Härjapea River

Härjapea

Härjapea River in 1889
Origin Lake Ülemiste
Mouth Tallinn Bay, Gulf of Finland
Basin countries Estonia

Härjapea River (Estonian: Härjapea jõgi) was a river in Tallinn, Estonia. The river was a few kilometers in length, flowing from Lake Ülemiste into the Tallinn Bay.

Härjapea River was one of the most exploited rivers in Estonia in the Middle Ages.[1] First watermills were constructed on the river in 13th century. A map from the end of 17th century depicted 8 mills on the river, some of which became later basis for larger industries. Due to the growth of industry in the 19th century the river become increasingly polluted and was already then partly covered. In 1923 it was covered with planks and in 1938 the construction of an underground sewage was completed in place of the river, which was around 4.5 km in length at the time.

Nowadays the course of the river is recognizable in some places, but nothing else remains of it. The underground sewage is still operational.[2]

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