Pühajõgi

Pühajõgi (Estonian for "Holy River") is a small river in Estonia. The name is used for several streams in the country, and where applied to a single watercourse it typically denotes a modest lowland river flowing through mixed forest and agricultural landscapes toward the Baltic Sea region.

The river and its valley support riparian habitats, including wetlands, floodplain meadows and wooded banks. These areas provide habitat for a range of freshwater and semi-aquatic species common to Estonian lowland rivers, such as various cyprinids and predatory fish, amphibians and breeding and migratory birds. Aquatic vegetation and streamside flora contribute to local biodiversity and landscape character.

Historically the valley around Pühajõgi has been used for small-scale agriculture and local industry; traces of former mills and rural settlement patterns can often be found along such rivers. The "holy" element of the name reflects cultural associations with natural places that were sometimes regarded as sacred or important in older local traditions.

Today the river is valued for recreation, including angling, walking and small-craft boating where conditions permit, and it is subject to regional land-use and water-quality management. Parts of Pühajõgi’s catchment may fall under nature protection measures or local conservation initiatives aimed at maintaining water quality, habitat connectivity and the ecological functions of the river corridor.