Kohtla-Jarve is a city in Estonia. It is located in the territory of Idu-Viru County. The population of the city is 45 thousand people. The city is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Kohtla-Järve is known throughout Estonia as a city on whose territory there is a large oil shale deposit. The city is also famous for its picturesque sea coast and beautiful nature, so it can rightly be called another of the most beautiful resort places on the shores of the Baltic. Despite the extraction of slates, the city has preserved an excellent ecological situation.
Story
Kohtla-Jarve arose on the site of a small Estonian village Järve. The first mention of this village dates back to 1241 - at that time Estonia was part of the Danish kingdom. Not far from Järve was the village of Kohtla. The names of these two villages gave the name to the future city. The city itself was founded in 1924.
In 1916, oil shale mining began in the area of modern Kohtla-Järve.
In 1924, the first shale oil plant was built.
After it became clear that the shale deposits were large, it was decided to build a settlement in the mining area. The new settlement was named Kohtla-Jarve. The settlement was founded in the same year in which the plant was built.
In 1941, Kohtla-Jarve was occupied by the Germans. The German leadership staked on the Estonian shale basin, it hoped to build a plant here that could process shale into fuel for the Nazi Wehrmacht. However, they did not have time to bring this idea to life - in 1944 the city was liberated from the Germans by the Red Army.
The Soviet party leadership of socialist Estonia also did not plan to build a processing plant on the territory of Kohtla-Järve, but limited itself to the simple extraction of shale as a solid, light-burning fuel.
After the war, the number of oil shale mines in the area of Kohtla-Järve increased.
In 1991, Estonia became an independent country; oil shale production in the country was reduced only to the needs of Estonia. Currently, Estonian scientists are considering the possibility of building an oil shale processing plant to produce gasoline and diesel fuel - calculations have shown that fuel obtained from shale will be no worse in quality than fuel from oil. The construction of such a plant is a matter of the near future.
At the same time, the resort significance of the city also increased. Several small boarding houses and rest houses were built on its coast. Kohtla-Järve has become a place of out-of-town recreation for the inhabitants of Tallinn and Narva.
Map
Attractions
Let's walk along Kohtla-Jarve and describe its natural and historical sights, including its picturesque surroundings.
Center of Kohtla-Järve - it is also called the Socialist part - it is represented by buildings from the times of Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev. There are several closed old slate mines here. It was from here, in the city center, that shale mining once began. In one of the closed mines there is the Slate Museum. In the same museum, a colorful exhibition reveals the hard work of Estonian miners in a slate mine, there are clothes and household items of miners. The history of the development of a shale deposit is disclosed.
Waterfall Vallaste - a beautiful waterfall, which is located near Kohtla-Jarve. Water falls down from a high stone cliff, making noise and sparkling in the sun with thousands of sprays. The height of the waterfall is 30 meters. The waterfall itself flows from the beautiful river Vallaste. Currently, this waterfall is considered the national symbol of Estonia. Hundreds of tourists from all over Estonia like to come here on a warm summer day!
Mining Park Museum (Kohtla kaevanduspark-muuseum) is another interesting museum in the city, along with the slate museum. It is located in one of the developed mines. Here, tourists are offered to go down into the mine, take a ride in the face on a mining train, the museum presents modern shale mining equipment.
Windmill - located in one of the districts of Kohtla-Jarve. Currently, the windmill has been completely restored and tourists can watch its spinning blades when the wind blows.
Pukhtitsky Dormition Monastery - located in the village of Kuremäe near Kohtla-Järve. Before the monastery, a church was built on this site in the sixteenth century, and in 1891 the monastery itself was built. The monastery is considered an architectural monument and is protected by the Estonian state. Currently, there are six churches on the territory of the monastery, and a lot of Orthodox pilgrims from all over Estonia come here.
Medieval Castle Purtse - Located in the heart of the city. It was built back in the sixteenth century and is very reminiscent of the famous castles in Scotland. Most likely, the castle was built by some German Teutonic knight - after all, in those days Estonia was famous for its knights.
Fortified Church of St. Michael - Another old attraction in the vicinity of Kohtla-Jarve. The church is interesting because it is surrounded by a deep moat, which once had water, so this temple was also used as a small fortress.
royal road - This is a section of the modern highway St. Petersburg - Tallinn. The route passes through the northern part of the city near the Gulf of Finland. Almost all members of the royal family loved to travel along this road in Estonia.
