Amazing islands of denmark. Ere island, or where to see real Denmark Ere - a Danish sunny island

Located in the southern part of the archipelago in Denmark. Today, more than 55% of the island's total energy comes from solar, wind and biomass, and ultimately the goal is for the island to be powered autonomously from renewable energy sources.

The time of the pioneers

It was decided to install a wind turbine. And although at first there were many opponents of this venture, the ideologists defended their position and already in 1985 a windmill park (11 turbines, each 55 kW) was erected. 128 local residents became the project's shareholders. The state gave a privilege to the families that entered this energy cooperative.

Residents sell all electricity to the public network. And for each kilowatt-hour produced and sold, members of the cooperative receive an additional 6 euro cents. Consumers pay for electricity at 25-30 euro cents. The capacity of wind turbines is 2.5 MW and the payback period is up to 7 years.


At the same time with windmills the group is also working to reorganize and expand the production of district heating from renewable energy sources. In 1989, power engineers established a test and demonstration plant that will supply electricity and heat based on straw, solar panels, heat pumps, wind turbines and condenser flue gases. As soon as the plant went bankrupt in 1992 due to falling oil prices, the district heating company Ærøskøbing was acquired, which today supplies all heating from 100% renewable energy sources from sun, straw and wood pellets.

Rø - Danish sunny island

From May to October, solar electricity is sufficient to power the city. The highlight is that sheep and are grazing under the PV modules. After all, under the modules you need to mow the grass, and the sheep are free to do this business.


In 2000, the island received the Danish Solar 2000 award. It is noteworthy that the victory was won not by a separate city, but by an entire island.

Among the immediate challenges for the future development of renewable sources of the inhabitants of the island are:

• Transition from individual heating systems to heat pumps, solar and biofuels
• Implementation of energy savings in private houses and public buildings
• Creation of a biogas plant
• Increased use of electric vehicles
• use of excess capacity from wind turbines for central heating

Based on materials from sources

Forgive me, friends, such a banal title! But Eryo is really one of the most beautiful places, where I managed to visit recently. I love the northern nature and the northern sea (we even went to the Baltic on our honeymoon trip with my husband), but I often do not have enough time and willpower to refuse a trip to Italy or to warm sea for a visit to the cold, grassy shores. In a word, Eryo happened to me at the right time and became a real gift!

1. rø is one of the few Danish islands that is not connected to other islands by a bridge, so you need to get here by ferry. I sailed from Svennborg, the island of Funen, the harbor of which you see in the photo.

2. Here is the ferry, a real whopper! I've never swum on one.

3. It floats to Eryo for 75 minutes, at the beginning of its journey passing under such an elegant modern bridge connecting Funen with Langellan, which I have already told you about.

4. Only 6.5 thousand people live on the island, there are three cities, I visited two - in Marstal and Erskobing. I was surprised to learn that Marstal was for centuries one of the largest harbors in Europe, the center of shipbuilding. And now in the town with the population - attention! - 2395 people work at the shipyard.

7. In Marstal there are some absolutely incredible sizes for such a tiny town. maritime museum... When I saw him, this one, as it seemed to me then, a toy house with a triangular roof, I grinned to myself, they say, well, and a museum! But when, half an hour later, I was turning the steering wheel in the captain's cabin in the same museum, which, as it turned out, occupies almost half of the city, I was no longer so categorical.

8. Everything that may interest you in connection with the ships and their construction is in the museum. If you want - models of ships and ships in bottles, if you want - historical documents, if you want - paintings, as well as parts of ships, nautical knots, inhabitants underwater world, the cabins of the sailors, the captain's bridge, the wardroom! In short, the Marstal Maritime Museum turned out to be the largest such museum in northern Europe!

9. I was completely fascinated by these beach houses on the shore Baltic Sea not far from Marstal. In one of them, we found, you will not believe, the wedding celebration of a German couple! It also turned out that German citizens come to Eryo to marry foreigners (or foreigners), because on the island it is much easier to do this than in Germany itself.

11. I do not get tired of being grateful to the weather, which gave me such clouds and absolutely amazing conditions for filming!

