Otepää Nature Park, Protected nature park in Otepää Rural Municipality, Estonia.
Otepää Nature Park is a protected landscape covering around 222 square kilometers with rolling hills, mixed forests, and about 65 lakes spread across northern Valga County. The terrain rises and falls with wooded ridges, creating varied landforms, while water bodies of different sizes dot the entire area.
The park's terrain developed through natural geological processes and was shaped over centuries by agricultural activities in the Otepää uplands. This combination of natural forces and human land use created the landscape visible today.
Lake Pühajärv holds deep meaning for local communities who come here to connect with nature and enjoy the landscape. The wooded islands and shoreline forests shape how people use and think about this space.
The Otepää Nature Centre at the park offers visitor information, exhibits about landscape patterns, and a short documentary film available in Estonian and English. From there, visitors can easily explore different sections of the park and learn more about its natural features.
The park protects several noteworthy natural monuments, including the War Oak of Pühajärve, an ancient spruce called Tsuura, and a rare cork tree near Märdi. These individual trees stand as markers of long-standing natural history and hold local significance.
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