Väinameri
As Väinameri (German: Moonsund , Swedish: Moonsundet ) refers to the archipelago between the West Estonian Baltic Sea Islands Saaremaa , Hiiumaa , Muhu and Vormsi and the Estonian mainland.
etymology
The name of this marine area was not adopted until the 20th century. Väinameri literally means “ strait lake”: väin is the Estonian term for “ strait ”; meri means ' sea '. English is the translation from Estonian, Sound Sea . The German name Moonsund refers to the island Moon ( poppy , Estonian Muhu) in the southern part of the sea area, with the word Sund for 'strait'.
description
The Väinameri covers a total area of about 2200 km². It is very rich in islands and the sea is relatively shallow in most places. The average depth is only five meters, only between Muhu and Kesselaid up to 24 meters.
Hydrologically , the Väinameri differs greatly from the open Baltic Sea, especially in its low waves, the greater annual fluctuation in water temperature, the lower salt content and the thicker and more consistent ice cover in the winter months. Also Großtromben are not uncommon.
Straits
The Väinameri is characterized by the straits
- Voosi kurk ( Wose Sound ) between the mainland (Noarootsi peninsula) and Vormsi
- Hari kurk ( Moon-Sund ) between Vormsi and Hiiumaa
- Soela väin ( Sele-Sund ) between Hiiumaa and Saaremaa
- Väike väin between Saaremaa and Muhu
- Suur väin between Muhu and the mainland
Traffic routes
In the eastern part of the Väinameri , the dangerous shipping route between the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga ran through the Hari kurk ( Moon Sound ) in the Middle Ages . The island at its entrance was then given the significant name Paternoster (now Estonian Viirelaid ). During the First World War , the shipping channels in Väinameri were deepened, particularly to the port of Rohuküla .
Muhu and Saaremaa are now connected by a 3.6 km long dam ( Väinatamm ), which is also accessible by cars. It was inaugurated on July 27, 1896 after two years of construction. A permanent connection from the island of Muhu to the mainland and over the Suur väin is currently being hotly debated in Estonia.
Flora and fauna
The Väinameri is known as a breeding ground for numerous bird species and a nature reserve ( Matsalu National Park and Hiiumaa Island Reserve ). The most important fish species are herring , perch and pike .
Web links
- Information, nautical charts, pictures (Estonian)
- History of the Väinatamm (Estonian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jaan Rebane: Väinameri: Üldinfo. October 31, 2009 (on web.zone.ee).
- ^ Thea Karin: Estonia. Cultural and scenic diversity in a historical borderland between east and west. Cologne 1994 (= DuMont art and landscape guide ) ISBN 3-7701-2614-9 , p. 302