13. The water in the sea is 20 degrees, people are swimming!

15. And again the sea and the air smelling of herbs!

16. Almost Tuscany!

18. The sky was fantastic that day!

19. One of best places for lunch on the island - the Rise brewery restaurant.

20. That was my lunch: everything on one plate, from salmon to local cheese with rhubarb and apple jam. And of course beer, which is brewed here in several varieties, and delicious Danish bread. What amazing bread in Denmark you can't imagine! I adore bread, and therefore I could not help but pay attention to it.

22. I dined in the fresh air, under an apple tree, and there were 2 cat-thieves walking around!

23. Guests are asked not to feed them, but this is not required - the cats will find food for themselves! Here he is, lying content.

24. Due to its small size and almost flat relief, Eryo - perfect place for cycling trips. From the brewery to röskobing, where the ferry from Fühn stops, it is only about half an hour of a calm drive with stops for filming.

25. I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to ride a bike to the sea along this beauty!

28. And here comes the sea again!

29. Another beach house.

30. Danes are simply obsessed with ecology, which makes me have great respect. Eryo, for example, is home to one of the world's largest solar power plants. Near solar panels Sheep graze idyllically.

31. And here is Öröskobing, a tiny town with a population of less than 1,000 and considered the best-preserved small town in Denmark. Everything about him is all right, everything is pleasant.

36. These are not decorations, this is actually the case!

37. Erskobing has one drawback - there are few inhabitants in the city, and therefore the streets are unusually deserted. I think if you get here in cloudy weather, the mood will be completely different.

Forgive me, friends, such a banal title! But Eryo is really one of the most beautiful places I have been able to visit lately. I love the northern nature and the northern sea (we even went to the Baltic on our honeymoon trip with my husband), but I often do not have enough time and willpower to refuse a trip to Italy or to the warm sea for a visit to the cold, grassy shores. In a word, Eryo happened to me at the right time and became a real gift!

1. rø is one of the few Danish islands that is not connected to other islands by a bridge, so you need to get here by ferry. I sailed from Svennborg, the island of Funen, the harbor of which you see in the photo.

2. Here is the ferry, a real whopper! I've never swum on one.

3. It floats to Eryo for 75 minutes, at the beginning of its journey passing under such an elegant modern bridge connecting Funen with Langellan, which I have already told you about.

4. Only 6.5 thousand people live on the island, there are three cities, I visited two - in Marstal and Erskobing. I was surprised to learn that Marstal was for centuries one of the largest harbors in Europe, the center of shipbuilding. And now in the town with the population - attention! - 2395 people work at the shipyard.

7. In Marstal there is a maritime museum, absolutely incredible for such a tiny town. When I saw him, this one, as it seemed to me then, a toy house with a triangular roof, I grinned to myself, they say, well, and a museum! But when, half an hour later, I was turning the steering wheel in the captain's cabin in the same museum, which, as it turned out, occupies almost half of the city, I was no longer so categorical.

8. Everything that may interest you in connection with the ships and their construction is in the museum. If you want - models of ships and ships in bottles, if you want - historical documents, if you want - paintings, as well as parts of ships, sea nodes, inhabitants of the underwater world, sailors' cabins, a captain's bridge, a wardroom! In short, the Marstal Maritime Museum turned out to be the largest such museum in northern Europe!

9. I was completely fascinated by these beach houses on the shores of the Baltic Sea not far from Marstal. In one of them, we found, you will not believe, the wedding celebration of a German couple! It also turned out that German citizens come to Eryo to marry foreigners (or foreigners), because on the island it is much easier to do this than in Germany itself.

11. I do not get tired of being grateful to the weather, which gave me such clouds and absolutely amazing conditions for filming!

13. The water in the sea is 20 degrees, people are swimming!

15. And again the sea and the air smelling of herbs!

16. Almost Tuscany!

18. The sky was fantastic that day!

19. One of the best places to dine on the island is the Rise Brewery Restaurant.

20. That was my lunch: everything on one plate, from salmon to local cheese with rhubarb and apple jam. And of course beer, which is brewed here in several varieties, and delicious Danish bread. What amazing bread in Denmark you can't imagine! I adore bread, and therefore I could not help but pay attention to it.

