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| Through centuries Piirimägi (Border Hill) has served as a natural border for many states. Between the 10th and 13th centuries the Balto-Finnic areas have been invaded both from the east and the west. From the east came the troops of Old-Russia, from the west the German Knights of the Sword. The conquerors met at the Piusa River, so this was where the border began to take shape. To the west of Piirimägi Hill have been the territories of the Bishopric of Tartu, the Province of Livonia, the Kingdom of Poland and the Kingdom of Sweden. To the east of Piirimägi Hill have been the territories of Old-Russia, Pskov Principality, Moscow Power and Russian Empire. Later this was the border between the provinces of Livonia and Pskov. Today we can see the Piiripettäi, a pine tree on the slope of the hill marking the border of Setomaa. Earlier borders were marked with watch-towers, boundary stones marked with a cross, or plain stones. Once a boundary stone on Piirimägi Hill had even been given a name: Warmensteen, Ciepli Kamen, Tyoply Kamen or Lämmikivi (Hot Stone). At some point in the course of a fight about the border, the stone was removed by Russian soldiers. Along the Vastseliina-Pechory-Pskov trade route that crossed Piirimägi Hill for five hundred years, historic persons like Russian tsar Peter I and probably also the Swedish king Gustav II Adolph have travelled. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||