Page 101 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

WESTERN EST ONIA 99

R Kihelkonna Church
3 km (2 miles) NW of Kihelkonna.
Tel 454 6558. Open Jun–Aug: 10am–
5pm daily. 5
On the west coast of the island,
along the border of Vilsandi
National Park, this 13th-century
church is a treasure trove of
religious architecture and
artifacts. The organ, built in
1805, is the oldest in the
country, while the beautiful
pulpit dates from 1604. The altar
triptych, The Last Supper, is a
superb example of Renaissance
Two of the five Angla Windmills, standing tall in an open landscape church art.
open to the public, there is a nowhere, but people once } Vilsandi National Park
wonder ful assortment of flocked here for Sunday services 10 km (6 miles) W of Kihelkonna.
traditional play apparatus for from the surrounding villages. g from Papisaare. Tel 454 6880.
children just behind them. n Vilsandi National Park
E Mihkli Farm Museum Visitors’ Centre, Loona Manor.
R Karja Church 28 km (17 miles) NW of Kuressaare. Open 9am–5pm Mon–Fri. 8 -
2 km (1 mile) NE of Angla Windmills, Viki. Tel 454 6613. Open mid-May– ∑ keskkonnaamet.ee
Karja village. Open mid-May–mid- Aug: 10am–6pm daily; Sep–mid-Oct: This huge national park
10am–6pm Wed–Sun. &
Sep: 10am–6pm daily. 5 comprises Vilsandi Island along
The medieval Karja Church (Karja ∑ saaremaamuuseum.ee with some 150 islets and a
kirik) is the smallest church in In the sleepy village of Viki, narrow strip of coast culminating
Saaremaa, but also one of the Mihkli Farm Museum in the rugged Harilaid Peninsula.
the most beautiful. It is (Mihkli talumuuseum) is a The park was established thanks
well known for its elabo- picturesque farm stead to a lighthouse keeper named
rate stone carvings, consisting of beautiful Artur Toom, who set up a bird
which include a relief thatched cottages, a sanctuary here in 1910. The
of the Crucifixion windmill, a brewery 239-sq-km (92-sq-mile) park in its
above the side door and even an old present form was founded in 1993.
and some remarkable sauna. Most of the The most significant bird
figures inside depic- buildings date from sanctuaries are located on the
ting saints. There is 1827–56. The Vaika Islands, off the western tip
also a famous bas museum has of Vilsandi, from where the
relief showing Mary Stone carving outside authentic displays imposing 40-m (131-ft) Vilsandi
and John at Cavalry, Karja Church of rural architecture Lighthouse can be seen. For
along with the two and traditional living some of the most striking
thieves whose souls depart their styles. The farm was active scenery, head to the Harilaid
bodies in the form of children. until Soviet times, when Peninsula. From here, it is
collectivization broke it up. possible to take an invigorating
R Kaarma Church Today, visitors can learn hike up to the leaning light-
15 km (9 miles) NW of Kuressaare, traditional methods of making house. The trail offers
Kaarma village. Tel 459 5322. bread and butter. evocative scenery.
Open no regular opening hours. 5
Dating from the 13th century,
Kaarma Church (Kaarma kirik) is
one of the oldest churches in
Western Estonia. A stone tablet
over the front portal attests to
repairs made to the church in
1407 and is considered to be
the first writ ten example of
the Estonian language. The
15th-century pulpit with a
polychrome figure of Joseph
beneath it is especially
impressive. The church may
appear incongru ously large,
standing in the middle of Display showing the interior of a rural household, Mihkli Farm Museum
The leaning Kiipsaare Lighthouse, Harilaid Peninsula, Saaremaa Island