Hiiu County ( et, Hiiu maakond or ''Hiiumaa'') is one of 15

counties of Estonia Counties ( et, maakond, plural ') are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. The government (') of each county is led by a ' (gov ...

, being the smallest county both in terms of area and population. It consists of Hiiumaa (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and sv, Dagö), the second largest

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders Lääne County to the east and Saare County to the south.

History

Human habitation of Hiiumaa can be traced back to the 5th millennium BC.

Mesolithic The Mesolithic ( Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...

sites in Kõpu peninsula are exemplified by the seal-hunters' settlements. There are several well-preserved grave fields of the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

. In 1228, the island was first mentioned in written annals under the name ''Dageida''. In 1254, Hiiumaa was divided between the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after th ...

and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. In 1563 Hiiumaa was annexed into Sweden. In 1710, as a result of the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...

the island went under the control of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the German military forces occupied Hiiumaa in 1917. In 1918–1940 Hiiumaa was part of the Republic of Estonia, then until 1991 occupied by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. On demands of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...

a lighthouse was built in Kõpu (previously known as ''Dagerort'') at the beginning of the 16th century. It is considered the third-oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the world, still showing its light to of the sea. Most of the farm architecture comes from the 19th century. Prominent examples include the Mihkli farming complex and Soera farm-museum with historical national artifacts, respectively.

Sights

Most important sights: * Suuremõisa manor * Kõpu Lighthouse and ancient graves * Suursadam port * Tahkuna Lighthouse and associated coastal defenses * Ristna Lighthouse * Sääretirp * Saarnaki laid and other isles * Kärdla town * Käina church ruins * * Reigi church * Kärdla meteorite crater * Kassari chapel,

Kassari Kassari is an Estonian island. It has an area of 19.3 km2 with a population of around 300. It has a museum dedicated to Oskar Kallas and Aino Kallas. The philosopher and pedagogue Ülo Kaevats (born 1947) was born on Kassari. File:The ...

County government

The

County Government A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

( et, Maavalitsus) was led by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

( et, maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. The last Governor was Riho Rahuoja 2012−2017.

Municipalities

The county consists of one municipality after the administrative reform of 2017. Between 2013 and 2017 the county was subdivided into 4 municipalities ( et, vallad – parishes). The only urban settlement Kärdla is part of

Hiiumaa Parish Hiiumaa Parish (Estonian: ''Hiiumaa vald'') is a rural municipality of Estonia on the island of Hiiumaa. Hiiumaa Parish was established by merging Emmaste Parish, Hiiu Parish, Käina Parish and Pühalepa Parish after the municipal elections he ...

since 2017. Rural municipalities: *

(''includes the town of Kärdla'')

Geography

The county includes the islands of Hiiumaa () and

() and a number of surrounding islets. The highest point is Tornimägi hill (), the longest river is Luguse (), and the biggest lake is Tihu Suurjärv (). In the landscapes there can be found pine forests, mixed spruce and deciduous forests, swampy thickets and juniper shrubs, coastal meadows and bogs. The most frequent tree is pine which makes about a half of forests. Pine is followed by birch, spruce and alder. In total, there are about 1,000 species of vascular plants, of which about 100 are under protection. The wildlife of Hiiumaa is remarkable. Out of 30 species of mammals, big game as elk, deer, fox, wild boar and lynx roam the island. There are about 250 species of birds on the island, 195 of them nesting. Among the Estonian counties Hiiumaa is the richest in forest – nearly 60% of the island are wooded areas. There are large marsh areas in the middle of the island. The marshes cover about 7% of its area. Cultivated land and settlements take about 23% of the area of the county.

Gallery

Kõrgessaare. Mõisa viinaköök.JPG, Kõrgessaare manor Kassari chapel-028.jpg,

chapel Hiiu-Suuremõisa mõisahoone.jpg, Suuremõisa manor Tubala tuulik august 2014.jpg, Tubala windmill and surrounding countryside Kuri kool2.jpg, Kuri schoolhouse Tahkuna tuletorn Hiiumaal, päikeseloojanguvalguses.jpg, Tahkuna Lighthouse Sõru 2006 2.jpg, Near the shore at Sõru Soera Talumuuseum.JPG, Soera farm museum Pühalepa kirik ja kiriku aed.jpg,

Pühalepa Pühalepa (german: Pühhalep) is a village in Hiiumaa Parish, Hiiu County in northwestern Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of ...

church Saarnaki parn.JPG, Densely forested thicket on Saarnaki islet Vaade tahkuna tuletornist4.jpg, Tahkuna peninsula Heltermaa sadam.jpg, Heltermaa Port

References

Estonia and GeoHive

External links

Hiiumaa – Official tourist information
{{Authority control Counties of Estonia