Introduction 2. Kihelkonna Church carillon The bell tower of Kihelkonna Church was A chance to hike two loong days along the beautiful coast of erected in 1638 and last restored in 2009. The Saaremaa. There are sandy beaches, storm-riddled coastline carillon is located a couple hundred metres and 10 metres cliff. You will meet old fishing villages, military southeast of the church on a prominent point buildings from 20th century from treches to cannon bases. In of land. This wood-roofed stone structure is spring, the nature wakes up litte bit later, but when the Estonia’s only still-extant free-standing campanile. Before flowers are blossomed you can enjoy their beauty till late the bell tower, the hill was a pre-Christian sacrificial site. The August. Autumn is warm because of the sea. The trail winds hill offered a sweeping view of the sea. around picturesque Harilaid and visits skewed Kiipsaare 3. Kihelkonna Church lighthouse and takes the turn over one of the largest alvars Kihelkonna Church is one of the oldest houses Saaremaa GPS in Saaremaa – Kõruse – to reach Kihelkonna. Rannikurada of worship on Saaremaa. The original church trail os well equipped with camping sites. – with a single-nave structure featuring two The trail is best for hiking, but can be covered by bicycle. rib vaults - was presumably completed in the tracks Rannikurada hiking trail is about 75 km long and guides you middle of the latter half of the 13th century, from Kihelkonna to Ninase village. Both of these places can and the choir room – the oldest part – may have been built be easily reached by public transport. There are a few local before 1254. The church's organ was made by organ meister shops on the way and accommodation options nearby. Johann Andreas Stein in 1805 and is the only known extant church organ from his workshop besides being the oldest Rannikurada church organ in Estonia to survive so intact. Kihelkonna’s Lutheran congregation is one of Estonia’s biggest rural congregations. 4. Rootsiküla manor site and manor park The manor was founded in 1603 and the first manor lord was Reinhold Anrep. From 1929- 1977, Kihelkonna School was based in the manor house until the building was destroyed by fire in 1977. The new schoolhouse was built in a location closer to the sea. A pond and stone walls still can be seen in the manor park. 5. Port of Papissaare A 3 km long cobblestone road leads from Kihelkonna to Papissaare. The port is a Location of Rannikurada trail in Saaremaa connecting link to Vilsandi Island and is home to World War One era Tsarist Russian military Points of internest seaplane hangars. The port has a small fish plant, OÜ Papissaare, which produces the Tallinn sprats that 1. Loona manor have been famous in Estonia for several decades. Loona Manor was first mentioned in 1506. The 6. Rootsiküla curative spa memorial stone one-storey stone manor building erected over In 1824, Friedrich von Buxhöeveden built a rudimentary mud bath-house by Abaja Bay, the cellars of a medieval vassal fort was built in stages, primarily in the 17th and 18th C. The the first of its kind in Estonia. It operated here building gained its current appearance – for over 10 years, until it went out of business 2014 Neoclassical in a typically restrained Saaremaa way – in the upon a change of ownership at the manor. early 19th C. The Vilsandi National Park visitor centre is Currently a memorial stone to Estonia’s first mud spa stands th currently house in the manor's main building. A state forest by Abaja Bay. It was inaugurated for the 175 anniversary of information centre is located in an onetime animal shed and the spa in 1999. the gardener’s cottage houses a fossil museum. 7. Oju lighthouse Sarapiku Lake has among the most islands in formations, the remnants of creatures that lived 400 million A seamark that is no longer in use, by Oju Bay. any Estonian lake – at least 12 of them. The years ago in equatorial waters – mainly calcareous algae, lake covers about 40 hectares, and its bryozoans and corals. maximum depth is 2.5 m. 18. Tagamõisa school and community centre 13. Kiipsaare lighthouse Tagamõisa schoolhouse was opened in 1935 Kiipsaare lighthouse is located on Kiipsaare and over 200 pupils were enrolled. The 8. Port of Jaagarahu point on Harilaid peninsula. The 25-metre-high number of residents of Tagamõisa peninsula The ice-free port began to be built in the 1920s reinforced concrete lighthouse was built in was upwards of 1,300 back then. After the for receiving passenger ships in winter, and in 1933. As late as in the middle of the 20th war, the number of children started 