There are many churches and chapels that are of interest in the eastern part of Harju County, which all pilgrims should take a look at. The routes are recommended, and largely run away from major highways, allowing visitors the enjoyment of Harjumaa’s beautiful sights, all of its natural and cultural sights and its fishing villages and new settlements, life on mainland and life on small islands. The choice of transport is up to the pilgrim. You can travel on foot or by bicycle. There are places that you can reach by train. The most convenient option is to travel by car, but the areas around the capital have a good network of cycle and pedestrian tracks which is excellent for travelling by bicycle. PILGRIMAGE ROUTES IN EAST HARJUMAA ROUTE Tallinn-Viru Square - Viimsi Peninsula - Maardu - Jõelähtme Municipality - Kuusalu Town - Leesi & Juminda Peninsula - Loksa City - Viinistu Village - Raasiku Town - Pikva Village - Kose Town - Jüri Town - Kostivere - Tallinn Tallinn The pilgrimage to Harjumaa starts in Tallinn, and first of all we recommend heading towards Viimsi Peninsula. You can take bus No. 1 from the bus terminal in Viru Keskus in the heart of Tallinn or go by bicycle, on foot, or by car. When you start your journey, you will first have to use Pirita Road to reach the small town of Haabneeme, and thereafter you travel towards Püünsi. If you travel by bicycle, you can use the bicycle and pedestrian track. The entire Viimsi Peninsula is covered with bicycle and pedestrian tracks and the peninsula is very safe to travel around. Viimsi Peninsula This is a peninsula that is located in North Estonia, bordering to the west the country’s capital of Tallinn and to the east Muuga Bay. The peninsula’s total area is approximately 50km2, while it is 10km in length and an average of 5km wide. Together with the islands of Naissaare, Prangli, Aksi, Tiirloodi, Keri, Kräsuli, Seinakari, Kumbli and Pandju, the peninsula makes up Viimsi Municipality.

The distance between Viru Square in the heart of Tallinn and St Jacob’s Church in Viimsi is 13km.

1. Viimsi St Jacob’s Church in Pringi Village - built in 2003

This was the first new Lutheran church to be built in Estonia after the conclusion of the Second World War (architects Martin Aunin and Erkki Ristoja). The shrine on the beach was consecrated on 25 July 2007 and was erected to commemorate those who had perished at sea and also to serve the local people. The steeple bells, Memento Mori and Memento Vivere, were cast in the Netherlands.

In Haabneeme, on Rohuneeme Road, some twenty metres towards Püünsi, is the Oratory of the Viimsi Free Congregation, which you should also visit and which provides accommodation. Whilst you are already in the area, we recommend visiting the Viimsi Open Air Museum and the Museum of Coastal Folk that is just a kilometre away from the congregation house. At the end of the peninsula, in the village of Rohuneeme, you will find Rohuneeme Chapel, 5km away from the Open Air Museum.

2. Rohuneeme Chapel - built in 1882 The former new chapel of Aegna Island, which was taken along with them when the inhabitants were evacuated in 1922 and was rebuilt on its current plot of land which was given as a gift by the owners of the Oti Farm, the brothers Julius and Ferdinand Lambot. The chapel has been renovated and is well maintained.

To reach the eastern side of the Peninsula, head towards Leppneeme, travelling through the villages of Kelvingi, Leppneeme, and Tammneeme, and head for the village of Randvere, where you will find Randvere Church. The distance between the tip of Rohuneeme and Randvere Village is 13km.

3. Randvere Church - built in 1852.

A small limestone neo-Gothic church that was initially built without a steeple. The church was established in 1803, next to a cemetery. Initially it functioned as chapel-of-rest for Jõelähtme Church. In 1882, the church building was expanded and the steeple was added. The altar painting, ‘The Calling of the Apostle Peter’, was given as a gift by farm owner Karl Neem in 1872.

Viimsi Peninsula is rich in natural and cultural heritage. Thanks to this it is also well worth a visit for other points of interests, such as the Devil’s Cave, Viimsi lighthouse, the Museum of Coastal Folk, the Open Air Museum, and Laidoner’s War Museum in Viimsi Manor, or go from Leppneeme Harbour to Prangli Island where you will find the small and cosy Prangli Church. NB: Plan a full day when it comes to visiting the islands Where to sleep and eat in Viimsi you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/

From Viimsi Peninsula, travel through Muuga to Maardu. The distance from Randvere Church to Maardu Church is 10km. The former area of holiday cottages has become a residential area and the Port of Muuga is on the way, in which you can find the ecumenical Chapel of the Seafarers Centre.

