Peipsiääre: Culture, Crafts and Lake Experiences

Peipsiääre combines protected landscapes, manor-house history, Old Believer culture and special experiences around Lake Peipus. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house can shape their trip around their own interests: with nature and activities in Alatskivi, museums and crafts, or regional specialities and excursions on the water.

Nature and Alatskivi Castle

A defining starting point is the Alatskivi Landscape Protection Area. It was established in 1964 to protect Alatskivi Park, its ancient valley and the surrounding landscapes shaped by cultural history. The area is also home to the Alatskivi Nature Centre, housed in a manor farm building from the late 19th century. Interactive exhibitions explore the nature around Alatskivi; visitors are explicitly encouraged to touch and explore the exhibits in this way.

Alatskivi Castle was completed in 1885 and designed after the model of Balmoral Castle. In the visitor centre on the first floor, you can learn more about the building as the residence of a family, the history of the entire manor and the restoration process. In addition, the ceramics workshop offers the opportunity to shape objects from clay and try working on a potter’s wheel. The 4.5-kilometre Alatskivi hiking trail runs around Alatskivi Lossijärv and complements the cultural visit with a manageable walk through the landscape.

The nature centre also offers a specific programme for groups and school classes: nature-related workshops are available by prior booking. This makes it possible to combine different interests during a stay without reducing culture, activities and nature to the same daily schedule.

Museums, Literature and Old Believer Culture

Peipsiääre is suitable for a trip in which stories and personalities play an important role. The Eduard Tubin Museum presents the composer’s life and work. Among other things, visitors can see and listen to manuscripts, audio recordings and books. At the Juhan Liiv Museum, permanent exhibitions guide visitors through the writer’s life and creative world. The museum also includes the outdoor exhibition “Juhan Liivi meelemaastikud” and a small exhibition providing an introductory overview of Kodavere’s cultural heritage.

In Kolkja, the Old Believers’ Museum explores the history of the Russian Old Believers on Lake Peipus. The Living History Museum in Varnja presents the Old Believers’ way of life from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. By prior booking, samovar tea and pirogues baked in a Russian oven can be served there. For further discoveries, Varnja and Kolkja can be included in your travel plans.

Crafts, Regional Cuisine and Special Excursions

The Peipsimaa Pärimuskeskus is located in an Old Believer house built at the end of the 19th century. The centre includes a textile workshop, Lubokiõu, a chicory museum and seasonally changing gallery exhibitions. In craft workshops, for example, you can design a tote bag using block printing or make a pendant using gilding techniques. The chicory museum was established in 2016 around a preserved old chicory-drying oven in the basement and presents chicory cultivation in Peipsimaa.

Another regional speciality is the Varnja Samovar House, with a private collection of more than 200 different samovars built up over several decades. Visitors can sample samovar tea, Ivan tea and traditional sugar confectionery served with tea. The Kolkja Fish and Onion Restaurant offers smoked fish, fish soup, onion soup, fish patties and traditional Old Believer cakes. For groups, stories about local life and Old Believer customs as well as readings from old books can also be organised.

Anyone wishing to get to know Peipsiääre from different perspectives can travel along the three interconnected Kodavere routes on foot, by bicycle or by car. Interactive points refer to important places and stories of the region. On Lake Peipus, Mesi Tare offers experience cruises in summer on the Mesiroos boat for up to 10 people. Day trips to Piirissaar and fishing excursions can be booked for group events.

Which Accommodation Suits Your Trip?

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house in Peipsiääre, you can use the desired character of your trip as a guide. A stay shaped by nature and culture combines exploration of the landscape with manor-house history. Those who place Old Believer culture and traditional crafts at the centre of their trip can choose a correspondingly culture-oriented focus. Seasonal excursions on the lake add a travel option with a special connection to Lake Peipus. For further travel ideas, you can also extend your search to Meeksi Parish, Vara, Võnnu, Väljaküla, Alatskivi Parish and Elva linn.

To the higher-level travel overview: Tartu.