22. I dined in the fresh air, under an apple tree, and there were 2 cat-thieves walking around!

23. Guests are asked not to feed them, but this is not required - the cats will find food for themselves! Here he is, lying content.

24. Due to its small size and almost flat terrain, rø is an excellent destination for cycling. From the brewery to röskobing, where the ferry from Fühn stops, it is only about half an hour of a calm drive with stops for filming.

25. I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to ride a bike to the sea along this beauty!

28. And here comes the sea again!

29. Another beach house.

30. Danes are simply obsessed with ecology, which makes me have great respect. Eryo, for example, is home to one of the world's largest solar power plants. Sheep graze idyllically next to the solar panels.

31. And here is Öröskobing, a tiny town with a population of less than 1,000 and considered the best-preserved small town in Denmark. Everything about him is all right, everything is pleasant.

36. These are not decorations, this is actually the case!

37. Erskobing has one drawback - there are few inhabitants in the city, and therefore the streets are unusually deserted. I think if you get here in cloudy weather, the mood will be completely different.

About 8 years ago, using social networks, I put together a group of stalkers, with whom I climbed the fortifications of the Leningrad region. The sorties were very successful, and the Kronstadt forts - including the coastal ones, and KaUR. Everything here is in such oppressive desolation that it is time to make horror and post-apocalyptic films. Truth. Knowing the history of buildings and finding the remnants of the former military force bit by bit, it became not only interesting, but also took pride in the fact that our ancestors knew how to build for centuries. But their freaks-descendants took everything away and plundered.

With the fortifications on the territory of Finland, everything is different. There, fortunately, history is cherished, protected, preserved and created. good museums and cognitive complexes. When we went to the island of Örö as part of our acquaintance with the national parks of Finland, I did not even imagine that there could be so many preserved military structures. It so happened that the military left the island only at the beginning of the summer of 2015. And for just a few months, tourists had the opportunity to safely get to the island on a regular motor boat, take a walk there and come back. Fortifications, cannons, ammunition depots, observation posts, correctly inscribed on the rocky shores, remained from the military. From the water - the island is like an island. The forest is growing. if you pass by on a yacht, you won't even know that the island is full of military installations.

Island Örö is part of Archipelago and national park Saaristomeri, located in southern Finland. It takes about two hours to get to Turku. In 2015, the island became part of the park and in the near future it will turn into a full-fledged tourist attraction. For 100 years - that is how long the military was located on it - the island acquired a unique endemic flora and fauna. There is some incredible variety of butterfly species. Researchers are studying them, and special devices are installed on the trees for this. Personally, I am terribly afraid of butterflies, so I was happy that autumn is not their season.

Unique plants grow on the island, various animals are found, but I never saw anyone there. But in freedom I climbed the catacombs.

So, in tsarist Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, or to be more precise, in 1914 they began to build the line of the Abo-Aland fortified position. (Everyone remembers that Finland was part of Russia). And on the island Örö (or the island of Ere) erected fortifications. In 1915, the island became a full-fledged naval fortress. Then they built quickly. The First World War happened At the Obukhov steel plant, gun barrels were cast ...
The Abo-Aland fortification included the Aland archipelago, Abo (Turku), the islands of Ere and Ute, was part of the Sea Fortress of Peter the Great (about one of the objects of this fortress, located on the territory of Estonia). The Abo-Aland position played the role of an advanced maneuverable base of the main and light forces of the Russian Imperial Navy. A detachment of gunboats, destroyers, patrol and messenger ships was created especially for the defense of the position.

In 1916, the artillery defense of the Gulf of Finland, Riga and Bothnia increased. A forward position began to be created on the line between Cape Takhona (Dago Island) - Ere Island (Aland Islands), where more than 4000 mines were exposed and two 305-mm batteries were built (one at Cape Takhona, the other on Ere Island). After the creation of this mine-artillery position maritime traffic of the Russian fleet from the Gulf of Finland to Riga and Bothnia were reliably covered. Baltic Fleet in the event of a breakthrough by German ships in The Gulf of Finland could deploy his forces to fight them in the area. After the signing of the Brest Peace Treaty, the area went to the Germans, and then to the Finns.
In 1935 -1937. battery. on the island of Ere from a four-gun to a two-gun. Installed 305 mm guns with a firing range of 32-40 km, a charge weight of 355 - 470 kg and a rate of fire of 2.2 - 3 rounds per minute were transported by the Finns from the island of Ere to Cape Ristiniemi (today it is the territory of Russia, Vyborg district). In total, on the island of Ere, according to data from the book "Defense of the Hanko Peninsula" by Alexander Chernyshev, there were 4,305 mm and 4,152 mm guns.

