and shed. Fishand onion festivals are held. The road leading through theregion is called the Onion Route ( ). If you aremore interested in the Old Believers' culture, you can findmore information in the Lake Peipus Visiting Centre, theOld Believers Museum in Kolkja and the Living HistoryMuseum in Varnja.

Varnja, Kasepää andKolkja,

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Sibulatee

A traveller keen on nature who is driving along the coastalroad northwards may make a stop at andobserve the nesting hatchers (mute swan, great crestedgrebe, moor hen, etc.). During the autumn and springmigrations, the lake serves as a resting ground forthousands of tundra swans, pochards, goldeneyes andsmews. You can enjoy scenery from the observationplatform on the northern shore of the lake even if you areconfined to a wheelchair.

If you take a detour from the main road, you'll reachvillage with the powerful Orthodox Church of theProtection of the Mother of God, a monument to the fightbetween the state church and Old Believers. Thenumerous erratic boulders on the shore and in the lakehave been here since the time the Estonian giantKalevipoeg wanted to build a bridge across the lake toRussia, as the legend goes. In the other end of the villageyou'll find a guesthouse that once used to be a borderguard station. Besides a great night's sleep, you'll have achance to go boating in summer or ice-fishing in winter orbuy antique furniture.

Lake Lahepera

Nina

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Kallaste is situated on the coast of Lake Peipus. With itsalmost thousand inhabitants, it is one of the smallesttowns in Estonia. The red sandstone exposure of theDevonian period, almost a kilometre long and 8 metreshigh, situated in the southern part of the city, is worthseeing. An ornithologist will be happy here in summer aswell, since this is the paradise for more than a thousandbank swallows that have foraged their nesting holes in thesand bank on the lakeside.

The town is tranquil and peaceful. Nobody is in a rush. Butdon't be deceived – you can still find yourself in the middleof hustle and bustle. In autumn, honey and onion fairs areheld, and in winter, you can enjoy the competition andshow of , bizarre self-constructed, big-wheeled ice vehicles. More people than usual can also beseen during the religious festivals of the Old Believers.

karakatitsas

Kallaste is the northernmost point of this tour. Now

you'll have to turn around and head back south.

About one kilometre before Alatskivi, turn right

(west) and drive through Peatskivi, Välgi, Pataste

and Igavere to Saadjärve.

The tour ofNorthern Tartu County

The tour ofNorthern Tartu County