Kohtla-Järve is one of the youngest Estonian cities. He received this status only in 1946. Despite such a short history of existence, the city has interesting sights, which makes it an attractive tourist destination.
What to see in Kohtla-Järve?
The city became famous due to the fact that it contains rich shale deposits, therefore Kohtla-Jarve is considered an important industrial object of the country. But thanks to such natural features in the city, tourists are offered unique tourist facilities, among which you can list the following:
- Terrikon in Kukruz , which has a height of 182 m. Formerly, there was a mine in which slate was mined, but at present it is closed. Travelers are invited to visit the Slate Museum, which was opened in 1966. The museum is considered unique, as it allows you to get acquainted with the history of the mining industry and learn the facts about how the bituminous shale was formed. The collection has more than 27,000 exhibits. In the museum are not only objects related to oil shale, but also contain works of art. The treacon has high hopes as a tourist site, it is planned that in the future there will be a ski resort.
- Museum-mine in Kohtla-Nõmme . Experienced guides will conduct an exciting tour of its territory. The mine functioned until the 1990s, until the use of oil shale was reduced. The original decision of the authorities was to flood the mine, but later they decided to make a museum out of it.
- Glint in Ontika - this object rightfully has the status of a natural symbol of Estonia. The highest elevation above sea level is recorded here - 55.6 m, it has the Baltic-Ladoga ledge. The excursion lasts an hour and a half and includes a descent down the stairs to the mine, a train journey, which the miners moved, familiarization with the technique with which the slate was mined and the opportunity to try to work with a drill.
- The Valaste waterfall is considered to be the highest not only in the territory of the country, but also in the entire Baltic region. A viewing platform has been built around it, from which an incredible view of the clint in Ontik opens. The most picturesque view of the waterfall opens in the spring, at a time when snow begins to melt. Water forms a strong stream and gains a red color, which looks very impressive. In winter, the water freezes and turns into real ice sculptures. There is a legend connected with the waterfall, which says that the man Kraavi Juri independently dug out the river that feeds the waterfall. This is partly true, since the river was created artificially, but the waterfall is a natural phenomenon. In 1996, the commission of the Academy of Sciences gave the waterfall the status of the national symbol of Estonia.
Kohtla-Jarve (Estonia) - sights of architecture
Kohtla-Järve has a very unusual layout. Since its inception and until the 60s, there has been a merger of nearby settlements. Then some of them emerged from this composition. To date, Kohtla-Järve has six districts, but individual city parts are separated from each other.
The central city part is called the Socialist, which has the status of the cultural center of Kohtla-Jarve . Here there are architectural buildings related to the Stalin period, there are picturesque parks.
In the immediate vicinity of Kohtla-Järve is the village of Kuremäe , where the main architectural landmark of the region is located - the Pühtitskiy Uspensky Monastery . With its rise, a legend is associated, which says that the shepherd who was near the village had a divine revelation. For several days he saw a beautiful woman wearing radiant clothes. As soon as he tried to approach, the vision disappeared. This happened near the source of holy water, and later the inhabitants found in this place an ancient icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God, which is still in the monastery. The peculiarity of this icon is that the Mother of God is depicted standing on the ground. The church was built in the 16th century, in 1891 a women's monastery was founded. During the Soviet Union, this monastery was the only one that operated throughout its territory.