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If you were ever bitten by the Geocaching-bug but wanting to explore something new, look no further than this large-scale European scavenger hunt.
Today, it takes a GPS satellite 12 hours to orbit the earth and submit measurements on the planet’s constantly changing topography, but when German-born scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve set out to produce the most accurate measurement of the earth’s surface in 1816, the job was a bit more “hands-on.” Struve and his team of scientists from various countries spent 39 years out in some of Eastern Europe’s most beautiful and remote landscapes, triangulating measurements along a long stretch of meridian from Norway to the Black Sea.
The project became known as the Struve Geodetic Arc, consisting of 265 marked points (some are simply holes drilled into rocks, while others are marked by small iron crosses) that span 10 countries and more than 2,820 kilometers. The arc was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and now 34 of the most important plots have been marked with commemorative plaques.
Traversing the arc today requires a GPS and a strong sense of adventure, as many of these minuscule markers are located “off-the-grid”… despite actually being the grid.
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Norway
Norway marks the northernmost point on the Struve Geodetic Arc, where a large obelisk stands erected overlooking the Norwegian Sea in Hammerfest with a copper globe at its tip. The Hammerfest marker is one of the easiest to access along the entire arc, while the other Norwegian markers may require a solid pair of hiking boots to help traverse craggy mountain terrain in order to reach them.
– Fuglenes, Hammerfest: 70°40′12″N 23°39′48″E
– Lille-Reipas, Alta: 69°56′19″N 23°21′37″E
– Lohdizhjokki, Kautokeino: 69°39′52″N 23°36′08″E
– Baljatz-Vaara, Kautokeino: 69°01′43″N 23°18′19″E
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Sweden
A sculpture honoring Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve can be found in Haparanda, Sweden, just 25 kilometers from where Struve engraved a single cross into a large stone hidden in the forested hillside of Paravaara. Other markers in the country are easily accessible through road signs and marked walking routes… or skiing routes in the case of the Pullinki marker located near the summit of the Svanstein Ski Resort.
– Tynnyrilaki, Kiruna: 68°15′18″N 22°58′59″E
– Jupukka, Pajala: 67°16′36″N 23°14′35″E
– Pullinki, Övertorneå: 66°38′47″N 23°46′55″E
– Peravaara, Haparanda: 66°01′05″N 23°55′21″E
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Finland
There are six UNESCO markers that dot Struve’s arc as it winds its way through Finland, but the most popular station is a wooden tower that rises above lake Paijanne in Oravivuori. A marked nature trail leads up the hill to the tower, where visitors can climb the tower to glimpse out on the untouched Finnish landscape. The Stuorrahanoaivi marker of three crosses is one of the most challenging to find, located 25 kilometers from the nearest road and hidden under a lookout tower, while the Aavasaksa marker often acts as an excuse for visitors to trek out to this beautiful location, where wild blueberry and lingonberry patches shine under the midnight sun.
– Stuorrahanoaivi, Enontekiö: 68°40′57″N 22°44′45″E
– Aavasaksa, Ylitornio: 66°23′52″N 23°43′31″E
– Alatornio Church, Tornio: 65°49′48″N 24°09′26″E
– Oravivuori, Korpilahti: 61°55′36″N 25°32′01″E
– Porlom II, Tornikallio, Lapinjärvi: 60°42′17″N 26°00′12″E
– Mustaviiri, Pyhtää: 60°16′35″N 26°36′12″E
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Estonia
There were once 22 measurement points along the Struve Geodetic Arc in Estonia, but only three remain preserved today on the UNESCO list. The Estonians are so proud of their role in the arc that they host a “Walk on the Struve Arc” event at the end of August each year so visitors can walk an hour (almost 5km) between two of the points (Simuna and Voivere). The marker in Tartu is the focal point of the entire arc, where the Dorpat Observatory at the University of Tartu was restored in 2002 with a bronze plaque to mark the spot where Struve spent most of his time recording his data and observations while employed as an astronomer by the university.
– Voivere, Väike-Maarja Parish: 59°03′28″N 26°20′16″E
– Simuna, Väike-Maarja Parish: 59°02′54″N 26°24′51″E
– Dorpat Tartu Observatory, Tartu: 58°22′44″N 26°43′12″E
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Latvia
Although the Struve Geodetic Arc only bears the name of one man, the entire project wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Estonian astronomer Carl Friedrich Tenner (in fact, the arc’s status as a UNESCO site is due in part to this cross-cultural collaboration). Tenner was responsible for a small section of the southern portion of the arc while Struve managed the rest. Latvia is the only country in the arc that boasts station points made and built by both Struve and Tenner, and both spots are marked by engraved rocks in easy-to-access locations.
– Sestu-Kalns, Ērgļu novads: 56°50′24″N 25°38′12″E
– Jacobstadt, Jēkabpils: 56°30′05″N 25°51′24″E
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Lithuania
The station markers in Lithuania are some of the easiest to access thanks to the extreme pride many Lithuanians still feel for their role in accommodating Struve’s work. They’re so proud that they even dedicated a postage stamp to the astronomer in the early 2000s (which now sells for more than $2,500 USD).
– Gireisiai, Panemunėlis: 55°54′09″N 25°26′12″E
– Meskonys, Nemenčinė: 54°55′51″N 25°19′00″E
– Paliepiukai, Nemėžis: 54°38′04″N 25°25′45″E
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Belarus
The team of scientists and explorers in Belarus had to refer back to Struve and Tenner’s original calculations in order to uncover the original station markers within the country after an unsuccessful expedition in 1999. Today they have uncovered 19 of the original 31 points, but only five are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their significance to the project.
– Tupishki, Ashmyany: 54°17′30″N 26°2′43″E
– Lopaty, Zelva: 53°33′38″N 24°52′11″E
– Ossovnitsa, Ivanovo: 52°17′22″N 25°38′58″E
– Chekutsk, Ivanovo: 52°12′28″N 25°33′23″E
– Leskovichi, Ivanovo: 52°9′39″N 25°34′17″E
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Moldova
Although there is only one site listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for Moldova, more sites have been uncovered (many of these points were buried more than two meters underground after establishing them) in recent years and are in the process of gaining accreditation. Moldova’s sole site is often referred to as simply “Rudy” by locals, and this white obelisk is proudly displayed in the middle of an apple orchard.
- Rudy, Rudi, Soroca: 48°19′08″N 27°52′36″E
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Ukraine
The four-station points located within Ukraine make up the southernmost trail of Struve’s arc, ending at the Black Sea in the coastal region of Odessa Oblast. Vineyards and orchards grow between the coast, lakes, and estuaries of this region, where the final station point is a large monument with an original sign that dates back to 1853 in the village of Stara Nekrasivka.
– Keterinowka, Khmelnytsky Oblast: 49°33′57″N 26°45′22″E
– Felschtin, Khmelnytsky Oblast: 49°19′48″N 26°40′55″E
– Baranowka, Khmelnytsky Oblast: 49°08′55″N 26°59′30″E
– Stara Nekrasivka, Odesa Oblast: 45°19′54″N 28°55′41″E