1929, the quay was extended to the point that century, the lighthouse was right in the middle of the decreasing as many of the inhabitants of the peninsula had the port could start receiving larger ships. A peninsula, about 200 metres from the water on each side. fled to Sweden or had gone to the cities to escape the severe storm in 1969 crippled the port. In 1941 Due to wave erosion, the lighthouse started sagging to one collectivization of agriculture. The attractive two-storey and 1949, the port was used to deport thousands of people side as soil was washed away from underneath it. It was school house was closed in 1974. from Saaaremaa. known as Saaremaa’s Tower of Pisa from 1992-2008. But 19. Tagamõisa wooded meadow 9. Monument to victims of deportations, at port of then, the lighthouse righted itself again. To the northwest of Wooded meadows are an integral and Jaagarahu the tower is the northernmost point of Harilaid peninsula, quintessential part of Saaremaa’s vegetation. At the beginning of the quay, a monument Kiipsaare point, which continues under water and is The protection area here was established in stands among junipers, remembering the constantly shifts. 1957 to conserve the biggest extant wooded people deported from Saaremaa in 1941 and 14. Laialepa Bay meadow on Saaremaa. The Tagamõisa wooded meadow is 1949. The monuments were erected on 17 Laialepa Bay was once connected to the sea via Junkru Bay. third in Estonia in terms of species richness – with 67 species June 1989. The words “Here the journey of Due to the erosion by the sea and the uplift of the land, the per square metre. Saaremaa’s people to a cold land began” appear on the bay is now a lake. 20. Veere observation platform stone, which was consecrated by Jaan Tammsalu and Elmar 15. Undva sea cliff and Undva point A white-sand cliff near the Port of Veere, Reinsoo. Undva, also known as Tõrvasoo bank is popularly called “Veere's white hill.” The 10. Kurevere sacrificial stones situated at the northern tip of Tagamõisa platform affords a nice view of the indented There are a total of seven Kurevere sacrificial peninsula. Just a couple metres in height, the coastline of northern Saaremaa and the Baltic stones, most with one or two cup markings. bank is uneven and eroded by waves and Sea. Going down a stair, one can walk along But one has 62 of them. The stones are also storm surge. The cliff is about 500 metres the sand to the port and examine the exposed cliff. The popularly called the Tondikivid (Monster long. Although the sea remains ice-free for a long period scenic beach has a number of RMK (State Forest) fire rings Rocks). They were sacrificial sites in the 1st millennium BCE. around Undva, the annual breakup in spring changes the and information displays, with campsites as well. Such stones are not usually found together in a group and it coastline and wears away the bank. w Uudepanga Bay, 21. Port of Veere and tavern is thought that the stones were brought here from the which is right under Uudepanga Bay, is a major wintering The port is located at the edge of a steep cliff. ancient fields of Kurevere village, which are located to the spot for Steller’s Eider. Tagalaht Bay, on which the port is located, is east of the stones’ current location. 16. Suuriku sea cliff relatively deep. When entering the water 11. Harilaid (peninsula) Suuriku cliff is located at the north-eastern tip from shore, the water gets deep quite Harilaid is about 4 km long, located at the of Tagamõisa peninsula. Suuriku is suddenly, and in places the seabed is north-western tip of Saaremaa as the Saaremaa’s second highest and longest sea terraced. The port has a shops and a pleasant place to eat. A continuation of Tagamõisa peninsula, within cliff – it is 1.6 km long and as much as 20 swimming area is 100 m away. Vilsandi National Park. Harilaid was accorded metres in height. The Tagalahe sea cliff continues as a 22. The Tagalahe landing nature conservation status in 1924. It consists mainly of sand second level under water. At Suuriku, very little of the cliff is On 18 September 1917, the German general and gravel, with sandy coastal berms. The peninsula is above water level, and it has been the graveyard of many staff gave the order to storm the islands of characterized by species-rich flora with many endangered ships. In November 1951, one of the most deadly shipwreck western Estonia. The operation was called species of plants represented. There are over 300 species of in Estonian history occurred here. Albion. The Germans planned a landing in the vascular plants recorded, with 20 under nature protection.