Kallaste Things to Do

4 more images

Not far east of Tartu, an elegant small city with an air of things academic about it, is Lake Peipsi and another world. The Russian border runs down the middle of the lake and the Estonian shore is known for its communities of Old Believers, Orthodox Christians who fled Russia from the late 17th century onwards following persecution when they refused to accept church 'reforms'. Various of their villages and towns lie along the edge of the lake where they could catch fish and grow onions. (A restaurant in Kolkja serves their specialities and even a small book of recipes is available - if you understand Estonian.)
Kallaste has an Old Believers' church which is said to date from the 18th century. At first sight, this looks unlikely but the church is being restored at the moment and parts of the older structure under the more modern are clearly visible at the moment.
There is a small but very interesting museum in the village of Kolkja. (Although it seems little English is spoken, there is plenty of printed information about the Old Believers and their history.) Museums and churches may be open only on request so it might be worth contacting the Kolkja museum on +372 7 453 431 / +372 50 499 908 or, perhaps, the Kallaste Infopunkt at Oja 22, Kallaste, tel/fax 7452 705 / info@kallaste.ee (where English is spoken).
Another church from the 18th century, with a large cemetery, can be found at Kasepää, a short distance south of Kolkja. This village also shows a long ribbon of buildings fairly close to the lake shore, typical of the way these settlements developed.