Lahemaa National Park is a park 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 ...

, 70 kilometers east from the capital

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 Gulf of Finland is to the north of the park and the Tallinn-Narva highway (E20) is to the south. Its area covers 747 km² (including 274.9 km² of sea).Estonica
Lahemaa National Park: from coastal drumlins to Kõrvemaa
, Estonica, Encyclopedia About Estonia It was the first area to be designated a national park of the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. It is the largest park in Estonia and one of Europe's biggest national parks. Its charter calls for the preservation, research and promotion of North-Estonian landscapes, ecosystems,

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and national heritage.

History

The name Lahemaa originates from the most thoroughly studied and visited part of the North Estonian coast, where four large peninsulas ( Juminda,

Pärispea Pärispea is a village in Kuusalu Parish in Harju County in northern Estonia. The village has a population of 109 (as of 1 January 2009).

Käsmu Käsmu (german: Kaspervik, ) is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, (retrieved 28 July 2021) on the territory of Lahemaa National Park. It's located northwest of Võsu, on the Käsmu Peninsula in the Gulf of Fin ...

and Vergi) are separated from each other by four bays (

Kolga Kolga is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County, in northern Estonia, on the territory of Lahemaa National Park. It has a population of 490 (). Kolga is best known for its classicist manor. Wrestler Aleksander Aberg Al ...

, Hara, Eru and

). Lahemaa translates roughly as "Land of Bays". The national park, established in 1971, is one of the main tourism drawcards in Estonia. Several companies offer day tour packages from Tallinn, while many people drive themselves. Viru Bog at winter

With forests covering more than 70 percent of Lahemaa, the area is rich in flora and fauna. The landscape has many raised bogs, including the 7,000-year-old Laukasoo Reserve. The park, marked by several trails, teems with wildlife, including a population of

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, bear and lynx. The coast is covered with rocks and boulders, used each year by cranes as a stopover on their way to the Bosphorus and Egypt. There are four manors situated in the national park: Palmse manor, the picturesque

Vihula Vihula is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, within Lahemaa National Park. Vihula manor The earliest references to an estate go back to 1501. During much of its history, it has belonged to Baltic German arist ...

manor,

manor, and the baroque

Sagadi Sagadi is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, located within the territory of Lahemaa National Park. Sagadi Manor Sagadi Manor (german: Saggad) was first mentioned in written records in 1469. During its history ...

Manor,Sagadi
Sagadi Manor
Retrieved 7 August 2012 Estonia's most visited manor which together with the other three comprise one of the most unusual group of manors in the country. Prior to 1991, the Soviet Union operated a large secret submarine base at Hara. The base was built in the 1950s during the height of the Cold War. The ruins of this former Soviet submarine base is now located entirely in Lahemaa near the Lahemaa lighthouse.

Gallery

File:Viru bog 0057.jpg, Viru Bog in autumn File:Sunrise at viru bog.jpg, The swamp at sunrise File:Hommik Viru rabas.jpg, Wooden walkway near the swamp File:Altja jõgi Lahemaal.jpg, Altja river File:Nõmmeveski juga Lahemaal.jpg, Nõmmeveski waterfall File:Valgejõgi 2009.jpg,

Valgejõgi Valgejõgi (lit. ''White River'') is a river in Northern Estonia. Its source is in Lake Porkuni in Pandivere (Lääne-Viru County) and it drains into Hara Bay (part of Finnish Gulf) at Loksa (Harju County). Geography Valgejõgi lacks any major ...

river File:Loobu near Porgaste.jpg,

Loobu river The Loobu is a river in Northern Estonia. Its source is about 12 km southwest from Rakvere in Lääne-Viru County and it drains into Eru Bay (part of Finnish Gulf) near the village of Vihasoo in Lahemaa National Park. Its drainage basin ...

near Porgaste File:Hommikuses valguses Juminda tuletorn.jpg,

Juminda lighthouse __NOTOC__ Juminda Lighthouse ( et, Juminda tuletorn) is a lighthouse at the northern tip of the Juminda Peninsula, Kuusalu Parish, in the region of Harju, Estonia. It is located in the Lahemaa National Park. The lighthouse was built in 1937 ...

File:Palmse manor, Parque Nacional Lahemaa, Estonia, 2012-08-12, DD 04.JPG, Palmse manor File:Altja paadikuurid.jpg, Fishermen huts by the sea in

Altja Altja is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, on the territory of Lahemaa National Park. Gallery File:Altja.JPG, Altja Tavern File:Altja, 2007.jpg, File:Altja titekivi1.jpg, File:Altja paadikuurid.jpg, Fish ...

fishermen village File:Eesti põhjarannik.jpg, Glacial boulders in

Pärispea peninsula Pärispea is a village in Kuusalu Parish in Harju County in northern Estonia. The village has a population of 109 (as of 1 January 2009).

File:Mähu kivid II.jpg, Glacial boulders with

Mohni Mohni is an island of Estonia. It limits the Eru Bay from the north. The closest settlement at the mainland is Viinistu. Mohni is part of Lahemaa National Park Lahemaa National Park is a park in northern Estonia, 70 kilometers east from the capi ...

island appearing in the skyline File:Hauaneeme laht 2013.jpg, Hauaneeme bay at the Pärispea village

References

External links

* *
Lahemaa National Park in Estonica
{{authority control National parks of Estonia Geography of Harju County Geography of Lääne-Viru County Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Estonia Tourist attractions in Harju County Tourist attractions in Lääne-Viru County

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links