RIVERLAND

In ancient chronicles the Great Emajõgi was first mentioned in 1224 (Emaioga). Also, in the Livonian Chronicles of the Latvian Henricus we can find the mention of the Emajõgi: when in 1211 Germans reached the Stronghold of Tarbatu, they found it destroyed and then „crossed the river which was called the Mother of Waters (Mater aquarum) to reach the land of pagans”. In the 13the century and even later the Pärnu River was called Emajõgi. Until the 18^th century, when the River Tänassilma near Viljandi the watershed became too shallow for navigation, the trading route from Pärnu to Pskov passed along the Pärnu, the Raudna Rivers, Lake Viljandi, the Tänassilma River, Lake Võrtsjärv, the River Emajõgi and Lake Peipsi. Even later the plans were made for restoring the ancient waterway. The Emajõgi is a popular pseudo-mythological river in Estonia. According to F.R. Faehlmann’s legend the Emajõgi was dug by animals and birds.

The pagan god Vanemuine became angry with birds and animals because they did not enjoy life but were constantly quarrelling. The old Vanemuine decided to appoint a king to the animals who would govern them. The animals were given an order to dig a river to receive the king who could live on its banks. The river had to be beautiful and deep, with hills and valleys, shady forests and meadows on its banks to please the king. The animals began to fulfil the old man’s order and started working. The rabbit ran in front of the fox that with his tail draw the line. This is how the river course was marked. The mole made the first furrow. The badger deepened it and the wolf was making the bottom of the river smooth. The bear made heaps of sand and soil. When the animals had completed their work, Vanemuine with his golden ladle poured water into the riverbed and showed where water had to flow. This is how the River Emajõgi, the symbol of the County of Tartu was born.

The Great Emajõgi begins from Rannu-Jõesuu (the mouth of the river) in the north-eastern part of Lake Võrtsjärv. Flowing along 101 km in the direction of east, it reaches Lake Peipsi at Praaga in the end. On its way the River Great Emajõgi remains on the territory of the county of Tartu (from Lake Võrtsjärv to Tartu it is about 60 km long from Tartu to Lake Peipsi about 40 km)

As the Great Emajõgi descends only 3,7 m per 100 km, the speed of its flow is slow only some 20 cm per second. The people on s rubber boat or a raft should consider it. You should not expect a better ride even in spring during the floods, especially lower Tartu where the Emajõgi depends upon the influence of Lake Peipsi raising the level of water and your boat moves on very slowly.

In spring the river valley in lower places is fully flooded. The biggest flood was registered on 19 March 1929 when the water covered 490 km² and the river at the mouth was about 20 km wide, the water in the Emajõgi is the lowest in the second half of the summer, in August and September.