Now one of them can not only be examined carefully, but even go inside, get acquainted with its device.

Cannon 12 "/ 52 (305/52) The most powerful gun ever serially installed on ships of the Russian or Soviet navy. The guns were installed on land defense lines, in particular in the Peter the Great Naval Fortress. Barrel length is almost 16 meters. The projectile speed was 853 m / s.

This is where the cannon fired, - our guide and island manager Carl de la Chapelle shows us.

The shells were driven into the barrel using a special lifting unit.

The barrel is in solid oil - the Finns support the cannon. Not in a combat state, but they definitely won't let them fall apart. The cannon celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. And she, it seems, can still shoot. I haven't worked out my resource. The resource is 400 shots. The cannon made about 70. The last shot was in 1971. You can restore it. The Finns took care of the safety of the gun.

It's scary to imagine how loudly she shoots.

But this is quite interesting. coordinates of the islands:

Bengtscher Island (with him, by the way, Ere had a telephone connection) / D 1941, on July 26, there was a historic battle near this lighthouse island with an attempt by the Soviet army to capture it. There were significant losses on both sides.

Under the cannon are the rooms where the shells were stored, there was a command post - well, they were shaking with every shot.

Corridors with armored doors.

An exposition with archival photographs.

The Finns quickly became a museum. We would have been transferring property for two years, collecting materials and funds for the museum for three more years ... Here the warriors have not yet left - and the museum exposition is ready and will still be replenished.

Just look at how thick the steel is.

What rivets ...

For lovers of fortification - the very thing to visit here.

The steps - not completely overgrown, lead from the cannon to the main island road.

And next to the cannon, the next exposition is not yet fully finished.

The best way to get around the walled island is by bike. They are military here, no speed. Of course, I didn’t sit down, because I don’t know how to ride them.

And the guys skated with pleasure. And then we rested near our houses.

Previously, officers' families lived in them. There was a school and a kindergarten on the island. The soldiers lived in barracks, and the officers were supposed to have houses with all the amenities - two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen-dining room, and a bathroom. There is also a sauna.

And we went for a drive. Karl drove me.

First we went to the northern tip of the island.

I ran there early in the morning beautiful views and morning exercises.

Even the beds have survived.
27.

And you can't see anything from the water - an island, rocks, grass ...

There are hiking and cycling trails on the island. There is a stand with a map at each intersection. It is impossible to get lost. The only thing the stands warn about is not to leave the tracks and not pick up any incomprehensible pieces of iron - these can be parts of ammunition. This is exactly what it says. Of course, the island was cleared of all dangerous military trash, but .... Better to warn.

And this is what the southern battery looks like. The armored hood is lying around.
29.

Base 6 "cannon.

Ammunition racks.

And devastation, similar to that at Fort Ino.

The Russians left the island in 1918. They ran away hastily, Something was blown up, something was taken away. Two years before 1920 the island was no man's land. White marauders roamed here, lived locals... But, fortunately, they did not have time to take everything apart.

All rooms of the southern battery are locked.
34.

The enemy will not pass and nothing will get stuck. Or maybe it is correct. Have the guides walk with the keys and show the rooms to the groups. We were the first Russian-speaking group on this island almost 100 years later. It is very pleasant to know that the boots of compatriots in large numbers have not yet trampled the local rocks.

What to do here besides sightseeing?

Yes, you can just walk in the forest, pick mushrooms and berries.

Live in silence.

Find all military targets.

True, there are still a couple of inhabited observation towers. It is strictly forbidden to go there. We didn't even try.

Not far from the pier there is a device for launching ships into the water.

