Osmussaar
| Osmussaar | ||
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| Waters | Baltic Sea | |
| Geographical location | 59 ° 17 '31 " N , 23 ° 23' 28" E | |
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| surface | 4.69 km² | |
| Residents | 3 Estonians <1 inh / km² |
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Osmussaar ( Odensholm ) is an Estonian Baltic Sea island in the Gulf of Finland .
Location and history
Osmussaar belongs administratively as the village Osmussaare to the municipality Lääne-Nigula in the district Lääne . The island is about 7.5 km from mainland Estonia and 62 km from Hanko in Finland . The area of Osmussaar is 4.69 km². The coastline is 14 km long.
The waters around the island are dangerous. On August 26, 1914, the German cruiser SMS Magdeburg ran aground near Osmussaar and had to be blown up. A lighthouse on Osmussaar was first built in 1765. Today's lighthouse is 35 m high and made of reinforced concrete .
Osmussaar is a popular destination for nature tourists and ornithologists in summer.
Osmussaar was first mentioned as Hothensholm around 1250 . A first settlement is recorded for the year 1436. Until 1940 there was the village of Bien der Küstenschweden on the island (seven farmsteads with around 120 inhabitants), but they were evacuated to Sweden during the Second World War in 1944 . Today only one Estonian family lives permanently on the island.
In the southern part of the island, an Evangelical Lutheran chapel was built for seafarers, which has been documented since 1642. In 1766 a new stone building was built.
Web links
- Osmussaar Island website (Estonian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Feldmann (founder), Heinz von ZurMühlen (ed.): Baltic historical local dictionary. Volume 1: Estonia (including Northern Livonia) (= sources and studies on Baltic history. Vol. 8, 1). Edited by Gertrud Westermann. Böhlau, Cologne et al. 1985, ISBN 3-412-07183-8 , p. 401.