Winter Trails in Emajõe-Suursoo Wetlands

Winter Trails in Emajõe-Suursoo Wetland lead the seeker of unique nature experiences to explore frozen bog paths and perceive the cultural and auditory landscapes in three distinct locations: Varnja, Ahunapalu, and Emajõe-Suursoo Center. In three weeks, there will be hikes, film nights, meetings with historians and writers, concerts, and exhibition programs.

A globally unique network of historical winter trails, hidden within Emajõe-Suursoo, invites you on an extraordinary journey through time. In ancient times, seasonal winter roads formed across the frozen bogs connected isolated communities and shortened distances. Today, these unique preserved winter roads are primarily used by wildlife, with human footprints being a rare sight.

In collaboration with three municipalities bordering Emajõe-Suursoo, the Winter Roads Festival celebrates the cultural and historical significance of these roads through diverse events from January 21st to February 10th, 2024.

You might ask, “What is a winter road?” Today, a winter road is nothing more than a peculiar line on the map, crossing over the bog, where one rarely ventures due to the wet terrain and lack of purpose. However, in the past, winter roads led people across lakes, swamps, and bogs, all in the quest for quicker and more straightforward paths home, to visit someone, or to the marketplace.

Just as in ancient times when sledges traveled over frozen bogs, this festival will move from one distinctive point of Emajõe-Suursoo to another for an entire week. At the end of January, ice cars will race across Lake Peipsi, and a midwinter feast will be held in the crisp lunar night in Varnja. At the beginning of February, cultural-historical and literary excursions will explore the enigmatic world of Ahunapalu. The festival concludes at the Emajõe-Suursoo Center with a magical nighttime concert and a documentary film program.

Choose whether to hike along the old winter road on skis, kick sleds, or snowshoes. Observe past traditions at the forest-based exhibition, embark on sound journeys, watch documentaries, and attend lectures.

Join us on the Winter Roads of Emajõe-Suursoo!

The cooperation project of Luunja, Kastre, and Peipsiääre municipalities is part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 main program and the South-Estonian Community Program, supported by Leader action groups.