Gaffer yacht Eugenia? where you can take a sea voyage through the Finnish skerries, brought guests to the island. Yacht booking www., Eugenia.f

On a sunny day, we left the island by boat. Personally, less than a day was not enough for me. It is optimal to come here not with one, but with two nights. You will have time to go around the whole island, go to the sauna, visit a restaurant, climb all the structures, pick up mushrooms and berries, fish, listen to the stories of the island's military past, meet sunsets and sunrises. The place is wonderful, interesting, historical, connected with Russia. You definitely need to visit!

And very useful information for those who wish to visit the island of Örö

1. Island walking tours and prices: http: //www.örö.fi/en/guided_tours
2. Inflatable motorboat safaris and boat safaris and prices: http: //www.örö.fi/en/rib
3. Boat rental and fishing, information, programs and prices http://archipelagobooking.fi/?p=venevuokraus&l=ru
4. Fishing tour and fishing equipment rental http: //www.örö.fi/en/bjorknascare
5. Rent of jet skis, cost 190 euros per day, contact here: [email protected]
6. Marina for yachts and boats in Yörö http: //www.örö.fi/en/marinaservice (in 2015 the cost of parking at the pier is 25 euros)
7. Wilson Charter http://www.wilsoncharter.fi/fi conducts day trips to Jørø and Bengtskär Lighthouse in summer time on weekends. ...
a. The cost of a boat ticket on the Kasnas-Yoreo-Kasnas route is 30 euros
b. One day tour Kasnas - Yoreo - Bengtskär lighthouse (where the battles took place in 1941) - from 98 euros
c. Tours to Ere are held for everyone on Saturdays from 11:00 to 15:30: departure and arrival in Kasnas; on the Yoryo island, the participants will have an excursion around the island, a visit to the Obukhov cannon, lunch, and a coffee break on the boat. The cost for adults is 53 euros, for children - 26.50 euros, if you go on a regular boat by sea to the island and back, and 80 euros for adults and 40 for children if you go to the island on an inflatable motor fast boat with a hard bottom.
8. In Era and its surroundings there are also held:
a. traditional dance party of the archipelago, every year in mid-July (

The light from the lamp fell on an old nautical chart. The grid of latitudes and meridians covered thousands of islands. Thin lines of depths skirted the winding shores of the Gulfs of Finland and Riga. Moonsund, Ahrensburg, Hapsal, Pernov - these old names once did not leave the telegraph tapes of the Main Naval Headquarters. Red and blue arrows of the routes of battleships and cruisers, destroyers and minesweepers ran along the Baltic waves near the islands. And always these routes diligently bypassed, outlined by the neat headquarters of the sector - the zone of shelling of coastal batteries.

Ezel Island. Cape Tserel. Here in the first world war battery # 43 had four 305/52 open gun mounts. The battery became the last stronghold defending the entrance to the Irbensky Strait. Today, only the concrete bases of the guns remain on the battery. The cannons were dismantled in the 1920s.

Dago Island. Cape Tahkuna. Four, the same as on Tserel, the cannons were on Tahkun on battery number 39 in the First World War. There are no guns today. The cannons of the Takhkon battery were removed in the early 1920s.

305/52 open coastal gun mounts were also installed on the Alekseevsky (Krasnaya Gorka) and Nikolaevsky (Ino) forts to protect St. Petersburg from attacks from the sea. Today, both forts have no guns, everything has been cut into scrap metal. Where can you see these formidable cannons today, which formed the basis of the coastal defense of the Empire?

Turning to the old one again nautical map... Dago Island and Hanko Peninsula. The forward position of the Baltic Fleet. The largest circle of the firing sector has its center on a small point on the map - the island of Ere. Here, in 1916, battery No. 60 was commissioned, consisting of 4 ex 305/52 open gun mounts. How was the fate of the Ersk battery guns?

At 7 in the morning we met again with Ove Enquist on the waterfront in Helsinki. This time our path lay on the Hanko Peninsula. For two hours the road ran between granite rocks, shrouded in morning fog. By nine o'clock we arrived at Hanko. At exactly nine, a military boat arrived and we set off on a sea voyage.

The boat rushed quickly along the Baltic waves. Numerous islands and islets skipped by. The very young captain of the boat carefully peered out to sea, looking for landmarks in the winding fairway. Granite islands are either covered with forest, or only seagulls sit on bare stones. Sometimes the boat passes very close to the underwater reefs, the crests of the waves roll over barely noticeable stones. An hour later, among the many small islands, a large green island appears. Well, I think the cannons were very big, therefore the island should be bigger. This is the island of Ere.

