Saaremaa estonia. Open the left menu of saaremaa

When the notorious Iron Curtain collapsed, we were surprised to discover how many interesting and unexplored places there are on the territory of our native former CIS. Saaremaa Island is a prime example of this. This place was the strategic point of our army. Walk a little or swim - and here it is, enemy territory, so the island was a great place to deploy troops. And while the military considered Saaremaa a secret place, neither industrial enterprises nor large ports could spoil its ecology.

Therefore, for the excellent ecological situation, you can safely say "thank you" to people in uniform.

Saaremaa is the largest Estonian island. Here everyone will find something to their liking - fishing, horse or boat trips, quad races. And there are countless excursion programs. In addition, many legends of "deep antiquity" have survived in Saaremaa - windmills, churches, there are even several meteorite craters.

How to get there

There are two options to get to this magical place - buy a ticket in a travel agency or go on a trip on your own. There are pros and cons for both the first and second options, it all depends on personal preference. If it is more important for you to avoid all sorts of hassle, to be delivered to your hotel room without any problems, then, of course, it is better to contact the specialists.

For those who have chosen the second option, it will be useful to know that there are no direct buses to Kuressaare. First you need to get to Tallinn, there, at the bus station, make a change - in principle, nothing complicated. Those who like to travel by their own car will be most suitable for the Tallinn highway from Narva. Bypassing Tallinn, the road from Narva to the island will take about 8 hours.

Search for flights to Tallinn (closest airport to Saaremaa)

A little about ferries

Saaremaa is still an island, so you have to take a ferry to reach the destination. The ferry departs from Virtsu, it is better to book a ticket for it in advance - there are a lot of people rushing to Saaremaa on weekends. The advantage of an electronic ticket is that loading and unloading can be done out of turn. From the port to Kuressaare it remains only 50 minutes to drive.

Resorts of Saaremaa

Kuressaare is the largest city on the island, which is also considered a resort town.

Kuressaare is the largest city on the island, which is also considered a resort town.

It is literally crammed with all kinds of mud baths, spa salons, so here you can not only relax, but also thoroughly heal - the sea air, healing mud and the mild climate of the island have an amazing effect on health.

Hotels in Saaremaa

If the goal is simply to spend the night, then the island is full of small hotels or traditional huts for every whim. But you should still take advantage of not only the aesthetic joys of this wonderful island, but also practical ones, which include the opportunity to receive a course of procedures for rejuvenation and recovery.

The healing mud of Saaremaa has been known since the 19th century - all the aristocracy of Russia, Scandinavia and Germany came here to take mud baths. Modern spas offer significantly more services. In Kuressaare, you can recommend three spa hotels, the range of services in them is about the same, and they are located one after another, so the choice depends on personal preference and the thickness of the wallet: these are Meri Spa 3 *, Ruutli Spa 4 * and Saaremaa Valss Spa 2 * ... Aqua centers, including a jacuzzi, swimming pool, hydromassage and sauna, salt cave, various types of massages (classic, aromatic, therapeutic), pearl wrap in the range.

In addition to spa services, you can afford a little whim and take a room with a view of the Kuressaare castle and the bay.

Entertainment and sights of Saaremaa

On the southeastern part of the island, right by the sea, the first of the attractions awaits tourists - the bishop's castle. In the annals, we found references to the castle dating back to 1380, but despite its age, it looks good - thanks to the timely restoration. Now in the castle instead of the residence of the Bishop of Saare-Lääne, in whose honor the castle is called episcopal, there is a historical museum. Paying an entrance fee of 6 EUR, you can spend hours looking at intricate exhibits and wandering through echoing halls.

The ruins of the Maasi castle are also recommended for viewing, they are located near the city of Orissaare, on a hill, right on the shore. The main thing when traveling there is to look at the signs along the road so as not to miss the desired sign. Now work has begun on the restoration and restoration of the castle, but this will not prevent you from getting into the dungeons of the castle and wandering along the ancient corridors. Prices on the page are for November 2018.

Kaali crater

There is another one on Saaremaa - an extraterrestrial attraction. About 4 thousand years ago, on the island, the sky hit the earth's firmament with a pillar of fire, leaving behind a huge crater. The alien guest turned out to be a huge meteorite, which loosened the land of Saaremaa and scattered fragments on the sides. The traces of this disgrace have already dragged on - a funnel with a diameter of about a hundred meters and a depth of 20 meters now resembles a small lake, the banks of which are overgrown with trees and bushes. This place was called Kaali crater, and if it is interesting to look at it, then look for a sign on the highway between the cities of Kuressaare and Orissaare.