The central street of Kohtla-Järve - Keskallee . This street is a real decoration of a small town. The street is lined with houses built in the first post-war years, and along the entire street there are several very beautiful fountains in which children love to splash in the hot season.
Virula Square- the central square in the city. Business meetings and appointments are scheduled here. On the square there is a modern shopping center - the largest in Kohtla-Jarve.
Beaches
Now let's move to the seaside! There are no modern well-maintained beaches here, however, the sea in the Kohtla-Jarve area is cleared of boulders, and a pine forest grows on the coast. The beach is sandy, made of fine white sand, which warms well in warm weather! Along the coast there are several mini-hotels, guest houses, cafes and restaurants. You can also drive to the sea by car. Near Kohtla-Järve there is a wonderful tent camp where you can come by car or bicycle and pitch a tent almost by the sea! An ideal place for a relaxing and leisurely holiday.
The plans of the Estonian government include the transformation of Kohtla-Jarve into a full-fledged resort, the construction of a network of entertainment establishments, several hotels. The first steps have already been taken - the city is officially included in the list of tourist cities in Estonia, the flow of tourists in Kohtla-Jarve is quite large.
Climate
The climate of this beautiful town is maritime. Winters are cool and windy, snow often falls, frosts last mainly at the end of January and all of February. There are also cold frosty years in which the water in the Gulf of Finland freezes - after all, the Baltic Sea has a low salinity of the water. Summer is not hot, the usual temperature of the warmest month - July - is 20-25 degrees Celsius, although there are several days when the temperature rises to 30 degrees Celsius. Residents of Kohtla-Järve and vacationers enjoy getting into the sea, which in summer can warm up to 22 degrees Celsius. They bathe two months a year - in July and August.
Story
Kohtla-Jarve received city status a little over half a century ago. However, settlements on its territory existed for a long time. Thus, the first mention in the Danish Land Book of the village of Järve dates back to 1241. (here she is called Jeruius). The current part of the city of Kukruse was also mentioned for the first time in 1241. (Kukarus), and Sompa - in 1420 (Soenpe).
Probably, on the site of the current Kohtla-Jarve, a city would not have arisen if it were not for oil shale, the deposits of which are quite significant in these parts. Figuratively speaking, oil shale is "hard oil". The fact that this stone can burn, the locals have known for a long time. There are legends about how this was noticed. According to one of them, once upon a time, shepherds, kindling bonfires, used to lay out a ring of stones around them. Usually limestone was used for this, but once they used yellowish-brown stones, which turned out to be quite a lot in that place. It was hard for the shepherds to believe their eyes when they saw how hot these stones were burning with firewood. According to another legend, a certain peasant built himself a bath from slate. As soon as it was melted, the walls caught fire - to the greatest amazement of the peasant and all the neighbors.
However, for a long time, shale remained in the eyes of the local population just a strange curiosity that had no practical significance. There was no need to use it as fuel, because there were enough forests around. In addition, burning shale emits too much soot.
Slate became seriously interested in the second decade of the twentieth century. It is known that in 1916 a batch of Estonian slate was sent to Petrograd in order to study its properties. Studies have shown that oil shale is a valuable mineral that can be used both as a fuel and as a raw material for the chemical industry.
In 1919, the association "State oil shale industry" was created in the Republic of Estonia. Slate was mined both underground, in mines, and in an open way, that is, in shale cuts. Settlements grew up near mines and cuts. In 1924, a shale oil factory was built near the Kohtla railway station. Next to it, a working settlement began to grow, called Kohtla-Jarve. In the mid-1930s, it included several workers' quarters - Kyava, Vahekula, Pavandu.
During the Second World War, the importance of the Estonian shale basin grew: Germany considered it as its second most important source of fuel after the Romanian oil developments. However, the Germans did not manage to start full-scale exploitation of the field.
After the war, oil shale was required in increasing quantities for the northwestern part of the Soviet Union. The main settlement of the shale basin received the status of a city. On June 15, 1946, the inhabitants of Kohtla-Järve became citizens.
From that moment on, for almost twenty years, the process of administrative unification of the surrounding settlements within the framework of Kohtla-Järve was going on. In 1949, the settlements of Kohtla and Kukruse were included in Kohtla-Jarve. In 1960, it included the cities of Jõhvi and Ahtme, as well as the village of Sompa. In 1964, the city of Kiviõli, the villages of Oru, Püssi and Viivikonna came under the control of Kohtla-Järve. Thus, Kohtla-Järve expanded greatly, turning into a city with a unique layout, since parts of it remained scattered "islands" lying among forests, agricultural land and slate mining.
