Lake Peipus the town. Near Kallaste, there is one of the largest surfacings of Devonian sandstone with a length of and a maximum height of , as well as several caves and one of the largest colonies of swallows in Estonia. Lake Peipus Lake Peipus (; ; ) is the largest transboundary lake in Europe, lies on the border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia north of St. Petersburg), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake Saimaa (in Finland). Lake Peipus represents a remnant of a body of water which
Staraya Ladoga Ulfsson, to rule the town. This information is confirmed by sagas and archaeological evidence, which suggests that Ladoga gradually evolved into a primarily Varangian settlement. At least two Swedish kings spent their youths in Ladoga, king Stenkil and Inge I, and possibly also king Anund Gårdske. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Ladoga functioned as a trade outpost of the powerful Novgorod Republic. Later its trade significance declined and most of the population engaged in fishing in the 15th century. After new fortresses such as Oreshek and Korela were constructed in the 14th century further to the west of Ladoga,