Maardu City The city of Maardu is located in the immediate vicinity of the St Petersburg Highway, between 13-18km north-east of Tallinn. The city’s total area is 22.76km2. The city borders Jõelähtme and Viimsi municipalities. The Port of Muuga is situated in the northern part of Maardu, while towards the west you will find the Muuga garden town and in the north-eastern area lies the Kallavere residential area. South of the city you will find Lake Maardu. Today, Maardu is an important industrial area.

4. Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael in Maardu - built in 1998

This traditional-style red brick church is in a remarkably beautiful location. Among the points of interest in the churchyard is the bell that was taken down from the tower, which originated in Plaani Church in Võru County. In addition to the church, we recommend taking a peek into the old Rootsi-Kallavere Village which is located next to the Kallavere District, and in which you can find the local museum. You will find that the road to this location starts where the buses make their final stop.

From Maardu, travel through the villages of Ülgase and Rebala to reach Jõelähtme (a

distance of 12km). In Maardu, turn off Keemikute Street into Kütte Street and continue onwards.

Jõelähtme Municipality This borders the Gulf of Finland to the north, where the coast is winding and up to 40km long. There are several peninsulas and small bays along this stretch of the gulf’s coastline. The River Jõelähtme flows through Jõelähtme Municipality, and joins the River Jägala before flowing into Ihasalu Bay. The flat and level landscape that opens up to anyone who travels along the Tallinn-Narva Highway that passes through Jõelähtme Municipality does not reveal its secrets easily. ‘Still waters run deep’, as the saying goes. The dull alvar gains a completely different meaning when the passer-by learns that it is one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in Estonia, one that is exceptionally rich in various archaeological and historical monuments and protected natural sights. This rich historical heritage that has been preserved as a result of more than 5,000 years of human settlement needs constant protection.

5. Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jõelähtme - built between the thirteenth and twentieth centuries.

A small country church with high historic steeple (1912) between the ancient fields of Rebala, close to Tallinn. The church was expanded by the addition of a choir in the fifteenth century, and was fully renovated in the neo-Gothic style in 1878 (the architect of this work was Friedrich Ferdinand Modi). The church has a Baroque altar wall (by Michael Brinckmann, 1670)), a pulpit (by Tobias Heintze, 1639), an altar painting called Christ on the Cross (by Theodor Albert Sprengel, 1889), and one of the oldest church bells in Harjumaa (dating from the seventeenth century). Modern stained glass windows are inspired by the Old and New Testaments. Whilst at Jõelähtme Church, you should cross the old stone bridge, turn right at Reisirestoran and the petrol station, and cross the highway to visit the Museum of the Rebala Heritage Reserve. Right next to the museum you will see one of the oldest tombs in Estonia.

After visiting the museum, you should not stay on the highway, but should instead cross it again and take the side road or the Vana-Narva Road, where it is much safer and more interesting.

Jõelähtme Municipality also has the largest golf course in Estonia, the Estonian Golf & Country Club, and the largest waterfall in Estonia, Jägala waterfall, along with Jägala hill fort and the Linnamäe Hydroelectric Power Station. All of these places are well worth the visit. Jägala waterfall is not world famous, but it is most probably the most famous Estonian waterfall. Its height is between 7.8 and 8.1 metres and its width is over fifty metres. It is also the highest natural waterfall in Estonia. You can walk behind the waterfall if you step on the slippery stones. The waterfall is at its most interesting during the spring floods and in winter when it is frozen. The waterfall has eroded the clint terrace, so that there is a narrow canyon below the waterfall, along the bottom of which runs the riverbed with its rapids. The length of the canyon is 300 metres, whilst its depth ranges from between twelve to fourteen metres.

Where to sleep and eat in Jõelähtme Municipality you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/

Kuusalu Municipality The largest municipality in Harju County, with a long sea coast, beautiful sandy beaches, large forests, and interesting natural sites such as the Tülivere oak, the Turjekelder, the house stone, the Jaani-Tooma boulder, and Viru bog. Kuusalu Municipality also has the North Kõrvemaa Nature Reserve and one third of the total land that forms Lahemaa National Park.

The distance between Jõelähtme Church and Kuusalu Church is 20km. You can take the Vana-Narva Road. Along the road you will see Kiiu Vassal Fortress or Kiiu Tower, where you can have a cup of coffee and try the famous Kiiu liqueur.

6. St Lawrence’s Lutheran Church in Kuusalu - built between the eighth and nineteenth

centuries. The church is dedicated to Deacon Lawrence, and was first built by Cistercian monks from Gotland. In the fifteenth century, the church was vaulted, while the Baroque tower was built in 1760. The expansion of the church was carried out in 1890 (by the architect Friedrich Axel von Howen). The altar painting, Christ on the Cross, was created by Carl Siegismund Walther (1864). The predella and the figures of Moses and John the Baptist have been preserved from the old altar wall (Elert Thiele, seventeenth century). The church has rare portraits of Luther and Melanchthon as glass paintings.

