The 10 Best Things to do in Hiiu County, Hiiu County

The history of the lighthouse began over 500 years ago when a landmark was needed by the Hanseatic League in the first place, as their merchants were complaining about ships disappearing in the Baltic Sea. The highest hill (68 m) of Hiiumaa, the Tornimagi, became the location of the lighthouse.In 1531 a massive stone tower was erected.Interesting to know:• Kopu is the third oldest constantly active lighthouse worldwide• In 1660 iron stairs were constructed on the outer wall of the tower.• In 1810 a staircase was built inside the tower

Behind the Hiiumaa Museum Long House there is a 3.3 hectare Beach Park. Once the location of a Swedish graveyard until Kardla baron Robert Eginhard von Ungern-Sternberg had a free-form park established instead. For a long time it was called the Baron’s garden. In the western side of the park on a small hill there is a cast iron cross, commemorating the Swedish graveyard. The main trees in the park are domestic. Foreign tree species include larches, white pine and several fir species. The most interesting tree – red beech tree – grows in the south-west side of the park. Altogether 34 species of trees and bushes have been counted in the park.

A post mill with a classic wooden structure. The base of the mill is made of rocks without binder. The mill has a board roof covering and its body has horizontal boarding. It was built in the second half of the 19th century. Two post mills have been preserved in Harju village (Nomme and Ratsepa).

The ruins are located in the heart of the locality Kaina. The church was built at the turn of the 15th - 16th century. The Gothic church in Kaina seated 600 persons and was the biggest church on Hiiumaa. The church was destroyed in 1941. Several tombstones as well as the sun cross above the entrance are protected as art monuments. A fire in the church destroyed many art treasures: the altar of the Virgin Mary, Saint Nicholas and Saint Antonio, the organ built by the father of the Estonian composer Rudolf Tobias etc. The church also served as the parish centre for many centuries. The ruins have now been conserved, the restoration of the church is planned. The trees that surround the church form a nice park, as the locals call it.

In 1871 and 1879, Russian geologist Gregor Helmersen was the first to describe and characterize the Heilu rocks. His name is also connected to rocks elsewhere in Estonia. He described the Helmersen Rock Field as the best group of boulders originating from Finland that he had seen in the Baltic countries. There are over 80 rocks on the 0.5-hectare-size plot, which been carried here by the glacial ice.

The centre of the Hiiumaa Museum. Popularly known as the Long House (the longest wooden house in Kardla, over 60 m), the building was constructed in the 1830s as the residence for the directors of the Hiiu-Kardla Cloth Factory. It has been home to several generations of Ungern-Sternbergs and Peltzers. During the Soviet period, the building was used by various agencies.The Long House includes workrooms and offices, depositories, a library, concert and exhibition halls. In addition to the story of the development of Kardla and the factory, a factory worker’s residence is on display. Various short-term exhibitions are also organized year- round.

The 35-metre long and 8-metre wide three-masted motor sailboat Ernst Jaakson (Alar) is the largest old boat to survive in Estonia. The boat was built in 1937–1939 in the Village of Ongu on Hiiumaa Island. Most of its life was spent abroad. Now after 50 years, this giant has been brought back for restoration to the Soru Harbour in Hiiumaa, which is the only wooden boat restoration centre in Estonia.