Muhu (Muhu vald)
Muhu (also called Muhumaa in Estonian), is an island in the West Estonian archipelago of the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km2 it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
Together with neighbouring smaller islands of Kesselaid, Viirelaid, Võilaid and Suurlaid it forms Muhu Parish (Muhu vald), the rural municipality within Saare County. The municipality has a population of 1,697 (as of 19 April 2010) and covers an area of 206.12 km2. The population density is 8.8 PD/sqkm.
The German names for the island are Mohn and Moon. Moon is also the Swedish name for the island.
The most important villages in Muhu are Kuivastu, Liiva (where the school can be found) and Koguva. In Pädaste, an internationally renowned luxury hotel and spa operates in the restored manor house.
The island is divided from mainland Estonia by the Suur Strait (Moonsund) and from Saaremaa by the Väike Strait. It is linked by ferry to Virtsu in the mainland, and to Saaremaa by a causeway, the Väinatamm. In winter an ice road connects the island to the mainland.
In January 1227, an army of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword with Letts, Germans of Riga and native Livonians (20,000 men commanded by William of Modena) crossed on sea ice from the mainland and attacked the island of Saaremaa to reduce the last holdout of pagan Estonians. The Estonians surrendered on Muhu at a circular stronghold called Mona, the earthworks of which are still preserved near the causeway between the islands. This ended the Estonian Crusade.
The Battle of Karuse or Battle on the Ice was fought on 16 February 1270 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Livonian Order on the frozen Baltic Sea between the Muhu Island and the mainland. The Lithuanians achieved a decisive victory. The battle, named after the Karuse village, was the fifth-largest defeat of the Livonian or Teutonic Orders in the 13th century.
The same waters saw the Battle of Moon Sound in September–October 1917 between Russian and German naval forces.
Muhu is also famous for having the only still-working traditional windmills in Estonia.
Muhu is the home of Estonia's first wine tourism farm – Luscher & Matiesen Muhu Winehouse.
Together with neighbouring smaller islands of Kesselaid, Viirelaid, Võilaid and Suurlaid it forms Muhu Parish (Muhu vald), the rural municipality within Saare County. The municipality has a population of 1,697 (as of 19 April 2010) and covers an area of 206.12 km2. The population density is 8.8 PD/sqkm.
The German names for the island are Mohn and Moon. Moon is also the Swedish name for the island.
The most important villages in Muhu are Kuivastu, Liiva (where the school can be found) and Koguva. In Pädaste, an internationally renowned luxury hotel and spa operates in the restored manor house.
The island is divided from mainland Estonia by the Suur Strait (Moonsund) and from Saaremaa by the Väike Strait. It is linked by ferry to Virtsu in the mainland, and to Saaremaa by a causeway, the Väinatamm. In winter an ice road connects the island to the mainland.
In January 1227, an army of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword with Letts, Germans of Riga and native Livonians (20,000 men commanded by William of Modena) crossed on sea ice from the mainland and attacked the island of Saaremaa to reduce the last holdout of pagan Estonians. The Estonians surrendered on Muhu at a circular stronghold called Mona, the earthworks of which are still preserved near the causeway between the islands. This ended the Estonian Crusade.
The Battle of Karuse or Battle on the Ice was fought on 16 February 1270 between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Livonian Order on the frozen Baltic Sea between the Muhu Island and the mainland. The Lithuanians achieved a decisive victory. The battle, named after the Karuse village, was the fifth-largest defeat of the Livonian or Teutonic Orders in the 13th century.
The same waters saw the Battle of Moon Sound in September–October 1917 between Russian and German naval forces.
Muhu is also famous for having the only still-working traditional windmills in Estonia.
Muhu is the home of Estonia's first wine tourism farm – Luscher & Matiesen Muhu Winehouse.
Map - Muhu (Muhu vald)
Map
Country - Estonia
Flag of Estonia |
The land of what is now modern Estonia has been inhabited by Homo sapiens since at least 9,000 BC. The medieval indigenous population of Estonia was one of the last pagan civilisations in Europe to adopt Christianity following the Papal-sanctioned Livonian Crusade in the 13th century. After centuries of successive rule by the Teutonic Order, Denmark, Sweden, and the Russian Empire, a distinct Estonian national identity began to emerge in the mid-19th century. This culminated in the 24 February 1918 Estonian Declaration of Independence from the then warring Russian and German Empires. Democratic throughout most of the interwar period, Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II, but the country was repeatedly contested, invaded and occupied, first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and was ultimately reoccupied in 1944 by, and annexed into, the USSR as an administrative subunit (Estonian SSR). Throughout the 1944–1991 Soviet occupation, Estonia's de jure state continuity was preserved by diplomatic representatives and the government-in-exile. Following the bloodless Estonian "Singing Revolution" of 1988–1990, the nation's de facto independence from the Soviet Union was restored on 20 August 1991.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
EUR | Euro | € | 2 |
ISO | Language |
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ET | Estonian language |
RU | Russian language |