10 Sights & Landmarks in Polva County That You Shouldn't Miss

Sillapea Castle was built in the classical style in 1842, later it has been reconstructed. The castle is nationally protected due its remarkable architectural ensemble. Today it accommodates the Rapina Local Lore and Gardening Museum; the castle is surrounded by a manor park with a beautiful garden spreading over 8.7 hectares. The park consists of three parts: an aesthetic garden with high vegetation comprising of terraces lowering towards the lake, a front garden bordered by paths and characterised by distinguishable ensembles of trees and bushes, and a forest park with a pavilion at the Vohandu River.

The central square of Polva 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 lot of different sitting places. Traditional market is held on wednesdays and saturdays.

The Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Polva is one of the oldest churches in historical Vorumaa. The rarities of the church are the old altar painting The Last Supper (1650) and the altar panels (1647). There is an altar painting The Resurrection (Friedrich Ludwig von Maydell, 1845). The church was originally a square-shaped hall church with three naves. Today it has preserved from it a high tower with a deep niche and a Western façade. Interesting to know: According to a legend, the key of the church is held by a kneeling girl called Mary who is walled in. Allegedly that is also the origin of the name of the church and Polva (‘knee’ for the Estonian ‘polv’).

St George’s Church in Varska is a neo-Historical Orthodox church with a crossing cupola; the building displays a beautiful contrast between stones and brick cornices. The images of the iconostasis date from the time when the church was built. Interesting to know: • The famous Seto folk singer Anne Vabarna and the captain of the steamship Aurora Ivan Fjodorov have been buried in the churchyard.

Mooste manor which lies on the shore of Lake Mooste has been established at the time when the Nolcken family ruled in the area; it is one of the manors in Estonia that has preserved its rich building ensemble. The spectacular manor ensemble was built in the historicist style. The interior of the manor includes a large hall with a gallery reaching through two floors. An English landscape park surrounding the manor adds up to its overall impression. All the alleys lead to Lake Mooste offering a picturesque view on it. There is a school operating in the main building and a flax room and a guest house in the former woodwork house.

Eesti Maasteemuuseumi näituseala hõlmab kolme osa. Uusim, „Masinahall - masinate valitsemine" on interaktiivne väljapanek auto mehaanikast ja liiklusfüüsikast, ohutust liiklemisest ja turvaliste teede ehitamisest. Väliekspositsioon "Teeaeg" on ajas ja ruumis lahtirullunud tee, mille igal käänakul avaneb murranguline ajalooetapp ning kus esitletakse ka Ida-Euroopa suurimat tee-ehitusmasinate kogu. Lapsi rõõmustavad liikluslinna elektriautod ja erinevad kaherattalised. Postijaama peahoones räägitakse hobuajastu teede ja liikumisviiside arengust ning teisel korrusel asub lastemuuseum.

The Orthodox Church is a neo-Classical oblong building consisting of three parts. In the Western part there is a bell tower and in the Eastern part a crescent-shaped apsis. A cupola with a tambour is in the middle of the building. The exterior of the building is in classical style, incorporating cornices and rustic work. Simple iconostasis of the 19th century catches the eye in the interior. Interesting to know:• The first wooden church was built in 1752 by the order of Empress Elizabeth of Russia.• In 1813 the wooden church was destroyed by fire. The building of the current church started in 1827 by the order of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and it was finished in 1833.

St Paraskeva’s ('Friday’ in Greek) Orthodox Church in Saatse is one of the oldest Orthodox country churches in Estonia (est. 1801). There are nationally protected artistic monuments: a wooden icon Story of Paraskeva Paatnits, a gospel and a communion bread plate. There is also a steel- framed stone cross dating from the 15th century which is deemed to be miracle-working. Interesting to know:• in 1839 a clock tower was built for the church; • in 1884 the church building was extended.

The Rapina church in the late Baroque style was built in 1785. Interior values of the church include an altar painting by Carl Antropoff, painted in 1871 and consisting of two parts: The Entombment of Jesus and Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene.Interesting to know:• the former church building was destroyed in the Great Northern War;• the best-known Minister was Johan Orn (Oern), who wrote poems in Estonian;• Johann Friedrich Heller (1786-1849), who was there a Minister from 1814, studied the cases of the Estonian language and enlightened folk by working for the newspaper Beitrage by J. H. Rosenplanter.

The biggest of Ilumetsa meteorite craters that appeared 6600 years ago is Porguhaud, the diameter of it from edge to edge is up to 80 meters and depth 12,5 meters. Crater's bottom is covered with 2,5 meters thick layer of turf. The diameter of the second crater Sugavhaud from edge to edge is in average 50 meters and depth 4,5 meters. The names assigned to them by people – Porguhaud (Hell Grave), Tondihaud (Ghost Grave), Kuradihaud (Devils' Grave) and Sugavhaud (Deep Grave) – refer to dwellings of devil. The reasons they got such names remains secret. Near Porguhaud people were afraid to say word "devil" because after that the servants of the devil take the lost person right to the devil himself.