Piirissaar
| Piirissaar | ||
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| Waters | Lake Peipus | |
| Geographical location | 58 ° 22 '23 " N , 27 ° 31' 24" E | |
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| surface | 7.8 km² | |
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Piirissaar (German Porka ) is an Estonian inland island in Tartu County .
With an area of 7.8 km², Piirissar is the largest island in Lake Peipus . It is located about 15 km from the mouth of the Emajõgi (German: Embach ). Piirissaar is about 1 to 2 meters above the water level of the lake.
The first permanent settlement probably goes back to the time of the Northern War . While fleeing the church reform in Russia , Old Believers settled there and sought protection from military service. Even today, the majority of the residents profess this faith. During the Second World War , the island was exposed to severe attacks by the German air force in February 1944 .
Today there are three villages on the island: Piiri , Saare and Tooni . They form the municipality of Piirissaare . The number of inhabitants fell from around 700 in 1920 to 86 in 2006. Those who remained living mainly from fishing and the onion -Anbau.
Piirissaar has been a nature reserve under the Natura 2000 program since 1991 .
Web links
- Islanders website (Estonian and Russian)
- 360 ° aerial panorama of Piirissaar from the helicopter
