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The village of Beresje
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The name of the village has most probably been derived from the Russian word beryoza which means a birch. According to folk tradition, the Berseje fishing village is a part of Poloda nulk, one of the twelve areas Seto folk have divided Setomaa into. Beresje is one of the few villages inhabited by the Old Believers. All farms in the village have been built in rows parallel to the shore of Lake Peipsi. The village was first mentioned in 1582. Only five hectares of the land here was arable. The main activity of the inhabitants was fishing. Sparling was caught in the lake and dried afterwards. Besides fishing, onions and radishes are widely grown today. The fish caught are bream, pike, roach and pike perch. From 1582 up to 1841, the lands under the village of Beresje were the property of St. Nicholas’ Church in Pskov and at times, the common property of the crown peasants. From December 1841, the village belonged to the Pechorsky Monastery who leased the fishing grounds of Beresje to local fishermen. The first sparling kiln in the village originates from this time. Later large specific shelters were built for drying sparling. According to records, in 1900 there were six shelters of this kind in Beresje.
Beresje vanausuliste surnuaed.
Sibulavaalud kuivamas.