The distance from Kuusalu Church to Leesi Church is over 27km.

Along the road, you will see forests as well as alvars with juniper bushes. The areas around Tsitre and Muuksi are especially picturesque. While travelling, it is recommended that you take a look at the Turjekelder and Muuski hill fort. Tsitre has the State Forest Management Centre’s camping site in which you can make a camp fire and spend the night in tents. Travelling up to the end of Juminda Peninsula, you will find beautiful beaches with sand dunes on the right. The ‘nose’ of Juminda Peninsula on the northern coast between Kolga and Hara bays is interesting because the end of the peninsula continues under the water, as a chain of large rocks, which move with the larger waves. The nose of the peninsula features a memorial to the ships and sailors who perished at the Battle of Juminda during the Second World War.

7. St Catherine’s Lutheran Church in Leesi - built in 1867. The stone church of the coastal folk rests in the shade of ancient linden trees and is simple and archaic. The pulpit with its colourful figurines has early Baroque carvings (1646) from the pulpit of the old Harju-Jaani Church, and there are also two rustic paintings from Juminda Chapel, a restored glass chandelier, an ancient money block, and a model of a sailing vessel (Mart Paadimeister, 1920s). Where to sleep and eat in Kuusalu Municipality you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/

NB: Kuusalu lies within a vast swathe of territory. If you are looking for a place to eat or stay, please check the distance before you can reach it.

Loksa City and Pärispea Peninsula A small city on the bank of the Gulf of Finland in North Estonia. The city’s main employer is the Loksa Shipyards. There is not much to see in the city itself, but there are many points of interests in the peninsula. This region features the beautiful Estonian fishing villages of Pärispea, Viinistu and Turbuneeme.

The distance between Leesi Church and Loksa is approximately 23km. The total distance from Viru Square in Tallinn to Loksa is 115km.

8. Lutheran Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Loksa - built in 1853.

A light and well-maintained shrine in the middle of tall greenery and the peace of a cemetery. The colourful windows add some joy to the simple interior. The large painting of Christ on the Cross and the Last Supper originates from the old chapel (which itself dated to the eighteenth century). The altar painting is Jesus Lives! Let Us Live For Him! (Theodor Albert Sprengel, 1888), and there is also a beautiful carved altar crucifix (dated to the nineteenth century).

The distance from Loksa to Viinistu at the end of Pärispea Peninsula is 9 km. Viinistu has an art museum which houses the private collection of Jaan Manitski, and where you can eat and stay for the night.

After you have finished your tour of the peninsula, head back into Tallinn. Before reaching the Tallinn-Narva Highway, you will find the Viru bog nature trail (3.5km) on the left. The trail provides a typical example of Estonian bog landscape and flora. The boardwalk along the trail was refurbished in 2013 (the trail can also be accessed by wheelchair users and those with baby carriages and pushchairs). The distance to the watchtower is a total of 1,410 metres (comprising an 800 metre gravel stone footpath and a 610 metre board trail). On the way back to Tallinn there is no point in returning to the highway. Instead, take the road through Kolga, where you can find one of the largest manors in Estonia - unfortunately in ruins. The manor’s outbuilding houses Kolga’s local museum. To reach the next church, cross the highway near Kiiu and continue towards Raasiku.

The distance from Loksa to Raasiku’s Harju-Jaani Church is 49km.

9. Harju-Jaani St John the Baptist’s Lutheran Church in Raasiku - built in 1863.

A light and spacious country church (architect Friedrich Wilhelm Alisch), from the steeple of which you can even see the blocks of flats in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district. The church has a light and symbol-filled decoration. It also contains the altar painting, Christ on the Cross (Otto Friedrich von Moeller, 1872), plus the symbolic stained-glass windows, the Christ the Light of the

World candle chandelier (1986), a pulpit detail from the old church (1646), and a coffer (seventeenth century). In the vestry is the painting, I Am the True Vine (Andres Tolts, 1990). A memorial cross (1991) and a monument to the old church (1996) both lie near the church.

If you find that the pilgrimage has been enough, the distance from Raasiku to Tallinn is approximately 22km if you make a small diversion to visit Saha Chapel. You can also take the train from Raasiku to Tallinn http://elron.ee/en/

1. St Nicholas’ Lutheran Chapel in Saha - built in the fifteenth century

This is a lesser-known pearl of medieval architecture near the capital. The chapel with its high gable roof, sharp-ended arched portal, high, decorative frame windows, and a beautifully proportioned limestone structure was built by the lords of Tallinn, most probably the same people who built Pirita Abbey - these two late Gothic structures have many similar features.