Saaremaa

Windmills of Saaremaa

This is where you can do without a camera, so if you are going to the Windmill Museum, do not forget about an extra memory card. All the mills have already given up on the idea of ​​grinding flour, but this does not prevent them from looking good in the middle of the fields of the island. The spectacle is very impressive - as if a couple of centuries have passed away on the calendar.

Panga pank

This place, causing tremors in the knees not only by its history, but also by its appearance, is a must-see. The Panga cliff rises 21 meters above the sea - it is a coastal ledge from which sacrifices were thrown to the gods in ancient times.

The ancient pagan sanctuary has now been replaced by a lighthouse, but the stones and ancient cliffs still keep the memory of the blood of innocent victims.

Despite the fact that there are many warning signs near the cliff, tourists still strive to look into the face of the abyss. You should not do this - the gods have not received their sacrifices for a long time. Observe safety precautions, the signs will not be hung up in vain.

Saaremaa island and the main attractions of Kuressaare. Episcopal Castle, Powder Tower and other interesting places in the city. How to get to Kuressaare from Tallinn and what to see in this place. My story about a trip to the island of Saaremaa.

I love the North. Places like the island of Saaremaa always have their own indescribable charm and their own special magic. It manifests itself in the noise of the waves of the cold sea, in the quiet whisper of pine forests and in the forms of huge stones that are found here and there along the road. You look at them and imagine that this is a giant troll, frozen under the light of the amber sun. Remember how in the movie "Bridge to Terrabitia"? Our imaginations can work wonders at times. And it is in such places that the tales of elves and giants become a little more real.

Yes, I understand, I'm already 27. But at heart I'm still a teenager, so get ready - this article will be all vanilla. After all, this is my blog - what I want is what I write. Well, as for the island of Saaremaa, it is indeed a very unusual and fascinating place. When I was just applying for an Estonian visa, I got a call from the embassy to clarify my route. I told the employee of the center that I was going to Tallinn, Tartu and Kuressaare. She listened to me quietly. But it was only when she heard the name of the main town of Saaremaa that she suddenly revived.

- Do you eat in Kuressaare for half a day? She asked in surprise. - But this is such a wonderful, wonderful place. Just take a very quick look at everything. I would like to come there for at least a couple of days.

And then she repeated these words in other variations two or three more times. I laughed it off and said, they say, you give me a visa for a longer time, and somehow I'll drop by. But somehow she didn't really appreciate my humor. Take my word for it: she almost resented the thought that I was only going to Kuressaare for 5 or 6 hours. Then Tanya and I even laughed that, probably, she herself was from the island of Saaremaa. And that is why my travel plan so hurt her feelings in relation to her small homeland.

Okay ... Why am I saying all this? And besides, that embassy employee was right, in fact. I was somehow touched by this place from the first chords. Flooded with the rays of the amber sun, the island of Saaremaa seemed to me a fragment of a parallel universe. I squinted from the sun, shivered from the cold wind, rolled on the ice, thinking that I was about to be in the water up to my waist ... But in the end, I was very glad that I was in this place. Let me tell you all about it in more detail. Are you ready (the story will be long)? Well then let's go.

What is Saaremaa and Kuressaare (in a nutshell)

Remember the film with David Duchovny "Depicting God"? So now I'm going to have a film "Portraying Wikipedia." In short, in a nutshell, Saaremaa is the largest of the 1521 Estonian islands (yes, I know, I opened my mouth myself when I learned that Estonia has as many as one and a half thousand islands). At the same time, only 5 percent of the population of this state lives in the insular part. Considering that the population of the country is not very large anyway, the 14,000-seat city of Kuressaare looks like a real metropolis by local standards.

In summer, this sleepy one-story town turns into a quiet retirement resort - with numerous spa complexes and the cool sea. As I understand it, this is such a local Druskininkai. Well, or an analogue of the Serbian Palich, where Tanya and I have already been this year.

At the same time, as it was written in one magazine, which I read on the way here, the number of rooms in local hotels exceeds the population of the city itself by almost a third. In this regard, there is even a special joke on the island, they say, in the summer, due to the abundance of spa centers, this island is often called "SPAaremaa". But I was in this place in December. And in winter, Kuressaare seemed like a completely empty and lifeless city. Yes, I understand it doesn't sound very good. But at that moment I was even glad of it. From the sight of empty streets that were spread out around me, the feeling of unreality of everything that was happening in me only became stronger.

