Museum near Lake Peipus holds collection of 241 samovars
A museum in the village of Varnja on Lake Peipus has amassed a collection of 241 samovars, which grew out of a single family heirloom. The Peipus region is also drawing artists who have opened galleries and created contemporary art there.
The area around Lake Peipus in Estonia, known locally as the "Chud Sea," is famed for its Old Believer traditions, fishing communities and tranquil natural surroundings. Local Seto and Old Believer communities still live in the region, and residents often sell onions from their yards during this season.
One of the region's attractions is a museum in the village of Varnja that has gathered a collection of 241 samovars. Museum keeper Herling Mesi explained that the collection began almost by accident: when she and her husband, who worked as a border guard in Varnja, bought a house, the only item taken by the previous owner was a samovar. Her husband then brought a samovar from his parents' home, and after acquiring several more, the couple decided to start collecting deliberately. The collection now ranges from small single-cup samovars to a large railway samovar.
Mesi also described local tea-drinking customs: hot tea is traditionally poured into a saucer and held with three fingers, while caring for the samovar is considered a woman's task, for which the lady of the house receives particular thanks and respect.
Art and new galleries
The Peipus region also attracts artists. The Voronja gallery in Varnja, marking its 13th year, opens a new exhibition every summer; this year it features works by local artists Tuuli Vahesaar and Martin Laiapea under the title "Strange People."
Not far away, in the village of Kolkja, Ukrainian artist Viktoria Berezina has opened an art space in a previously empty, run-down house that she and her husband renovated. It currently hosts an exhibition called "Mycelium," featuring Estonian and Ukrainian artists, including ceramics by Ukrainian artist Polina Krasavina, who now lives in Latvia.
The region also recently welcomed a new spa hotel, Kurro Loodusspa, built on the site of a former Soviet-era complex that once housed a restaurant, cinema and theatre. According to hotel manager Liisa Meindla, the project was initiated by a local resident aiming to create jobs for people living in Ida-Viru County.