The boat slows down and slowly enters a small quiet bay... The first impression is as if you are starting to read the novel by Jules Verne again “ Mysterious Island". We moor to the island pier. The lieutenant at the pier meets such infrequent guests here and invites them into the car. We drive for a few minutes and enter a small military town. Enquist says that these houses were built by Russian soldiers in 1916. However, the barracks housing stock has been kept quite well here for 90 years. Several houses, clean lawns, a bike rack, you can feel the well-organized military life of the island's garrison. We are escorted to the dining room, served breakfast, coffee and tea. A group of soldiers arrives for breakfast, each of them serves food for himself, they sit down quietly and in a disciplined manner, just like in an ordinary soldier's canteen, only in the corner of the room there is an old Swedish cannon.

After breakfast we go to the battery. It turns out that she is literally next to a military town. The road goes uphill, a concrete artillery block appears and, here they are - the guns of the island of Ere!

The first order for open coastal 305/52 gun mounts was received by the Petersburg Metal Plant in 1910. The design of the installations was supervised by A.G. Dukelsky was a talented engineer, "Russian Krupp", as the newspapers of that time called him. Initially, eight such installations were made for the Kronstadt fortress: four for the Alekseevsky fort (Krasnaya Gorka) and four for the Nikolaevsky fort (Ino). For their great height and characteristic outlines, the Russian artillerymen called the 305/52 open artillery mounts "cranes".

Power and thunderstorm! Tall, with long barrels, with a thin rear support of the projectile feed guides - indeed, these gun mounts were somewhat reminiscent of cranes. Today the facilities can be called closed rather than closed. From above they are covered with armor plates, around the position was built concrete wall with a roof. We go inside through the armored door. A huge riveted bed, base bolts, rails for carts for transporting shells - everything is like in old photographs. Unlike turret gun mounts, all loading and guidance operations were performed manually here. All drives have large two-person handles, chain drives and gears. What stands out in particular is the huge vertical lift drive gear. On the upper platform, right next to the gun, everything was also done by hand. I try to turn the large steering wheel of the lock closing drive. The gun lock turns slowly but easily, although it weighs about two tons. We climb up to the roof of the artillery block. Sergey takes a lot of photos, I go around the art block. On the second foundation, there is no tool, only thick bolts sticking out of the concrete. Also on the second art block. On the island of Ere today there are two 305-mm cannons, the last of twenty open artillery mounts installed in the Baltic during the First World War.

In January 1915, the commandant sea ​​fortress Peter the Great Gerasimov received an order from the commander of the fleet N.O. von Essen begin construction of concrete foundations for American 234/50 cannons on the island of Ere.

Russian engineers, hundreds of soldiers and Finnish workers arrived on the island. The construction of a four-gun 9.5-inch battery was started at a haste pace. In September 1915, rock work on battery No. 60 was completed. However, it soon became clear that instead of the American 234/50 guns, 305/52 single-gun mounts on the central pin would arrive here. It was necessary to make changes to the project, fortunately, the amount of alterations was insignificant.

First of all, the foundations of 305-mm guns were built in order to quickly give the scope of work to the specialists of the Petrograd Metal Plant for the installation of gun mounts. When the foundations were ready, they proceeded to the construction of concrete artillery blocks, which housed ammunition cellars, shelters for personnel and premises for battery services. In total, two artillery blocks were built, each of which housed two positions of 305-mm open artillery mounts. The artillery blocks were separated from each other at a distance of about 100 meters. By the beginning of navigation in 1916, battery No. 60 of four 305/52 guns had entered service. With a firing range of 140 kb. (against 98 kb. at 234/50) its value increased and it became possible to create an advanced position).

At the same time, two more coastal batteries of smaller caliber guns were being erected on the island of Ere. On the southern, rocky coast of the island - battery No. 61, consisting of four 152-mm Canet guns, on the north-western coast of Ere, in the forest - battery No. 59, four 120-mm guns. 305-mm battery No. 60 of Ere Island (Er battery) and 305-mm battery No. 39 of Dago Island (Takhkon battery) became the main points of the Forward mine-artillery position of the Baltic Fleet (Amirkhanov).

