The Gangue Hills in NE of Estonia

The gangue hills consist of waste arisen by mining oil-shale

They have changed the landscape and environment in North-Eastern Estonia

The oil-shale supplies of Ida-Viru County give electricity to the entire Estonia

Our typical lowland became highland here and there Containing dangerous waste, these hills pollute the

environment On the other hand,we are used to see them and use

them for entertainment and joy

The Kiviõli and Kohtla-Järve hills can be compared with the famous Cheops´ pyramid in Egypt which was 147 m high while building it.

Dangerous The gangue hills can be self-

inflammable. The hill very near of Kukruse village has been burning for years.So beside the village there is an air-polluting and unpredictable volcano, because even experts can´t say what is really going on inside the hill. Snow melts there in winter.The shape of the hill has transformed.There have been worse periods with stinky air and flames coming out from the top could be seen in the dark.

The Kukruse hill

Gangue Hills In Use Gangue hills are turned

into greenery.They can be used as hiking tracks,skiing, sledging and snowboarding tracks and also for ski-jump and slalom

Animals and birds have found indisturbed habitats on the high hills

On the Kiviõli hill a grand cross-country race track has been built

The Kiviõli Hill

To Kiviõli ascent races also Latvians, Swedes and Finns have attended On Kiviõli hill there is also a downhill track The most attractive event with lots of viewers is the grandious cross-country race.

There have been day races and also night races.

Gangue Hills Dances Another idea of how to use gangue hills: On the Kohtla-Nõmme hill the gangue hills´winter folk dance party was celebrated the 3rd time. 750 dancers from all over Estonia took part in the dance party this year.Wearing warmer clothes over the traditional costumes,the dancers had fun on the high slopes in spite of the sharp frost and biting wind.The unique dance party propagates both Ida-Viru County and folk dances and becomes more popular with every year.

Future The gangue hills are dumps of dangerous chemical waste and must

be closed according to directives of European Union and also according to the law of Estonia in the future.

So in the future a massive work of covering gangue hills will probably change again our landscape and we can hopefully enjoy the cleaner environment in our home region.