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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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Visiting a bog is fun in every season.
I did my photos in June. It was a rainy day, so the quality of photos, not that excellence.
A peat bog is a mix of water and land. Bog water is low in salts, so it does not quench thirst, but because of acidity, this water is pure and drinkable.
Hiking in Estonia is always a good idea. Discover mysterious bogs. Find more information about hiking www.rmk.ee/eng
Did you know?
Mire landscapes cover around 22% of Estonian surface, with 6% belonging to bogs. In the whole world, only the surface of Finland, our neighbour to the north, has more wetlands than Estonia, and Estonians take a lot of pride in that.
Bogs cover a fifth of the mainland area in Estonia, of which bogs are the most ancient, stretching back to over 10,000 years. About a quarter of Estonia’s plants grow only in mires, among them many relict species from the Ice Age.
Estonians have a saying ” vaga vesi, sügav põhi”- still waters run deep. Saying this, we are thinking about people who may seem quiet, but wait and see…:)
But this saying describing very well bogs.
It seems like grass, land, solid ground, but…. be careful, it is wet and soft. You could sink and drown.
Narva Jõesuu is situated in north-eastern Estonia. The town’s name in Estonian and Russian means “Mouth of the Narva”,
Thanks to the beach, covered with fine sand and lined with a pine forest, There are a lot of SPAs and Narva-Jõesuu has long been a popular summer destination. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was a spa town frequented by the nobility from Saint Petersburg.
Today Narva- Jõesuu is eclectic and comparing with Latvian Jurmala, need a lot of investments to restore the former glory.
But on the other hand, this is it Narva Jõesuu.
Old fashioned dachas (summer houses) alternately with gorgeous villas. Abandoned nine-storey houses alternately with The New Russian (a person who gained quick riches) style palaces with arches and towers…
Did you know? Estonia holds 4th place in urban air quality (WHO)
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In the spring forest you will never be thirsty.
As a children we used to put the branch into an anthill. Ants excrete methanoic acid and branch becomes sour. It was very good to lick of thirst 🙂
And Please. Never. Never. Do not destroy the anthill.
Did you know?
For a country that covers only a little over 45,000 km2, it has an estimated population of 1.3 million and it one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe, with almost 50% covered by forest.