In 1991, the number of parts of Kohtla-Järve decreased, Jõhvi, Kiviõli and Püssi left it, becoming independent cities. Currently, Kohtla-Järve consists of six parts: Järve, Sompa, Kukruse, Ahtme, Oru and Viivikonna (the last part administratively includes the village of Sirgala). The layout of the city remains very distinctive. The number of its inhabitants is slightly less than 50 thousand, but two people, one in Sirgala and the other in the Järve part - that is, both in the territory of Kohtla-Järve - can be separated by a distance of more than 30 kilometers. The same distance separates people located on opposite outskirts of London or Paris.
In the 1990s, oil shale mining and processing declined, but the prospects for the continued existence of the oil shale industry remain, especially if it can be upgraded to the latest technology. In addition, the production culture and skills accumulated over decades, the industrial intellectual potential of the inhabitants of Kohtla-Järve provide ample opportunities for the development of other non-oil shale enterprises in the city.
Population
Kohtla-Jarve has a little less than 50 thousand inhabitants. The largest parts of the city - Järveskaya (about 23 thousand inhabitants) and Akhtmeskaya (approximately 21.5 thousand inhabitants). Followed by Sompa and Oru (about 2,000 inhabitants in each part), Viivikonna (900 inhabitants) and Kukruse (750 inhabitants).
Approximately 14,700 of the townspeople are pensioners. Representatives of almost four dozen nationalities live in the city. Approximately four-fifths are Russian and Russian-speaking residents, a fifth of the population is represented by Estonians. Thus, the city, like neighboring Narva, Jõhvi and Sillamäe, is predominantly Russian-speaking.
Economy
The most important areas of activity are related to shale. Mines are among the major enterprises (there are 2 mines and 3 quarries in total), they are managed by AS Eesti Põlevkivi; The leading company in the field of shale chemistry is JSC Viru Keemia-Group, a chemical company Nitrofert specializing in the production of nitrogen fertilizers and a subsidiary of the Russian Gazprom. The local energy sector is also based on oil shale - thermal power plants that provide the city with heat operate on oil shale.
Slate Museum
The western industrial suburb of Kohtla Nomme is home to one of the most unusual museums in the region, the Slate Museum. The industrial profile of the region is reflected in this unique museum - with tunnels, miniature mine trains and working machinery. Oil shale enriched in paraffin has until recently been widely used as a domestic and industrial fuel and has been a major contributor to environmental pollution. In winter, visitors can ski from the well-maintained heaps, and in summer they can rent a bike.
How typical for the post-Soviet countries is this division into an ethnic agrarian West and a Russian-speaking industrial East! Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan (South and North), partly Latvia... Estonia also falls into this category with Ida-Viru County (Eastern Virland), where Russians make up about 80% of the population and almost all of the "dirty" industry of the country is concentrated. Its largest city - shown in Narva, but as in the Yamburg district of the St. Petersburg province - is not the center. The appearance of Ida-Virumaa was determined by oil shale: in Narva they heat power plants, in Sillamäe they extract rare earth metals from them, but in Kohtla-Järve they are mined. It was also called the Estonian Donbass... when the Donbass was associated with mines, not war.
Kohtla-Järve (37 thousand inhabitants) is actually a complex agglomeration, 8 villages of which are part of the city with this name, and the same number formally on their own, including the center of maakonda Johvi (10 thousand). In practice, all this exists as a single whole: the industrial Kohtla-Järve proper, the transport hub of Jõhvi, the "sleeping area" Ahtme and all sorts of villages that have grown either near the mine, or at the manor ... My story will again be in three parts: about Kohtla itself -Jarve with architecture and industrial landscapes unusual for the Baltics; about the mine-museum in the village of Kohtla-Nymme and about the non-severe sights of the area: Jyhvi, the Pyukhtitsky monastery, the Vallaste waterfall.
Leaving Narva in the direction of Tallinn, leaving behind the distant pipes of its power plants, passing along the edge of Sillamäe, the former ZATO Narva-10, after about an hour of travel, you suddenly see something completely unexpected in the Baltics - waste heaps:
Of course, not as huge as in the Donbass, but quite real. Here and there, among these heaps, you will see an old manor, a “stump” of a stone mill, a church or an Orthodox church - in a word, normal elements of the Estonian landscape, through which an industrial region literally “sprouted” a hundred years ago.