During the Middle Ages, the chapel belonged to the parish of Jüri, but since the seventeenth century it has served as chapel-of-rest for Jõelähtme’s church. According to legend, the very first Saha Chapel was built during the times of Bishop Fulco, half a century before construction started on the city of Tallinn.

Should you wish to continue travelling, you can head from Raasiku to the town of Kose. There are several highways that you can take in order to achieve this, but should you wish to visit Pikva Chapel, head towards Kehra. The distance between Raasiku and Kehra can also be travelled by train.

Kehra City This is part of Anija Municipality. The distance between Raasiku and Kehra is approximately 14km. Along the way you will see the beautiful Anija Manor, which is well worth a visit. The distance between Kehra and Pikva Chapel is 14km.

2. Pikva St Michael’s Lutheran Chapel The chapel of the Deaconesses Hospital was designed in 1891, and is a small building in the grounds of the former large hospital complex. The building combines extreme simplicity and dignity that has been achieved through economy; realised with the use of simple materials and highlighted only

through its architecture. St Michael’s Chapel in Pikva was built in the village in 2005. Since then, the small shrine, which belongs to the complex of Pikva Manor, has been open for everyone. The chapel has become a sight that is to be visited even by guests from some great distance away.

The distance between Pikva St Michael’s Church and Kose is 18km. Kose Municipality This is the southernmost municipality of Harju County, which in addition to its rich cultural heritage, features two very interesting natural sights - Tuhala Witch’s Well and the Blue Springs of Saula. Tuhala Witch’s Well is on the karst area of Tuhala, where you can see several other phenomena that are characteristic of a karst. The three springs at Saula differ in colour (one being greenish-blue, the next brownish black, and the last grey-blue) as well as in their size. According to folk legend, the spring water has ophthalmic healing powers. Kose Municipality is also rich in theme parks; the Viking Village, Polli Zoo, and Paunküla Wellness Centre which lies close to the Paunküla reservoir.

3. St Nicholas’ Lutheran Church in Kose - built between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The medieval house of God lies on a picturesque river bank with a choir that was built in the fifteenth century and a strong protective tower in the west. In 1873, the tower was built higher and the neo-Gothic spire was added. In 1856, a spacious confirmation hall, the colloquially-named new church, was built in place of the old vestry.

The renovated rooms of the extension now house the congregation’s museum-archive-library. The Baroque altar wall and the painting, Christ on the Cross, were given to the church by Karl Zoege von Manteuffel in 1774, while the newer altar painting was the gift of Carl Siegismund Walther (1853). The pulpit which dates to the seventeenth century has now lost its carvings (Tobias Heintze, circa 1639). Two limestone sun crosses (sixteenth century) are built into the western side of the tower, and there are also two sun crosses (1647 and 1675) in the churchyard. Also worth a look are the historical vicarage and the funeral chapel of the Kotzebue-Manteuffel family.

The distance between Kose and Tuhala Church is 13km.

4. St Charles’ Lutheran Church in Tuhala - built in 1777 The best sight to be seen in the modest and simple church which was built by the landlord of Tuhala Manor, Count Karl von Mellin, and which was modified in 1863, is the pulpit altar (built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries). It is unlike any of the altars in other Estonian churches. Precisely how the alter got here and where it came from is not known. The oldest parts of this veritable work of art could be the handiwork of the recognised Renaissance woodcarver-carpenter of Tallinn, Berendt Geistmann, which would date them to the first half of the seventeenth century.

The distance between Tuhala Church and Jüri Church in the town of Jüri is approximately 29km.

5. Jüri Church -built in 1883. A stylish neo-Gothic church (architect Friedrich Axel von Howen) on a medieval basement. The unique decorative interior is in the colours of the Estonian flag. A stylish altar design has the Christ on the Cross painting by Carl Greger. The church bell was cast in Tallinn (1599) and is amongst the oldest

in Harjumaa. The churchyard features a monument to those who perished during the First World Ward and the Estonian War of Independence (sculptor Richard Hammer, restored in 1989), plus a monument to the first edition of the Bible in Estonian in 1739 (with the monument being crafted in 1989), and limestone sun crosses (1637 and 1683). Where to eat and sleep in Kose and Rae municipalities you will find http://www.visitharju.ee/en/

Your journey through the east of Harju County has now come to an end, because you only need to travel another 15km to reach Tallinn.