Sillamäe, known also in Germanized version as Sillamäggi or Sillamägi (Estonian for”Bridge Hill”), is a town in Ida-Viru County in the northern part of Estonia.
During the Soviet regime in Estonia, Sillamäe remained a closed town due to the secrecy and security measures related to the uranium production activities at the local plant.
And till today, this is quite complicated to notice the entrance to the city.

The locality of Sillamäggi was first mentioned in 1502 when the area was under the control of Livonian Order. The bridge across Sõtke and a mill in Sillamäggi were documented in 1700.
In the 1800s, Sillamäggi developed into a resort village offering a more tranquil experience than the nearby resort town of Hungerburg. But In the 1920s and 1930s, Sillamäe became the industrial city.

This part of Estonia- north-eastern Estonia, Ida-Virumaa, has a challenging and little bit sad history.   Settled a long time ago. Amazing nature, sea, forest and cliff coast. Near to Russia…Older people still remember beautiful buildings, cosy cafe…
But by the end of 1944, the original native inhabitants were not allowed to return to their homes after the war and immigrant Russian-speaking workers from other parts of the USSR were brought in to populate the city. As I wrote, Sillamäe was a special, industrial and very secret city, even the locals could not visit it. I visited Sillamäe first time at the end of the 90s…
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