How to get from Tallinn to Kuressaare (Saaremaa island)

Now get ready to be surprised again: despite Estonia's size, the most popular transport to Saaremaa is airplane... At least that is what was written in most of the guidebooks dedicated to this place. When I was preparing for this trip, I read a lot that Kuressaare has a good modern airport (which, however, even during peak season, rarely receives more than 80 passengers per day). The flight from the "mainland" is carried out on compact and small vessels (at a price of 40 euros for a round trip ticket). And the travel time takes no more than half an hour.

But at this point I immediately need to make a reservation: I myself did not check this information on myself, and on all the search engines where I tried to find such tickets, they were safely absent. Wikipedia says that only two companies operate flights to this airport - LFH and Avies. But that's all - with your permission, I will leave this moment outside the brackets. And instead, I’d better write how I went to this island myself.

So ... Personally, I got to the island company busesLuxExpress... They run between cities several times a day, so it's easy to find the optimal time. The buses themselves are very good: the cabin has a toilet, a free coffee machine, wi-fi and a personal monitor in each seat (with movies, music and other joys of life). The standard fare is around 9-16 euros (the earlier you buy, the cheaper). However, during promotions and sales, prices are often reduced by up to 2 euros.

Another option to get to Saaremaa cheaply is to use company flightsSimpleExpress(coming from Tartu).

Their buses are simpler, but prices are also lower (from 1 euro). Therefore, personally, I would advise you to check both options, and then choose the most suitable from the two.

Ferry, sunrise and the endless Baltic Sea

You know, the most amazing thing: my first memories of Saaremaa do not begin with the island itself, but with a ferry crossing and a huge ship that swallowed trucks, cars and buses like a huge sea giant.

Photos taken from the bus window ...

We drove onto the inner deck, and the people who were on the bus with me all began to get off quickly. Succumbing to herd instinct, I also quickly jumped out onto the site, and, catching some Russian-speaking peasant (who watched LifeNews and Russia 24 channels all the way next to me) asked him where they all rushed. In short, it turned out that there was a buffet on the ship. That is, while the bus is crossing, you can drink coffee, sip some soup or chew on some kind of bun.

To tell you the truth, I would have chewed something in the morning too. But Estonian prices didn't leave me much choice. And I decided to just go out on deck. I stepped out the door that led to the open foredeck of the ship. And at that moment, in a matter of moments, any thoughts about food flew out of my head. Dawn Baltic was great. Lead clouds laced with the strokes of dawn, the endless sea covering everything to the very horizon, and tall windmills that froze somewhere ahead ... I hope the photographs will be able to convey at least part of all this splendor ...

I also photographed the Estonian islands on the other side of the ferry (from the windows of the bus), as if trying to leave with me forever a fraction of this cold northern beauty. I shot the road, forests, rocks near highways, doll houses frozen in front - but because of the movement, many of the shots were blurry. Therefore, all that remained for me was to place all my hopes on Kuressaare himself. And ultimately after some searching, I still found what I was looking for here.

Attractions in Kuressaare (Estonians say "Kurrreesaarre")

So ... Now about the city itself ... Get ready for a little fly in the ointment. I've been scattering in vanilla epithets for three pages, but in fact, I didn't like Kuressaare right away. It is generally difficult to fall in love with this city at first sight. You arrive at the station and there are wooden houses around. I don't even know how to describe it to you ... My friend Mirek, seeing this, said: “As we have in Sapotskin” (this is such a town near Grodno).

In fact, Kuressaare is such a big village. A European village, of course. But still a village. Most of the city is represented here by one-story buildings. And don't listen to anyone who starts telling you about “unique examples of Estonian wooden architecture”. Village. Dot. That's all.

Therefore, keep in mind that the concept of sightseeing in Kuressaare has a certain degree of convention. Well, look: there is an old fire station and the building of the local town hall (they are together in the picture) ...

Weird St. Lawrence Church (located right across from a couple of strip clubs) ...

Monument to some Estonian soldier ...

And a nice house of the market "important" (this is the place where in the old days the goods brought by the merchants were weighed - something like a checkweigher that once stood on our Komarovka).

That's all. I even somehow regretted it right away when I came here.

The city itself is a combination of old wooden streets and modern Scandinavian-style buildings. In short, the village, as I said. Although villages in Estonia, of course, do not look the same as here in Belarus. In the evenings, I think, here you can not only plump and gnaw seeds on the bench. Among the achievements of civilization in the city there are two large supermarkets, several good restaurants (including a rather nice "Irish pub"), some kind of art gallery, a museum and several modern centers selling new cars very much surprised). It also smiled at me that in many hardware stores, along with standard lawn mowers and mini-tractors, mechanical boats were also sold. Somehow you immediately feel that you are on the island. Cool…

As for the sights, there is only one real gem in the city - ancient bishop's castle, which stands right by the sea. Next to it there are several more colorful wooden buildings and a restored Powder tower... From the side of the city, a long wooden bridge leads inside the fortress wall. Inside the citadel there are outbuildings, embankments, as well as the tower and the castle themselves.

The uniqueness of the Kuressaare Bishop's Castle lies in its age - or rather, in the fact that it is the only castle in the Baltic countries that has survived to this day in its original form. There is a museum inside the castle (entrance costs 5 euros), which, of course, was safely closed in winter. However, just walking around the walls of the medieval bastion is already incredibly pleasant. Plus add to this the sea views that open from the ramparts - and you will understand what I'm talking about.

Sea, sunset and a couple of giants

The Bishop's Castle of Kuressaare is a bright and cool attraction. But in fact, for me personally, the main pearl of Saaremaa is the sea. Directly opposite the castle, there is a secluded beach with well-groomed paths and trees, whose branches synchronously stretch directly towards the sea. In December, besides me and my friend Mirek, only a couple of English-speaking tourists walked here. Imagine this picture: a deserted beach, an old castle and an amber sunset over the Baltic Sea ... Beauty.

The road along the beach ...

Episcopal castle ...

Deserted beach ...

Seagull footprints on the frozen sand ...

Sunset over the Baltic Sea

Krumka ... Meet. Remember I wrote in my

Including the fact that one should not overestimate the unpronounceability of its name - Estonian Russians simply say "Sarema", and by trying to pronounce 4 "a" they instantly figure out the tourist. Or that the former Ezel among all the islands in the countries of the former USSR is the second in population (35 thousand inhabitants) after Sakhalin and, along with Bolshoy Solovetsky, is a clear leader in terms of historical heritage.

The island, like the city, is a closed system, and therefore I will talk about it in three parts, where different ends of the island are mixed, and the general ones are themes and aspects. The first part is more about the nature of the interior of the island (and there is even a real meteorite crater here!) And pre-revolutionary antiquity like churches, manors or mills; in the second - about the most interesting sight of Saaremaa, the giant medieval fortified churches; in the third - again about nature, primarily the harsh shores of Sõrve and Harilaid, and the heritage of the twentieth century, be it lighthouses or Soviet military bases. In addition, there was a "zero" part about the dam merged with Saaremaa.

Former Ezel is a really BIG island: a hundred kilometers from west to east, fifty from north to south, not counting the long branch of the Sõrve peninsula. This, it should be noted, makes it extremely difficult to inspect its antiquities without a car: “everything is close by” on our own wheels, but far away on foot, there are few buses, the hitchhiker did not check, but the roads here are very deserted. And unlike Muhu or, where you cannot forget for a minute that you are on an island in the middle of the sea, Saaremaa is not very different from the mainland in some places: the same forests and fields. But in the fields, as in the title frame, blooming poppies are not uncommon, and in the forest it happens like this:

The proximity of the sea usually gives out a "drunken forest", quite worthy of the Dancing Forest for:

And the Ezel banks, firstly, are extremely cunningly indented, and secondly, they are very diverse. Somewhere - meadows and swamps, more often I came across these closer to the mainland and the island of Muhu, which is here in the background:

Somewhere - windy rocky wastelands (in Estonia they are called alvars), I remember that the western coast facing the open Baltic Sea, especially the Harilaid Peninsula:

And somewhere - classic cliffs (or, as they are called in Estonia, "punks"), reaching impressive heights - for example:

This is the Great Ledge, or the Baltic-Ladoga Glint, with which we have already met in Estonia (although I showed it already as 4 months ago) - for example, in the industrial Ida-Virumaa, in the port or even in Tallinn, built on the top of a rocky outlier. Glint begins under the water of the Baltic near the Swedish island of Oland and stretches for more than a thousand kilometers, beyond Narova they go far from the sea, to the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, stringing Estland castles (,) and Ingermanladn fortresses (,), and it is not entirely obvious, that Saaremaa and Hiiumaa lie on opposite sides of it. But there is still no consensus about the origin of the klint - either the ancient coast (of the river or the sea), or the bed of the glacier, as if pressed into the earth's thickness ... The highest cliffs are in Ida-Virumaa (up to 56 meters ), but the Pangi cliff on Saaremaa, which is only 22 meters, seems to feel even higher:

Here the coast is facing northeast, towards the open Baltic. In the background is the Ninase peninsula with the remnants of Soviet batteries and its own, barely distinguishable from here, cliffs, and behind it is the Tagalakht Bay, where in 1917 the German troops landed.

But although the shores are the most photogenic place in Saaremaa, they constitute only a small part of it - nevertheless, basically, here, as already mentioned, the landscape is not very different from the mainland, except that the air is cleaner, the grass is greener, life is more measured and the villages are extraordinary an abundance of mossy stone fences that have become one of the symbols of the island:

The most famous natural landmark is also located in the center of the island, in the village Kaali kilometers away from Kuressaare, and the pepelats standing in the middle of the forests seems to hint that there will be something cosmic ahead:

Although the first thing he meets is a hotel with a restaurant, souvenir shops and several buses with pensioners in the parking lot:

About 4 thousand years ago, that is, in the memory of people, including those who lived directly on Saaremaa, a meteorite weighing several hundred tons fell here - and not ice, like a couple of years ago in Chelyabinsk, but quite a metal one, that is, flying to the ground and a full-fledged crater that broke through it. And since 4000 years is "almost just" by geological standards, the crater is well preserved and, of course, has become one of the main attractions of the island. Souvenirs are nearby, however, not space-related, but folk art common to Saaremaa - there are a lot of private workshops on local farms:

Here is the crater itself, surrounded by a noticeable "rampart" - its depth is 16 meters, diameter - 110 meters, and at the bottom of the lake Kaalijärv. The fall of the fiery star is reflected in the Scandinavian legends and songs, the ancestors of the Estonians came here later and their legend is not so global - supposedly, in this place the church in which the brother and sister got married fell through the earth. It is also amazingly similar - only there is not a lake at the bottom, but a swamp, and the origin has not been clarified.

Blocks of stone, scattered from the impact and cleared already in our time from the stratified earth. The meteorite flew at a speed of several tens of kilometers per second, and the explosion burned out the forest 6 kilometers around, and the content of nickel, one of the most characteristic "meteorite" metals, increased in the ground and in the remains of burnt trees.

But in general, especially in combination with the crowds of tourists, in practice, all this is not at all impressive as in theory:

Kaali, like any "package" attraction, has a "second bottom" - after all, the meteorite split into pieces in the air, and the Main Crater was knocked out by the largest debris weighing up to 80 tons. Small debris burned up in the atmosphere, according to the laws of physics at such a speed they were erased into ash on the air, but still 9 debris, including the main one, flew to the ground, leaving 9 craters, respectively, within a radius of a couple of kilometers from extreme to extreme. We did not look for all of them, limiting ourselves to those closest to the road. The main crater is unnumbered, but the barely noticeable crater # 6 by the side of the road:

A round grove is visible behind the trees by the road in the field, hiding the second largest crater No. 1:

Everything is carefully supplied with diagrams and information boards, and this crater, although smaller and without a lake, nevertheless impresses almost more than the main thing in the absence of tourists:

In total, five meteorite craters (or rather, similar placers) are known in Estonia, of which only two are on the mainland (Ilumetsa and Tsyirikmäe, and they are also "young"). Hiiumaa has the Kärdla crater, huge (4 kilometers wide) and very old (400 million years ago), and therefore almost invisible to a layman, and Naugrund crater is located 25 meters under water near the island of Osmussaar (Odensholm) in the northwestern corner of Estland. Honestly, I don't understand very well that Estonia is so attracted by meteorites (of course, much more of them fell to Siberia, but the sizes are not comparable!), But the concentration of their craters is really unique here.

As already mentioned, people caught the Kaali meteorite falling. Who they were then is not exactly clear, but the name Ezel itself goes back to the Varangian Eisula, and in 2008, near the village of Salme, two decayed boats of the 7th century were found with the skeletons of several dozen Vikings, most likely killed in a campaign against the Estonian natives. Local proto-Estonians, who in some places are called Osilians, were certainly not Vikings themselves, but pirates who kept the whole Baltic at bay and ravaged Danish possessions in present-day Sweden - as follows from the chronicles, they had a full-fledged fleet of 16 ships and about half a thousand warriors ... The Danish king Woldmar II, who subsequently conquered Estonia, could not capture Ezel in 1206, but the crusaders did it in 1227. The Osilians fled apart, they did not help their mainland brothers in battles with the Germans, and given this, as well as their warlike disposition, the Germans left the Eselian aborigines some semblance of autonomy, which remained until the 14th century, when castles and churches were already being built here. In 1322, the Ezel-Vik bishop moved to the island, and I suspect that it was then that the islanders tightened the screws, which turned out to be the last and bloodiest round of the St. after him Ezel was finally subordinated to Livonia. However, there are many Ossilian settlements scattered around the island, such as this one in Kaarma, from afar, similar to another meteorite crater:

Today, in the ancient fortress, the descendants of the Osilians sing and celebrate. In the middle there is a monument, apparently to the victims of the St. George's night uprising. In the background is the spire of the medieval church of Kaarma (Carmel) - I'll tell you more about it in the next part:

The Germans divided Ezel between the Order and the Ezel-Wik bishopric, with the first going to the east (including the neighboring Moon / Muhu) and northwest. Episcopal Ahrensburg is not the only castle in Saaremaa, there are also the ruins of the Order of Zoneburg on the eastern bank, practically opposite the museum village of Koguva on Muhu. But nevertheless, the main monument of the Livonian Middle Ages here are not castles, but specifically churches - unusually huge (on the scale of Tallinn and Riga), utterly medieval in spirit and clearly designed for defense. The most eastern - the church of St. Catherine on the island of Muhu, I have already shown in the corresponding post, and now we will go to the village Kihelkonna(literally - "Parish"), the former center of the Western Ezelian possessions of the Order, where the Church of Michael the Archangel is located - the most western and at the same time the most "mainland" in its appearance:

In principle, I have already shown similar churches - be it Harju-Risti and Harju-Madise in a or even Jõhvi in ​​the same post where the Vallaste waterfall was - but only Kihelkonna is larger than any rural church on the mainland. It began to be built in the 1250s, and its altar part is almost the oldest building in Estonia, while the current tower was built only in 1899:

At the gate we were greeted by a bent old woman with a cane and a sad look, more familiar in the Central Russian outback. Parish (Kihelkond) Kihelkonna is not very crowded, not spoiled by the attention of tourists and therefore very poor. The church is damp, uncomfortable, it smells of mold, the ceiling is reinforced with wooden rafters - all this looks a little hopeless:

The decoration here is not as fantastic as in the churches, which I will show in the next part - but there is something to see here too. That there is one chandelier, and behind the back is the oldest organ in Saaremaa (1805):

Under the lancet vaults there is a pulpit and an altar (1591) with the "Last Supper":

You can climb the tower, along the dark stairs, from it you can see the courtyards of the farmsteads at the foot, forest-meadows and the distant sea with indented shores. In good weather, you can see a 37-meter lighthouse (1809) on the island of Vilsandi (Felsland), most of which is occupied by an ornithological reserve founded by one of the lighthouse keepers, but no matter how I fumbled with my ultrasound, I could not see anything in the gray haze. The children of the late Estonian SSR are better known for "One-eyed Silver, a terrible robber from the island of Felsland", who was actually a downshifter who transferred from the city to a remote island and became the hero of the book ... This is the western edge of Saaremaa, further the cold sea all the way to Gotland :

Going down, we heard the bell and went to the belfry - it is medieval here, and it looks not like a slender bell tower, but a crude, purely functional, U-shaped arch. And in the general picture of the harsh stone buildings, the leaden sky and the cold wind from the gray sea, the damp hall with the smell of mold, the sad guardian with doom in her eyes, the rare bells sounded somehow especially gloomy: "for whom is he ringing?"

Imagine our surprise when the belfry turned out to be empty! No, in fact, of course, the bell is just automatic (which somehow does not fit, by the way, with the general poverty of the parish - maybe someone gave it to me?) year, and in the region devastated by the plague, either the wind beats the bell, or the ghost of the deceased pastor ...

There were once three belfries on Saarem, but the other two were demolished in the late USSR, and not even under Khrushchev, but in the late 1970s, and it’s not even clear for some reason that the plan to fight religion was closed (churches- then they just didn't break it!), or some party boss urgently needed a stone for a summer residence. For example, the Kärla belfry, demolished in 1980:

But mostly church in Saaremaa times not so distant, the same Kihelkonna is separated from them by the disintegration of Livonia, Danish (1559-1645) and Swedish (until 1710) domination and the Ezel district of the Livonian province. Let's say the same Kyarla - the church of Mary Magdalene (1847), caught in the frame on the way. The Mihkli farm was built from the stones of its medieval predecessor, dismantled due to dilapidation - I showed one of the stones of the vault in its summer kitchen:

Or the Jaanovskaya church (1703) near Orisaare and the very Zoneburg castle - in general, they are simple and inconspicuous here:

