Orjaku
Coordinates: 58 ° 47 ' N , 22 ° 46' E
Orjaku is a village ( Estonian küla ) in the rural municipality of Hiiumaa (until 2017: rural municipality Käina ) in the district of Hiiu ( Hiiu maakond ).
Description and history
Orjaku (German Orjak ) has 74 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2011). The place is located on the peninsula of the same name ( Orjaku poolsaar ) in the west of the Estonian island of Kassari (German Kassar ).
The village was first mentioned in 1565 under the name Oryack . In the Middle Ages, Orjaku was still on an island separated from Kassari, which then grew together with Kassari through the uplift of the land.
From Orjaku, a dam leads over the islet of Puulaid to the second largest Estonian island, Hiiumaa (German Dagö ). The islands were probably connected with wooden bridges as early as the 17th century.
Good from Orjaku
In 1603 the small estate of Orjaku was founded. It initially belonged to the noble Baltic German family Wrangel . In the second half of the 17th century - like almost all of Hiiumaa - it fell to the De la Gardie family . The last owners before the expropriation in the course of the Estonian land reform in 1919 were the Hoyningen-Huene family .
The small, single-storey stone manor house with its high roof was kept simple and plain. Like most of the outbuildings, it was built in the 1840s. Most of the buildings were demolished in the 1920s and 1930s. The stones were used as building material. Today little reminds of the estate. Exceptions are the cellars and the pretty gatehouse. It was extensively renovated in 1999.
port
The port with its tavern was built near the town early on . From there, mainly firewood from Hiiumaa was shipped across the Baltic Sea to Tallinn . The name of Puulaid ("wooden island") also indicates its position as a transshipment point. The harbor also served as a winter place for sailing ships. The present port was built before the First World War . In 1912 the Russian military built two piers and a jetty . Today it is only used as a marina .
tourism
Orjaku is a popular destination for tourists in summer. To the east of the village there are two viewpoints for ornithological observations. More than a hundred species of birds nest in the Bay of Käina ( Käina laht ).
Reigi Island
The 0.36 km² island of Reigi ( Reigi saar or Reigilaid ) also belongs to the area of the village . It is located west of the village in the bay of Jausa ( Jausa laht ). The island overgrown by juniper was first mentioned in 1254 under the name Rauky . The island is uninhabited today.
literature
- Baltic historical local dictionary. Part 1: Estonia (including Northern Livonia). Started by Hans Feldmann . Published by Heinz von zur Mühlen . Edited by Gertrud Westermann . Cologne, Vienna 1985 (= sources and studies on Baltic history. Volume 8/1), ISBN 3-412-07183-8 , p. 409.
Web links
- Official website (Estonian)
- Description of the place (Estonian)
- Orjaku Harbor (Estonian)
- Well of Orjaku (Estonian)
- Bird watching in Orjaku (German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://pub.stat.ee/
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
