Orjaku

58.78916722.773889Koordinaten: 58 ° 47 'N, 22 ° 46' O

Orjaku is a village (Estonian küla ) in the rural community Käina ( Käina vald ) in a circle Hiiu ( Hiiu maakond ).

Description and History

Orjaku ( German Orjak ) has 74 inhabitants ( 31 December 2011). The town is located on the peninsula ( Orjaku pool saar ) in the west of the Estonian island of Kassari ( German Kassar ).

The village was first mentioned in records in 1565 under the name Oryack. In the Middle Ages Orjaku lay on a separate Kassari island, which then grew together by raising the country with Kassari.

From Orjaku from a dam on the islet Puulaid leads to the second largest Estonian island of Hiiumaa ( German Dagö ). Probably the islands were connected in the 17th century with wooden bridges.

Best of Orjaku

1603 the small estate of Orjaku was founded. It first belonged to the noble family of Baltic German Wrangel. In the second half of the 17th century it was - as almost all of Hiiumaa - to the De la Gardie family. Last owner before the expropriation in the course of the Estonian land reform in 1919 was the family Hoyningen -Huene.

The small, single-storey stone farmhouse with its high roof was kept simple and plain. It came as most of the side building from the 1840s. In the 1920s and 1930s, most of the buildings were demolished. The stones were used as building material. Today little reminiscent of the good. Exceptions are the basement and the pretty gatehouse. It was extensively renovated in 1999.

Port

Early on was built near the site of the harbor with its tavern. From there, mainly firewood from Hiiumaa was shipped across the Baltic to Tallinn. In the position as a trading center also indicated by the name of Puulaid ( "Wood Island" ). The port served as a winter place for sailing ships. Before the First World War, the present port was created. Built in 1912, the Russian military two piers and a pier. It is now used only as a marina.

Tourism

Orjaku in summer is a popular destination for tourists. East of the village there are two viewpoints for ornithological observations. More than one hundred species of birds nest in the Bay of Käina ( Käina Laht ).

Island Reigi

For area of ​​the village also includes the 0.36 km ² large island Reigi ( Reigi saar or Reigilaid ). It is located west of the village in the Bay of Jausa ( Jausa Laht ). The overgrown with juniper island was first mentioned in records in 1254 under the name Rauky. The island is uninhabited today.

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