100 stories from the hiking route

2005 – Struve Geodetic Arc is entered in UNESCO World Heritage List

Information

Topic

Literature and culture

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 57.640012

Longitude: 26.392097

L-EST 97

x: 6391187.1
y: 642851.1

Location

Ähijärve-Aegviidu Hiking route

The 34 station points of the Struve Geodetic Arc were entered in the UNESThe 34 station points of the Struve Geodetic Arc were entered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. It was the first technological structure on the World Heritage List. Three station points in Estonia are included in the list: the University of Tartu Old Observatory and the points at Võivere and Simuna.
Less is known about other station points of the Struve Geodetic Arc located in Estonia. For example, Essemägi is located by the RMK Peraküla-Ähijärve hiking route. Essemägi often occurs as “Mariomäggi” in Struve’s diaries. In his observation diary, Struve describes Essemägi’s first rate signal location as follows: “Mariomäggi is a two-domed ridge about three versts north of the Hargla pastorate. The station point is situated on the lower, southern dome. The northern one used to be covered with a forest, but now they are both bare.”
As in other first rate station points of the Struve Geodetic Arc, Essemägi was also home to 9-metre-high symmetrical pyramidal towers made out of strong wood. A sighting log, streaked with black paint in order to be more visible in the midst of the surrounding nature, was attached to the tip of every signal tower.
The Essemägi station point was also used during the creation of the main national geodetic networks in 1933 and 1991.