Lutepää is a small community on the Värska to Saatse gravel road in southeast Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. At first sight, just like a thousand other villages in the lake and forest landscape of this region where the Russian - Estonian border twists and turns in a manner that defies the logic of everyday life.

But Lutepää (often misspelt Lutepaa) is utterly unusual for it is one of the few villages in the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 which can only be reached by travelling through Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. The one and only road through Lutepää cuts, on either side of the village, through Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, making Lutepää a practical enclave. No Russian visa is required to drive the road to Lutepää, but those in transit are not allowed to stop en route.

Lutepää, small hamlet that it is, scarcely features in many maps and guides, but a note about this diminutive community can be found at the web-site
Hidden Europe

Its geographical coordinates are 57°55′00"N 27°42′46"E.