Keila Waterfall and Fall Castle.
The Keila-Joa waterfall is located only 20 km from Tallinn, and due to its convenient location, it is one of the most favorite places for recreation for residents and guests of the Estonian capital. In ancient times, there were no buildings on the banks of the picturesque Keila River except for a water mill, the remains of which have survived to this day. Repeatedly, this lovely place passed from hand to hand, endlessly mortgaged and remortgaged by careless owners, until it finally came under the jurisdiction of Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf - that same legendary head of the III department of the royal office, who took an active part in the fate of the Decembrists and wrote to Pushkin ". . . polite letters, after which one did not want to live and breathe. " Thanks to the count, the local landscape was adorned with an elegant castle called "Fall" (from it. "wasserfall" - a waterfall), and since Alexander Khristoforovich, due to his social status, could invite such eminent guests as Emperor Nicholas I, this place eventually surrounded by various legends. So, for example, it is believed that the anthem of the Russian Empire - "God Save the Tsar" was presented to His Imperial Majesty in Falla. By the way, one more curious and reliable fact: over time, the Benkendorf castle passed to the Volkonsky family, because the middle daughter of Benkendorf, Maria, who inherited Fall, married the nephew of the Decembrist Volkonsky. Such is the "spiral of history" and love.
Until recently, the castle was in disrepair, driving the locals to despair and bewildering tourists with its appearance. However, we were lucky and saw Fall in good health. Two years ago, he got new modern owners who are actively restoring the estate.
As for the waterfall itself, the place is really beautiful and well-groomed. By the way, Keila-Joa may seem familiar to you - it has repeatedly served as a film set for popular Soviet films. Thank God there is no "entertainment" here yet. Not far from the waterfall, next to the old power plant, there is one and only miniature cafe where you can drink a cup of coffee, eat a plate of "selyanka" and experience a surge of truly patriotic feelings, looking at a sign advertising the Ukrainian "Obolon". Keila is an ideal place to take a break from the bustle of the city and "merge with nature". Therefore, I cannot fail to note such an important "infrastructure" object as a local supermarket at the bus stop. From the outside, it looks strange and not very presentable, but inside it is quite decent. I advise you to come here if in a hurry you forgot to buy food for a picnic.
If you walk along the forest path along the Keila stream for about three kilometers, you can come to the Baltic Sea with a typical Estonian coastal landscape: numerous stone boulders in shallow water - traces of a prehistoric glacier, deserted sandy beaches and flocks of fearless white swans. Romance!
The Keila-Joa waterfall can be reached from Tallinn by regional bus. Several routes go that way (for more information, see http://soiduplaan. tallinn. ee). Personally, we drove from the Balti railway station to Keila-Joa on the 108th bus. By the way, for those who did not know that there are waterfalls in Estonia, I inform you that there are as many as three of them here. But the Keila waterfall is so far the only one that can be reached by public transport without transfers. The road from Tallinn to Keila-Joa takes about 40 minutes.
I wish you all pleasant travels and bright impressions! : )
