At the Rouge Energy Park, Estonian ingenuity is on display

Jul 16, 2008
By Marge Tubalkain-Trell

TALLINN - Naturally beautiful Oobikuorg is as far from Tallinn as it is from being an ordinary tourist trap.
What makes the place beautiful are its views and lakes, but what makes it unique is the legacy of Friedrich Johanson, a brilliant man who led a difficult life. To provide power for his family’s small farm, Johanson began construction on his own hydroelectric power plant in 1939.

He ordered the turbine from Tallinn and built an earthen dam on a foundation designed to support a concrete one, which he planned to build later. But the war interrupted his plans, and during the Soviet period, the hydroelectric station was requisitioned by the state. Friedrich became a worker there until state electricity reached Rouge, after which the station powered only his farm again.
To supply water to the farm, Johanson also built a hydraulic ram pump of a design so unusual that he must have invented it himself, unaware of the existence of similar pumps. Sixty-three years later, in 2002, his son Juri built a more efficient hydraulic ram near the first one.

In keeping with the Johanson’s self-powered history, the Rouge Energy Park was built in 2001 to promote the use of alternative energy. In addition to the two hydraulic rams and the Johansons’ hydroelectric dam, it includes a geo-thermal heat pump, which heats the Rouge School in the winter using heat stored underground from the summer.

What’s most interesting about the park is the combination of old and new technologies. Visitors can pick up a map of the park’s Energy Trail and hike from one alternative energy display to the next.
Those who are interested in history should visit Rouge Kirik (church), which was built in the beginning of 18th century, and Rouge small cape citadel which dates from the middle ages.
Oobikuorg is also well known for its seven lakes. At 38 meters deep, Rouge Suurjarv is the deepest in Estonia. In the springtime, nightingales sing, which is where the valley got its name — Oobikuorg means “nightingale valley” in Estonian.

The only downside is that it’s about 260 kilometers from Tallinn, which means a long bus trip, first to Voru and then to Rouge, or several hours in a car. But if you want to surprise someone special for a nice day or a weekend, Oobikuorg offers an unique and beautiful getaway.

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