Kesselaid
Encyclopedia
Kesselaid is a 1.7 km² (0.65637366960731 sq mi) Estonia
n islet
located between the mainland and the island of Muhu
in the Suur väin (Big Strait) which connects the Väinameri Sea and the Gulf of Riga
. There's only one village on the island Kesse, which is administratively part of Muhu Parish, Saare County
.
With the highest point 15.6 m above sea level it's the highest islet of Estonia. It is also considered to be the oldest islet, it arose around 3000 BC.
Since 1938, the 7 to 8 feet high cliffs of Kesselaid have been designated a nature reserve.
Kesselaid was first described in print in 1644 by in the Swedish maritime book Een siö-book, som innehåller om siöfarten i Östersiön by Johan Månsson. Kesselaid had been inhabited by ethnic Estonians
for centuries but began heavy colonization by German settlers in the 16th Century. In 1807 Kesselaid was sold to the Baltic German noble Jacob Friedrich von Helwig. By the end of the 1930s there were still 35 permanent residents on the island. Currently, the island is uninhabited.
Today, in summer Kesselaid is partly used as pasture and grazing land for cattle and goats. It has also become an excursion destination for nature tourists. On the island, 16 species of orchids are counted. From the island of Muhu, wild boar and elk occasionally swim to Kesselaid.
A lighthouse was first built Kesselaid in 1885. The current, fully automated lighthouse dates to 1994.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
located between the mainland and the island of Muhu
Muhu
Muhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
in the Suur väin (Big Strait) which connects the Väinameri Sea and the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga
The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....
. There's only one village on the island Kesse, which is administratively part of Muhu Parish, Saare County
Saare County
Saare County , or Saaremaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa , the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders Lääne County to the east and Hiiu County to the north...
.
With the highest point 15.6 m above sea level it's the highest islet of Estonia. It is also considered to be the oldest islet, it arose around 3000 BC.
Since 1938, the 7 to 8 feet high cliffs of Kesselaid have been designated a nature reserve.
Kesselaid was first described in print in 1644 by in the Swedish maritime book Een siö-book, som innehåller om siöfarten i Östersiön by Johan Månsson. Kesselaid had been inhabited by ethnic Estonians
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
for centuries but began heavy colonization by German settlers in the 16th Century. In 1807 Kesselaid was sold to the Baltic German noble Jacob Friedrich von Helwig. By the end of the 1930s there were still 35 permanent residents on the island. Currently, the island is uninhabited.
Today, in summer Kesselaid is partly used as pasture and grazing land for cattle and goats. It has also become an excursion destination for nature tourists. On the island, 16 species of orchids are counted. From the island of Muhu, wild boar and elk occasionally swim to Kesselaid.
A lighthouse was first built Kesselaid in 1885. The current, fully automated lighthouse dates to 1994.