But almost more often churches in Saaremaa come across Orthodox churches, mostly typical and very characteristic architecture. About the massive conversion of Estonians to Orthodoxy in the hope of getting rid of the baronial oppression and the provision of Russian lands (they were imagined - but far from Estonia) and an equally massive exodus back to Lutheranism after 1905 (when the Orthodox Christians were allowed to re-baptize into other religions, and insult Estonians have a lot of tsarist power that supported the barons) I wrote more than once, and it seems that on the islands it was especially massive - here, in the most mono-ethnic part of Estonia, Orthodox churches come across almost more often than on the mainland. At one time, 70% of the population went to the same Mukhu under the eight-pointed cross. The characteristic appearance of the churches of the Ezel district with a large dome and domes on the towers "adhered" to it goes back to the temples either, or, and this is a typical project - from the available directory I can not even identify which church of several is captured in the following frame:

A slightly different option. They were all built almost simultaneously, consecrated in 1873 - such a sequence and seriality would have envied even Lithuanian "ants", despite the fact that the architecture of Ezel churches is much more interesting and original - not a dull pseudo-Russian style, but an attempt to create something local , Orthodox "in the East". However, we did not get to the most interesting examples - "the first among equals" (in my opinion) of the Intercession Church in Tornimäe and the skete of John the Baptist in Räomäe (the only monastery of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Estonia), but together the Temples-1873 are a unique part of the Ezel landscape.

The slightly older (1867) Transfiguration Church in Lumanda looks more like a church. By the way, I think it’s not worth explaining that today most of these churches are part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which nourishes (through the Estonian Apostolic Church) Orthodox Estonians.

But the wooden Epiphany Church in Metskylä (1915) could well have been built for the Russian garrison that arrived on Moonsund from the First World War, or even brought from the mainland:

But in the forest at the crossroads there is a wooden prayer house of Baptists - their time here came in the 1930s, and in general in the seaside wilderness, including in neighboring Courland, they preached a lot - in the museum of wooden architecture there is practically the same, there is a church hall and living room of the pastor.

As for we Z, then there are a good one and a half hundred of them on Saaremaa and Muhu - again, almost the highest density in the country, not counting, perhaps, the outskirts of Tallinn. Only mostly they are small and inconspicuous, but of course there will be some interesting ones: for example, Pilguse (Hohenehen) and Lakhetaguse (Lakhetagge) - the birthplace of Thaddeus Bellingshausen, the first (together with Lazarev and of course the team) person who saw Antarctica. The most beautiful manor is considered Oti (Pöydegoff), but it was with us on the first day

The island of Saaremaa is a wonderful land, to which the territory of the entire Moonsund archipelago was previously referred. The former name is Kupessaare, which means "the land of storks". Another name that was awarded to him is Ezel.

Location

This point is the largest island formation in all of Estonia, as well as such an area as the Moonsund archipelago. The area is more than 2.6 thousand square meters. km, and the population is slightly less than 30,000.

In the north, it adjoins the Sõrvesäar Peninsula. Only Gotland, Zeeland and Funen are larger than Saaremaa. The administrative center here is Kuressaare. Measuring a given piece of land surrounded by water, one can count 88 km between the extreme southern and northern points, and between the eastern and western points - 90 km. There is a connection with Muhu, an island nearby. There is a dam on the Väike-Väin Strait, you can drive through it on an organized road. Between the ports of the villages of Kuivastu and Virtsu, they travel by ferry.

Features of the place

The capital of the island of Saaremaa - Kuressaare - has 16 thousand inhabitants. There is a cove of the same name on the south side. The largest city is followed by Orissaare, which can be reached by heading north-east. The length of the embankments is 1300 km. The peninsulas go deep into the sea for a long distance. The number of small islets reaches six hundred.

Sõrve is located in the Gulf of Riga, at a distance of 30 km from the main lands. Its end is at the southern point of the archipelago. There is the village of Sääre. A notable object is a 52-meter high lighthouse, which was built in 1960.

Saaremaa Island (Estonia) has rocky shores. There are cliffs. For example, the height of Panga-Punk, located in a bay called Kyudema, is 22 meters. Also steep can be called Undva-Punk, located on the territory of Tagamyiza, in the north-western side.

The wealth of the land

Kaali meteorite crater is one of the attractions that attracts increased attention of tourists. The landscape is mostly flat. The highest point is a hill called Raunamägi (54 m), which is near Kihelkonna, in its western part. In 1957, the Viidumäe Nature Reserve was founded here.

There is also a large number of wooded areas (about forty percent of the territory occupied by the island of Saaremaa). The largest lakes here are Suur-Lakht, Karujärv, as well as Mullutu-Lakht, which is near Kyarla. Geologists are extremely interested in the dolomite mined in the local quarries. During the Late Ice Age, there was an extensive ice layer that pressed on the earth's crust. It is for this reason that the territory described today is characterized by depression.

When the Moonsund Archipelago was melting, the surface began to rise. It reaches two millimeters per year. The island rises above sea level by an average of 15 meters.

