Vormsi () is the fourth-largest island of
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
, measuring and a registered population of around 400. It is located in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, northwest of the
mainland and east of
Hiiumaa island, and is part of the
West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago).
Administratively the island forms part of
Vormsi Parish (rural
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
).
History
The documented history of Vormsi dates back as far as the 13th century. During most of this time, the island was inhabited by
Estonian Swedes ("rannarootslased" in
Estonian or "coastal Swedes" in English). ''Ormsö'' in Swedish means "Orm's island", and can be translated also as "Snake island". The Estonian name ''Vormsi'' and German ''Worms'' have both been derived from ''Ormsö''.
The island's population reached 3,000 before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. During the war, nearly all of Vormsi's population, along with other Swedes living in Estonia, forming the larger region of
Aiboland, were evacuated, or fled, to Sweden.
Villages
The villages on the island include:
Hullo (the administrative centre),
Sviby (the main port),
Söderby,
Norrby,
Diby,
Rälby,
Förby,
Borrby,
Kärrslätt,
Saxby,
Suuremõisa (Magnushof, formerly Busby),
Rumpo (the main beach area) and
Hosby.
The island of Vormsi has homeowners from several countries and regions in Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and elsewhere.
Economy
Vormsi is the per capita wealthiest island and region in Estonia outside of the
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
metro area, with incomes on the same level as inner Tallinn. This is attributed to the fact that many comparatively wealthy people own summer homes on the island and are registered as residents, so their yearly income tax is forwarded to the island's budget.
Vormsi has only small businesses with no significant industrial activity. The island earns the majority of its revenues from the taxation on the salaries earned by its residents on the Estonian mainland.
Literature
* Kanarbik, Madis, ''Ormsö. De estlandssvenska böndernas kamp mot godsägarna under 1700- och 1800-talet''
ordistica Tartuensia; 9(Tartu, 2003)
Beyer, Jürgen, 'Whom should one thank for a narrow escape? Lessons drawn from a perilous journey from Vormsi and Noarootsi to Finland in 1796', ''Pro Ethnologia'' 17 (2004), 175-95
Gallery
File:Vormsi sadam 2015.jpg, Vormsi harbour (2015)
File:Lehmihaka.jpg, Paddock, Rälby
File:Vormsi-tuulimylly.jpg, Old windmill, Rälby
File:Metsänvartijanmökki1.jpg, Woodsman's cottage, Hullo
File:Vormsi-Ormso-Rumpo-muul.jpg, Beach area in Rumpo
File:Vormsi-Rumpo.jpg, Viewing platform in Rumpo peninsula, looking towards Sviby harbor
File:Vormsi kalmistu 02.jpg, Vormsi cemetery
File:Aurora Borealis in Vormsi, Estonia.jpg, Aurora borealis in Saxby
File:Vormsi Hullo tuulikud.jpg, Windmills in Hullo, 1930s
File:Borbi küla (Borrby), Vormsi saar (Ormsö) SLS 443 22 - 1934.jpg, link=, Aerial photo of the Borrby village, 1934
File:Ny Dag hyllar Stalin ockupation av Estland.jpg, Swedish communist daily Ny Dag headline on 5 September 1940: "The Swedes on Vormsi greet Stalin and the new regime"
File:Estlandssvenska flyktingar.jpg, Fleeing the Soviet occupation to Sweden, 1944
File:Vormsi Parish - panoramio.jpg, Road signs in Hullo
File:Vormsi kirik 2011.jpg, The 15th century Swedish (now Lutheran) church in Hullo (2011)
File:Vormsi - panoramio (1).jpg, Round crosses in the Vormsi cemetery
File:Estonia-nordic-cross-flag-02.jpg, A Nordic cross flag used in Vormsi
File:Ormsö Vormsi ferry.jpg, Vormsi is connected with the mainland by MS Ormsö ( :et)
References
External links
Vormsi vald(Vormsi municipality)
{{Authority control
Estonian islands in the Baltic
Landforms of Lääne County
Vormsi