After inspecting the positions of the 60th battery, we go by car to the south of the island of Ere. The forest ends, there are only gray rocks around. At the very sea, the positions of the 61st battery. Immediately you will not even notice the gun yards, built of granite stones, they are so naturally built into the surrounding area. Racks for shells and shelters for personnel are also made of stones. In some places, inside the stone dugouts, old log cabins are visible. The same gray granite landscape around, no trees, small islands on the left on the horizon, and the clear, endless Baltic Sea in front. The gunners who served here almost 90 years ago saw it the same way. Days, months, years, constant observation of the sea, training of servants with guns, no radio and newspapers, the only connection with the garrison was probably a field telephone. Service in the coastal artillery has always been difficult and responsible!

The car drives to the other end of the island, to the north. Stops in a deep forest, walk along a slippery, moss-covered path. There are piles of stones ahead. What is it? Positions! Completely preserved positions of the 59th battery! Four 120mm guns were mounted on temporary wooden bases. For 90 years, the top two rows of logs have decayed and exposed the padded cage at the base of the position. The logs were gone, but the bolts they held together remained in place. I've been looking for these bolts all over Estonian islands, for all positions during the First World War on Ezele and Dago, but there every piece of iron from the batteries has long disappeared from the local farms. It is now clear how the Russian engineers built the temporary positions of the coastal batteries. This makes it possible to carry out a long-conceived project - to build a wooden base for the 152-mm Kane cannon on the island of Hiiumaa at the Lehtma pier. How much you can learn from an island located 80 km from Hiiumaa!

In the spring of 1918, the Russians left the island of Ere. It is believed that the guns were rendered unusable. The island was abandoned for some time, equipment and materials were taken apart. However, Ere was soon taken into the custody of the Finnish State Administration of war spoils. The state has paid compensation to the inhabitants of the island for the alienated land, and since then until the present day, Finnish soldiers have been stationed on Era.

In the 1920s, the 305-mm guns were restored (apparently the damage was not great) and introduced into the Finnish coastal defense. The Finns immediately finalized the open installations: the upper areas were covered with light armor to protect the personnel from shrapnel and from the highly changeable island weather. In the 1930s, two guns of the Er battery were dismantled (one from each artillery block), transported and installed at the newly built positions at Cape Ristiniemi (Cape Krestovy). In 1940, the Finns withdrew from those positions, having previously blown everything up thoroughly.

Ersk cannons continued to serve on the island until the end of the 50s. In 1958, the battery conducted its last shooting practice. The Baltic Sea was declared the sea of ​​peace. At this time, the entire Baltic was disarmed. Poland withdrew its batteries from the regions of Gdynia and Gdansk. The USSR dismantled all (!) Batteries on the Moonsund Islands, part of the batteries of Tallinn, Krondtstat, Liepaja and the defense zone of the Ibren Strait. The Soviet cannons were cut into scrap and sent to be smelted at the Sarkanais metalurgs plant in Liepaja. The Finns, however, were in no hurry to cut their guns. The guns were preserved, mothballed and are in good condition to this day.

The car returns to the military town. Guests are again treated to coffee and tea with a delicious cake baked in the soldiers' canteen. The Finnish lieutenant brings an album of old and new photographs of the life of the island garrison. As in any small town, here you carefully preserve everything that is connected with the history of your region. At parting, I present to the library of the garrison of the island of Ere the book "Batteries of Moonsund" with an insert, where they are translated into English all captions under the illustrations. Saying goodbye to the hospitable garrison of the island. The life of the War Man is subordinated to duty and service. I sincerely wish them a successful service on a small remote island, the same island where I spent my childhood, among the sailors-gunners, guns and rocky seashores.

And on Cape Tserel and on Cape Takhkuna, to attract tourists, someday, it will be necessary to build replicas, approximate copies of 305-mm guns. It's good that while there is where to copy - from the "crane" of the island of Ere.

Yuri Melkonov
Riga - Tallinn - Helsinki
August 2004
Photo by Sergey Melkonov