Nature

The climatic conditions here are largely due to the fact that this island is located in the east of the Baltic Sea. The weather there is temperate, mild, which is typical for areas close to the sea.

Holidays in the Baltics are good because in summer it is quite warm here. The winter period is also soft. There may be a lot of precipitation and rapid weather changes due to strong winds. This usually happens in the fall and winter. In July and August, the average temperature ranges from 16 to 20 degrees, sometimes 25. The coldest period is February, when the frost can be minus 4.

Flora and fauna

The island of Saaremaa is also characterized by a rich flora and fauna, which is greatly facilitated by the mild climate of the surrounding areas. 80% of the vegetation species native to Estonia can be found on one of the islands. The state protects most of them.

One of the rarest types can be called a rattle that grows in lowlands with swamps. There are as many as 35 varieties of orchids. There are also many interesting animals here. Seals have taken a fancy to coastal areas. Birds fly here. Also for birds, this is a resting place in spring and autumn. For the most part, loons and geese took a fancy to him. Once here, you can look at the ostrich farm.

Fortress

The Pikk Herman Tower became the central building of the fortress. This building functioned as the administrative center. Many people gathered here. During the uprisings and wars, there was complete security here.

In the 20th century, restoration took place. The result is an example of a knight's fortress. Some researchers have suggested that before the emergence of the stone structure, there was a wooden structure here.

You can have a great time and relax in the city park area of ​​Kuressaare. In the 19th century, the planting process began here. It was then that this point began to gain fame as a resort area.

Buying tours to Estonia, people paid much more attention to the island of Saaremaa. This was due to the beginning of the work of the clinic, which used the valuable properties of local clay.

In 1861, a park committee was formed. In addition, for the development of this territory, many efforts were made by the residents of the city, who made donations, brought seedlings, helping with carts and horses. In 1930, representatives of the flora of rare species appeared here. They were pre-ordered from the University of Tartu. So the flora here was just wonderful and varied. There are about 80 types of bushes and trees in total.

Architecture

Holidays in the Baltics are a great way to get rid of stress and saturate your soul with vivid impressions. It will not be superfluous to visit the local town hall, the construction of which dates back to 1654. This building was created at the initiative of Count De la Gardie.

The architecture of the building is simple and austere. It can be attributed to the northern baroque. The impression from the inspection of the town hall is quite strong. A magnificent detail is the portal on which the date 1670 is inscribed, as well as a Latin inscription in the cornice area. Once inside, you can see the largest ceiling painting in all of Estonia. Walking along the first floor, visitors enter the Tourist Information Center as well as the Town Hall Gallery. There is also an opportunity to look at the City Council.

Tours to Estonia are sold out pretty quickly due to the many attractions here. Without going too far from the town hall, you can stumble upon another interesting point - the tower, which was previously used as a fire station. It was erected in 1911; hoses were dried in the building since 1958. Subsequently, a new depot was created near the bus station. Then the old point was leased. Now it is privately owned. Today you can visit here for a delicious meal in the "Pritsumaa Grill and Bar" restaurant.

An equally remarkable point is the Kurzal, which was created according to the project of a local pharmacist. The building took 8 months to build. Opened June 1989.

In the central white hall there was a restaurant complex, on the territory of the right wing there were offices and a kitchen block. The theater hall served as a stage for the performances of Estonian artists.

Troupes from Germany often came here. This building functioned only during swimming, that is, in summer. In 1989, the building was awarded the title of the best architectural composition, created in 1988 on the territory of Estonia.

Nice to go to a tavern called "Veski", which is a type. There are only two more similar buildings that are located within the city limits and are still functioning.

Another establishment is no less popular. It is located on the territory of a former mill. Previously, this place was called Trey, since that was the name of its owner and creator. This point was founded in 1899 and successfully operated until the Second World War. In 1972, restoration was carried out here, so that already in 1974 it was possible to get into a local cafe. The state awarded the mill the status of an important architectural monument. Its height is 24 m including the blades.

Curious to visit

The tower of the city of Kuressaare was built in accordance with the plan of the Swedish magnate Count De la Gardie, who ruled the area from 1648 to 1654. In 1663, all construction work on this project was completed.

The style of the building is considered to be Baroque. The building was carved out of stone on a stepped pediment. Decorations are made up of volutes. The forged weather vane on the spire dates from 1664. In the past, this place was used for weighing goods. In the 19th century, the city's post station was established here. From 1906, the island's private telephone station began operating.

In addition, the described lands have many more interesting sides, wishing to see which people come here from all over the world. Estonia is truly rich in beautiful territories, one of which is Saaremaa.