Vormsi
![]() Location of Vormsi (Ormsö) in Estonia | |
![]() ![]() Vormsi Location in the Baltic Sea region | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Baltic Sea |
Coordinates | 59°00′N 23°13′E / 59.000°N 23.217°ECoordinates: 59°00′N 23°13′E / 59.000°N 23.217°E |
Archipelago | West Estonian archipelago |
Area | 93 km2 (36 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Estonia | |
County | Lääne County |
Demographics | |
Population | 415 (15 October 2011) |
Pop. density | 4.5/km2 (11.7/sq mi) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Estonia-nordic-cross-flag-02.jpg/220px-Estonia-nordic-cross-flag-02.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Orms%C3%B6_Vormsi_ferry.jpg/220px-Orms%C3%B6_Vormsi_ferry.jpg)
Vormsi, also Ormsö (Swedish: Ormsö, German: Worms) is the fourth-largest island of Estonia. It is located between Hiiumaa and the mainland and has a total area of 92 square kilometres (36 square miles). It is part of Vormsi Parish, a rural municipality.
Etymology[]
Ormsö in Swedish means "Orm's Island", and can be translated also as "Snake Island".[1] The island's Estonian name Vormsi is derived from its German name Worms or its Swedish name Ormsö.
History[]
Vormsi's history 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), whose population reached 3,000 before World War II. 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. The island's current registered population is about 400.
Villages[]
The villages on the island include: Hullo (the administrative center), Sviby (the main port), Söderby, Norrby, Diby, Rälby, Förby, Borrby, Kärrslätt, Saxby, Suuremõisa (Magnushof, formerly Busby[2]), Rumpo (the main beach area) and Hosby.
Economy[]
Vormsi is the per capita wealthiest island and region in Estonia outside of the Tallinn 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.[3]
Vormsi has no industrial activity. The island earns the majority of its revenues from the taxation of the mainland and overseas income of residents.
Residents[]
The island of Vormsi has homeowners from several countries and regions: Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Åland Islands.
Literature[]
- Kanarbik, Madis, Ormsö. De estlandssvenska böndernas kamp mot godsägarna under 1700- och 1800-talet [Nordistica 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[]
Vormsi harbor
Saxby lighthouse
Paddock, Rälby
Old windmill, Rälby
Woodsman's cottage, Hullo
Beach area in Rumpo
Thatched roof house
Vormsi cemetery
The Huitberg Coral Reef
Sunset in Saxby
Aurora Borealis in Saxby
Windmills in Hullo, 1930s
The President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves in Vormsi in 2010
Estonian Swedes in the 19th century
Fleeing the Soviet occupation to Sweden, 1944
Road signs in Hullo
The Swedish Lutheran Church on the island
Traditional island architecture
Round crosses in the cemetery are unique to Vormsi and Gotland
Scottish Highland Cattle on the island in Rumpo
References[]
External links[]
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vormsi. |
- Vormsi vald (Vormsi municipality)
- Estonian islands in the Baltic
- Landforms of Lääne County
- Vormsi Parish