Vilsandi

The island of Vilsandi, Kihelkonna 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 travelling the Baltic have perished nearby. The island of Vilsandi can be reached by boat, by truck having suitable clearance or on foot by wading from Saaremaa. Much of the island is now part of Vilsandi National Park, which grew from a bird reserve founded in 1910. It is a highly sensitive ecosystem due to the use of the area by many migratory birds as a breeding and nesting ground. Hunting is absolutely prohibited. This park is a popular tourist destination not only for local Estonians, but also people of Finland who are visiting Estonia in greater and greater numbers.

In 1703, a ship owned by Dutchman Johann Doll ran aground and sank in the Baltic Sea. Doll managed to get ashore to a nearby island and named the island “Felsland” meaning rocky island. He stayed to live there and, over time, Doll’s farm became known in Estonian as Tolli talu (farm) and Felsland became known as Vilsandi.

Due to its location alongside a maritime trade route, it was important to seafaring nations that Vilsandi have some shelter for shipwreck survivors. This was especially important to the Russian Tsar and the first shelter on the island was built in 1806. This was followed by the construction of a 37-meter high lighthouse in 1809. A lifesaving station was built beside the lighthouse in 1859 and a telegraph line was installed in 1883, primarily to communicate news about ships running aground.

The earliest known family settled on Vilsandi in 1826 and in 1896 this family took the surname of Mänder. Over time, as the letter “ä” was not familiar to the various non-Estonian seamen in the area, some family members changed Mänder to Mender because it was easier to spell. By 1860, 18 families lived on the island. In 1934 a census recorded that 32 families and 169 people lived on Vilsandi, sustained mainly by fishing (flounder, cod, salmon) and seafaring. The surrounding ocean is shallow with some depths to 22 metres (72 feet). In 1931 a seabird museum was built on Vilsandi and before World War II (1939 - 1945) there were about 200 permanent residents on the island and about 3,000 – 5,000 tourists that would visit during the summer months.

In 1870, the British ship Admiral ran aground near Vilsandi and many barrels of a new product, petroleum - the oil economy didn’t exist yet - washed ashore and were used for fuel at Vilsandi’s lighthouse and island homes, replacing firewood and flax oil.

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Wikipedia