Hiiumaa

The highest hill (68 m) of Hiiumaa, the Tornimägi, is the location of the lighthouse. Due to the very important shipping lane, the Hanseatic Merchants League was very interested in making this dangerous passage through shallow reef safer. In 1500, the magistrate of Tallinn obtained permission from Bishop John III Orges to build a landmark here. In 1531, after having chosen the highest hill of Hiiumaa, the massive stone tower was finised, from which this lighthouse was later derived. The construction was interrupted several times by the plague, which is why it took 30 years before completion. Already back then the turret was shaped like a four-legged prism, which was supported by massive counter-forces by the four main corners. Kõpu is the third-oldest constantly active lighthouse worldwide.

The construction of the cast iron lighthouse began in 1873. Made in Paris, it was brought to Hiiumaa in parts. Two beacons were ordered in Paris – the other one was used for the Ristna lighthouse. Tahkuna and Ristna are the newer ones and stem from the period when iron was used instead of stone, like for Kõpu. In 1941, fighters of the Soviet Army surrendered to the Germans at the foot of this lighthouse. Tahkuna is the highest lighthouse in Estonia - 42.6 m above sea level. It can be seen from a distance of 33 km.

Smaller and less impressive, but nice and architecturally interesting, at the westernmost point of the Kõpu peninsula. The light 37 m above sea level can be seen at a distance of 31.5 km, which is less than the 50 km of the 102 m above sea level light of the Kõpu lighthouse. The Ristna lighthouse was erected in 1874 from parts brought from France. In 1915, German war ships attacked the lighthouse, severely damaging it. In the following, in was supported with a concrete belt in 1920.

The crown jewel of the exhibition is the BB-316 cannon barrel from the Tahkuna Kukeraba battery. The museum exhibition covers Hiiumaa’s coastal defence structures, armaments, and ammunition. In a simulated barracks, visitors can examine surveillance and communications equipment. There is a reconstruction of a border strip in the yard.

There are items dating from the Tsarist, Estonian, and Soviet periods related to maritime history, as well as the history of agriculture and the manors. There is also much to see outside – a lifeboat from the SS Estonia, the Kassari school flagpole, manor’s lawn roller, etc.

The house, built in 1839 in Käina, is one of the oldest small town residences in Estonia. The exhibition in the composer’s birthplace provides a detailed overview of Tobias’s life and works.

The Hiiumaa open-air museum introduces local architecture and artefacts from the 19th century. The spacious courtyard is a perfect place for various activities, from tar burning in summer to "Christmas land" in winter. A visit to the unique smoke sauna or a picnic on the edge of the forest are just some additional services the museum is offering.

Nearly all characteristic features of the old farmstead have been retained: a long dwelling-cum threshing-barn building, a spacious yard area, storehouses, an outdoor kitchen, a cellar and a small smoke sauna. The central part of the dwelling originates from the middle of the 19th century, the chambers from the second half of the 19th century. Explore also the forest trail and exhibition of local rocks called The House of Rocks.