Keila city in Estonia located 25 km west of Tallinn. City area: 10.46 km² Number of inhabitants: 9,500. Area: 11.25 km². Population: 10,499 (2021). The food, textile and mineral industries developed in the city.
- The palace and mill in Keila-Joa. Walking towards the waterfall, the first thing that will catch our attention is the beautiful neo-Gothic palace. While there are plenty of provincial manors and palaces in Estonia itself, the one here really catches our attention with its location and rather unusual architecture. It was built in 1831-33, designed by a Russian architect from St. Petersburg – Andrei Stackenschneider (it would be difficult to recognize the nationality from his surname). General Alexander von Beckendorff lived in the palace with his entire family. They belonged to the group of Baltic Germans, who until World War II constituted a significant percentage of the country’s population and for centuries formed the intellectual elite of these areas. After World War I, the palace estate fell into the hands of the newly established Republic of Estonia and belonged to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Soviet times, the complex fell into the hands of the Red Army. Today, it houses a hotel, where for a price of several hundred złoty per night we can feel like the old nobility. The Beckendorff estate also included a water mill on Keila, which here “gains momentum” and is ideal as a source of additional energy. In 1928, a 365 kW hydroelectric power plant was built on the mill site, which today is the third largest hydroelectric power plant in Estonia in terms of energy production.
- Keila-Joa Waterfall. Now that we have explored the entire area around, let’s finally take a closer look at our natural wonder. The Keila-Joa Waterfall may not resemble Mickiewicz’s Waterfalls, but it is one of the largest of its kind in Estonia. It is six metres high and about 60-70 metres wide. The rocks against which the water crashes are incredibly interesting and… old. In the upper part of the waterfall, limestones of the Ordovician Kunda geological unit are exposed. In the lower part, we can see glauconite sandstones of another Ordovician unit, the Hunneberg. All of them are about 450-480 million years old. Reverse erosion is also making itself felt in this place – the waterfall retreats by less than 10 centimetres per year. Just go there in a decade and the escarpment will probably be less than a metre higher.
- Access. The only airport in Estonia to which flights are made from Poland is the international airport in Tallinn. Direct flights are offered by PLL LOT from Warsaw. There is a train station in Keila. Regional connections to Tallinn.
- Sport, football, basketball. Keila JK – a sports club whose section is football. Keila KK. Stadium: Keila Tervisekeskus (Keila). Basketball.
