Estonian, US troops team up to restore historic Setomaa landmark
An iconic Setomaa landmark is back after reservists and U.S. allies teamed up during Estonia's Spring Storm exercise to rebuild a giant stone "7" on Seitsmemägi Hill.
"Nearly a century later, soldiers once again laid out a large stone number 7 on this slope to mark the former summer camp of the 7th Infantry Regiment," project coordinator Toomas Valk, a ranger with the State Forest Management Center (RMK), told Lõuna-Eesti Postimees.
Valk also highlighted the symbolism of the reservists involved coming from the Estonian Defense Forces' (EDF) 22nd Infantry Battalion, successors of the original 7th Infantry Regiment whose emblem also carries the same signature digit.
This marks the most visible stage in more than a year of efforts to restore the area's Southern Camp (Lõunalaager), an Estonian military training area established near Petseri in 1926 that once hosted thousands of conscripts.
Seitsmemägi Hill (Säitsmemägi in the local Seto language) served as a key landmark for the 7th Infantry Regiment, whose original stone hillside "7" could reportedly be seen all the way from Petseri, the capital of Estonia's pre-occupation Petseri County.
Area organizers have also outlined broader plans to develop the site for uses ranging from youth camps to defense training.
Click here for more photos of cleanup and restoration efforts at Seitsmemägi Hill during Spring Storm.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
