Paganamaa Landscape Reserve

Paganamaa Landscape Reserve / Описание

Paganamaa Landscape Reserve is located in the Varstu parish, to the southwest of the Krabi village, next to the Latvian border. The area of the reserve is 1107 ha. The main values of the reserve are the Piiriorg valley with the chain of lakes and the Piirioja stream, the geologically interesting landscape with bulges and basins, expressive gullies and the well-preserved cultural landscape with beautiful views near Tseamäe and Kerekutsi.
The highest hills within the reserve are Raadimägi (176,7 m), Kikkamägi (166,4 m) and Trumbipalo (161,4 m). The Piirioja is a stream with a high drop (6 m/km), which passes through four lakes - Kikkajärve, Sarapuu, Liivajärve and Mudajärve. The Piiriorg valley around the lakes, which is a 600 m wide and 55 m deep mould valley, turns into a narrow (200 m) valley with a notch-like bottom in the central part of the reserve and widens in the eastern part to a mould valley again.
Paganamaa has been named after the swampy basins, which have formed in the melting basins of ice banks covered with moraine, when the continental ice withdrew. These basins are called footstep graves of the Old Heathen. From the lookout of Paganamaa the view opens to the lake chain and the surrounding landscape. There is a nature trail on the reserve, about which a booklet is published. Bike trails have been established in the reserve in 2000.