The Pirita ( et, Pirita jõgi) is a long river in northern

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

that drains into

Tallinn Bay Tallinn Bay ( et, Tallinna laht) is a bay in Estonia on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian capital city Tallinn is located on the southern coast of the bay. Tallinn Bay itself is divided into several parts: Tallinn Roadstea ...

(part of the Gulf of Finland) in Pirita,

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

. The basin area of the Pirita is 799 km². For the 1980 Summer Olympics held in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

to the Gulf of Finland at

hosted the

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

events.1980 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 2. Part 1. pp. 241-58. As part of the Tallinn water supply system, the Pirita is impounded into the Paunküla and Vaskjala Reservoirs. The reservoir in Vaskjala is connected over a canal to the Lake Ülemiste in

, where the Ülemiste Water Treatment Plant is situated. Additional water is directed to Pirita from the Jägala, Soodla and

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet ...

rivers through a canal network that joins Pirita in Veskitaguse. File:Pirita jõgi. Kevadine üleujutus Kosel.JPG, Spring flooding on the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

in Kose File:Kose, Pirita jõgi.JPG, Pedestrian bridge in Kose File:Estonia - Aerial 1.jpg, Aerial view of the Pirita near Jüri File:EU-EE-Tallinn-Pirita-Wooden bridge.JPG, Arch bridge over the frozen Pirita in winter in Kose

References

Venues of the 1980 Summer Olympics Pirita Landforms of Harju County Landforms of Järva County Landforms of Tallinn {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub