• Experience Russian culture in Estonia 
• 13th Century castle straddling the border between Estonia and Russia
• Visit a secret Stalin era town

Only the thin Narva River separates Narva from Russia.  As the most eastern point of the European Union, Narva offers a unique opportunity to experience Russian culture.  Narva is only 130 kms from St Petersburg and during the Soviet era the influence of the USSR was felt more here than any town in Estonia.
 
Narva dates back to the 13th Century when Danes arrived.  The period of Swedish occupation during the 16th and 17th Century was a time of particular commercial success for Narva, but evidence of this is mostly lost due to heavy bombings in WWII.  From January to July of 1944, Narva was subject to some of the heaviest bombardment in WWII, as Soviet forces recaptured Narva from Germany.  Narva became known as the Women’s City as so few men survived the fighting and the women had been evacuated.  Even by 1960 the population of Narva remained 70% female. 

It is clear that Narva was designed as a fortification town as the Narva Castle, built in 1276 towers over the city and the border crossing between the two countries.  The castle straddles the Narva River, while opposite, in Russia is the Jaanilinna-Ivangorod Castle, forming a formidable architectural sight.  Throughout history Narva was a prosperous trading town.  Trading routes passed through Narva linking the Baltics and Europe with Russia and through to the Asian continent.  

The Narva Castle and its twin fortress on the Russian side of the river are visible as you drive into Narva. You are able to climb up into the tower of the castle and from the top there is a superb view of the city and across to Russia.  The castle also houses the Narva Museum which gives an insight into the history of the area.  Just North of the castle is the baroque Town Hall which was built between 1668-1671.  The Russian Orthodox Voskresensky Cathedral built in 1898 is open to visitors.

Narva-Jõesuu, a 19th Century spa town is on the Gulf of Finland, 12 km from Narva.  It was a favourite place of Russian aristocracy to visit for curative treatments and still retains some of its prior charm.  Although Narva-Jõesuu is a small town, there are some spa hotels and a wide sandy beach.

Lake Peipsi and the Narva River have been the border between two religions for over 1000 years, dividing the Russian Orthodox culture with first Catholicism and now Lutheranism.  Lake Peipsi is the fourth largest lake in Europe, covering 3500 square kilometres.  Settled on the shore of Lake Peipsi are the Old Believers who arrived in the 17th Century to escape from the reforms of the Russian Orthodox Church.  Since this time, this community has been living largely independently and without assimilating into Estonian culture. There are a up to 15 000 Old Believers living in Estonia now.  The towns of Mustvee and Kallaste on the shore of Lake Peipsi are home to many of the Old Believers whose ancestors fled to Estonia. 

If you are interested in seeing Russian Orthodox culture first hand, Pühtitsa Convent is a Russian Orthodox convent situated high on a hill with magnificent views of pine and oak woods and lakes of glacier origin.  The convent, founded in 1891 consists of several churches of traditional early Russian church architecture, which consists of the well known style of onion domes.  Over 150 nuns live at the convent and welcome visitors. 

To complete your experience of Soviet history, visit a secret USSR Stalin era town.  Sillamäe was not marked on any maps for half a century during the Soviet era.  Sillamäe now is finally open to visitors and is a town with many original examples of Stalinist style architecture.  The town itself is situated on the Gulf of Finland and was in the 18th Century a summer residence for the Estonian and Russian elite.  Sillamäe is a convenient stopover when travelling to or from Narva.