Loonalaid ( sv, Letenholm, german: Lettenholm) is a small

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 island ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

belonging to the country of

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 Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. Its coordinates are . Loonalaid lies just off the northwest coast of the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the isla ...

, is administered by

Saaremaa Municipality Saaremaa Municipality, also known as Saaremaa Rural Municipality ( et, Saaremaa vald), is a municipality in Saare County in western Estonia. It is the largest municipality in Estonia by land area. The administrative centre of the municipality is i ...

Saare County Saare County ( et, Saare maakond or ''Saaremaa''; la, Oesel; german: Ösel; sv, Ösel) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, A ...

( et, Saare maakond) and is also part of

Vilsandi National Park __NOTOC__ Vilsandi National Park ( et, Vilsandi rahvuspark) is a marine protected area in Saare County, Estonia. It includes part of the island of Vilsandi, a number of smaller islands, adjacent parts of western Saaremaa and the Harilaid peninsul ...

. Loonalaid is a windswept, rocky, low-lying 1 km² islet west of

Vilsandi The island of Vilsandi, Saaremaa Parish, Saare County, Estonia is located in the Baltic Sea. It covers an area of some 9 square km and is the westernmost populated island in Estonia. The surrounding waters are shallow and rocky and many ships trav ...

in the westernmost part of Estonia. The islet is exposed to the Baltic Sea's predominantly westerly winds and weather systems. Historically, the area had many shipwrecks due to the winds, weather and numerous uncharted shoals. These were a hazard, particularly to ships accessing the

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia ( lv, Rīgas līcis, et, Liivi laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main c ...

, off the southern tip of Saaremaa. Peeter All's family farm on Loonalaid

During the days of

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which deve ...

, Loonalaid and adjacent areas of Saaremaa (called Oesel/Ösel by the Germans) belonged to the Loona Manor, owned by Baron Hoyningen-Huene. In 1830 Baron Huene sent a man by the name of Aadu All to live on Loonalaid, primarily to guard the hay that was grown there as feed for the manor's livestock and to prevent it from being stolen or burned. All, his wife and young son Peeter, who was 1 yr old at the time, became the islet's first residents and built a farmhouse.

Peeter All Peeter All (1829–1898) was an Estonian fisherman, farmer, ship captain, shipowner, rescuer of mariners in distress, and salvage diver. Early years Peeter All's parents, Ado and Marie, were peasants who lived on Saaremaa's Loona Manor. Saa ...

became a seaman and businessman and eventually purchased the family farm from the Baron.

References

Estonian islands in the Baltic Saaremaa Parish Kreis Ösel {{Saare-geo-stub

See also

References