5 Things to do in Ruhnu That You Shouldn't Miss

St. Madeline's Church in Ruhnu is the oldest known wooden building still standing in Estonia - its construction was started in 1643. After the Ruhnu Swedish left, the purpose of this house of God was forgotten for half a century. The wooden church was newly consecrated in 1999.Good to know:The collection of glass paintings from the Ruhnu wooden church is located in the History Museum in Stockholm.The oldest parts of the building are the polygonal choir and altar, and the nave.The altar is covered with a thin, polished stone slate; the oaken frame stands on sand and is open towards the south.

A lighthouse with a red metal cylindrical tower made in the Le Havre plant in France was erected on Håubjarre Hill, the highest spot on Ruhnu Island, in 1877. The metal tower is more than a hundred years old and still in working order.Interesting facts:• the height of the lighthouse is 39.5 metres, 65 metres above seal level• it is the only lighthouse of its type left in the Baltic Sea region• the tower was designed by the same engineer who created the detailed plan of the Eiffel Tower (Gustave Eiffel)

Ruhnu's New Church was built two meters from the old wooden church. The walls of the church are made from rocks cut to shape on location. Only the church tower was built from wood. The New Church was consecrated in 1912.Good to know:Proud standing on the church balcony is Nikolaus Bell, one of the oldest church bells in Estonia.Only candlelight is used for lighting services.In 2006, the congregation of the small island with a population of 60 used their own resources to repair the leaning cross at the top of the tower, and the tower top shot full of holes by seal hunters.

Ruhnu Museum was established in 1990 and the current permanent exhibition was opened in 1998. Here you can see about 300 items that the islanders used in their work and everyday life and also photos, texts about the island's unique history and nature on twelve displays. The rarest exhibits are the quartz tools of sealers which are about 8000 years old, the dragon-head weathervane of the wooden church (1644), a seal-gun made by the native Swedish inhabitants. A two-hundred-year old Korsi Farm is being renovated. It is rare due to its dwelling-house built without any foundation and a special type of (stooping) roof.