Värska Visitor Centre – Reek’s House

Acrylic pouring or stencil art portrait workshop – the best way to combine art and entertainment!At the Paintbar studio in the Aparaaditehas Creative City, visitors will receive an introduction to art, the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company, and explore the world of UV, spray, and acrylic paints. The visitors will, either alone or with help from us, prepare original paintings that they can take home with them.The Paintbarshop workshops are suitable for everyone (from school age).More information on Paintbarshop’s workshops can be found here.

The central square of Põlva is like a living room in the open air. It is a nice meeting place in the city centre that attracts people of all ages. Children can play in the sandbox, on the small slide, and near the fountain. They can also play table tennis. There are long benches for sitting, single stools surrounded by grasses, swings with a backrest, wide stands for lying down, and large blocks for climbing. The traditional market is also open here.The square, completed within the EV100 Spatial Programme, was opened in the summer of 2018. The designers were H. Rebane, E. Metusala, and K. Kuldkepp.Nearby is the Lutheran Church of Blessed Virgin Mary, Lake Põlva, and Põlva Department Store.

The big beautiful prayer house in Varnja Village on the shores of Lake Peipus was funded and built by the congregation itself. Most of the many icons of the prayer house date back to the start of the 20th century.Visitors can only enter the church with a reservation.The cost of a single visit for a group starts from 50 euros. Visitors get an interesting overview of the life and history of the Old Believers from a local guide who is also an Old Believer. The excursion may last for about an hour - the visit and a warm experience are worth it!Reminder: Women are asked to enter the prayer house with a covered head.We ask you not to take photos or videos in the prayer house.

At the Metsavenna Farm located on the Estonian-Latvian border, you have a unique opportunity to search for forest brothers in hiding places during a forest brother hike, stay in a bunker, and listen to true stories.The experience continues at the Metsavenna eatery, where simple yet authentic food from the era is served: boiled potatoes with skins, butter, salt, and juice. The visit concludes with a musical experience – singing the song of the former Härmiku forest brothers' orchestra. Visiting Metsavenna Farm is an engaging and educational journey into the history of forest brotherhood.

The outlying buildings and grounds of the fairytale Cantervilla Castle are home to a theme park and playland reflecting the manor period. There is plenty of fun to be had by the whole family - for the whole day! You can see how people got around back in the day, what clothes they wore, what they ate and how they used to eat it (table manners being very important!). There are lots of attractions in the playland - a water park, various vehicles, a climbing frame, trampolines, a labyrinth, a costume room and much more. Catering is available at the cafe in the playland stable, but you can bring a picnic if you like.

Located on the slope of Tartu's Toome Hill Park, the Gunpowder Cellar is a unique historical building that today operates as a restaurant. The building was established in 1767 in a moat separating the bishop's castle from the surrounding area, and it was used as a gunpowder cellar until 1809. Bricks from the ruins of the medieval St. Mary's Church and the bishop's castle walls were used for its construction. Thanks to its thick stone walls and underground location, the building was well-suited for storing gunpowder. Later, the building was used as a beer cellar, and at the end of the 19th century, it was also used by the University of Tartu for scientific research, including studies on earthquakes and magnetic phenomena. From 1982 to 1999, the Gunpowder Cellar operated as a well-known café-restaurant, and in 2000, it reopened as a pub. The Gunpowder Cellar is unique for its 11-meter-high ceiling and is listed in the Guinness World Records as the pub with the highest ceiling. Today, it is a popular meeting place offering good beer, hearty food, and live music in a historical setting.

Pikajärve manor, which is also known as the Cantervilla Castle, is probably one of the cosiest manors in Estonia. The main building (built in 1908) and the vivid quarry stone outbuildings are on a landscape filled with beautiful dome-shaped hillocks, high up on the shore of a lake. The walls of the halls of the eye-catching main building are decorated with landscape paintings and portraits, antique furniture and the light from the chandeliers add festivity and romance. The manor is private property at the moment and operates as an establishment for holding different events and offers accommodation.

The village of Nina (‘nose’) gets its name from the nose-shaped shoreline reaching the lake. It is a stone ridge heading into the lake, which is popularly called the Kalevipoeg Bridge. According to legend, Kalevipoeg started to build a bridge to go to Russia, but the devil demolished the bridge. Kalevipoeg was very tired and decided to walk through the lake, where the water reached his upper body. The remains of the bridge or the stone blockfield can still be seen. The stone blockfield, which is located both on the beach and in lake water, covers an area of 0.7 ha.The village of Nina is known for its icebergs.