And it all started in 1916 as a forced measure: Petersburg, the 4th largest city in the world at that time, of course, consumed an unmeasured amount of coal, which was brought there by steamers from England. The First World War, which unfolded in the North and Baltic Seas, blocked this channel, and deliveries from the Donbass were complicated by the fact that the railway was already loaded with military trains. It was then that they remembered that very close, near the village of Kukers, Wesenberg district, Estland province, in 1902, geologist Nikolai Pogrebov found and described oil shale, from which, if desired, you can get both gas and combustible oil, and in 1916, the first mine started working near Kukers . Further exploration showed that the shale basin stretches on both sides of the Narova in a slightly inclined layer, which lies almost on the surface near the Baltic, and to the south goes under Lake Peipus. And after the war, both the USSR and Estonia began to develop shale mining, but the latter, for lack of other hydrocarbons, was more successful: shale oil was one of the most important export goods, and the tower from the title frame even got on a banknote of 100 crowns:
ESTONIA-2014
" ". Overview and table of contents. Is it far to Tallinn? Kiyu, Jagala, Jõelähtme.
Tallinn.
Western Estonia.
South Estonia.
Islands.
Finland, Helsinki.
Kohtla-Jarve is a large Estonian city. It is located in the northeast of Estonia. In terms of population, the city closes the top five largest Estonian cities. Its population is approximately 45 thousand inhabitants. Where is ?
It is in Kohtla-Järve that the association "State oil shale industry" is located, which is of great importance for Estonia.
The extraction and processing of oil shale plays a large role in the development of the city, and also affects its culture.
In addition to oil shale processing, there are also a number of other large enterprises in the city, such as: clothing production, production of building materials, as well as metalworking. They also play a significant role in the life and development of the city.
Currently, the city of Kohtla-Järve is divided into several large districts, located somewhat at a distance from each other, and at the same time having communication with each other. Each of them, with relative similarity, has its own distinctive features, thanks to which they were separated.
How to get to Kohtla-Jarve
There used to be a railway station in Kohtla-Järve, but it is not currently used for passenger transport. By rail, you can only get to the city by the Tallinn-Narva train, which stops in the Oru district.
You can get into the city with transfers. First, in any convenient way, you can get to the city of Johvi, which is located near Kohtla-Järve, and then transfer by taxi.
In addition, the city has a fairly good transport network that allows you to get from any city to Kohtla-Jarve by car. Proximity to large transport networks contributes to comfortable movement between Estonian cities, as well as between Kohtla-Järve districts.
You can get around Kohtla-Jarve by bus. Local buses run between Kohtla-Järve districts regularly and are relatively inexpensive.
Hotels and shopping in Kohtla-Jarve
A large number of hotels and inns are located in different parts of Kohtla-Jarve. There are both inexpensive rooms with relatively good conditions, and expensive apartments with all amenities. The average cost of living in an average room varies from 1000 to 4000 rubles per night.
In Kohtla-Järve there are many different shopping centers full of names. They offer goods for any even refined taste, color and wealth. At relatively low prices in Kohtla-Jarve, you can buy food, clothes and souvenirs.
What to see and where to go in Kohtla-Jarve
There are no ancient architectural buildings and architectural monuments in Kohtla-Jarve. However, Kohtla-Jarve has very beautiful nature, which attracts many tourists every year.
One of the popular tourist attractions of the city of Kohtla-Jarve is the Valaste waterfall. It is the highest waterfall in the country. The height of the waterfall is constantly increasing, as the water erodes the rock underneath. So, from the initial 25 meters, it has already increased to 30 meters. The first mention of the waterfall dates back to the 19th century, when a German newspaper printed about it, but it has existed for much longer. Recently, the waterfall has been declared a natural heritage site, as well as a national Estonian symbol.
The city center is represented mainly by the architecture of Stalin's times. Here is a waste heap left over from a once closed mine. Its height reaches 182 meters.
Also in the city you can go on an excursion to the Kohtla-Nõmme mine. This is a local mine-museum, which regularly hosts tours for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the culture of shale mining.
There are currently two mines currently operating in Kohtla-Järve, as well as three quarries. All of them belong to the company "Eesti Energia".
The city has a unique slate museum. Its exposition is devoted to the history of the development of the oil shale mining and processing industry.
Another interesting place is the windmill, restored in the 20th century.
The natural symbol of the country is the clint in Ontik, which shows the layers of different eras and eras.
There are few architectural monuments in the city. One of them is the Pyukhtitsky Assumption Monastery. At first it was a church built in the 16th century, and at the end of the 19th century a nunnery was founded here, consisting of 6 churches.
