What to do and see in Hanila, Laane County: The Best Things to do

Karuse church is one of the oldest sacral buildings in Laanemaa – it was built in the 1260s as a fortress-church for the Livonian Order.Inside the church you should pay attention to the Baroque-style pulpit and altar. When walking around the churchyard you will see the trapezoid headstones originating from the 13th century and wheel crosses dating back to the 17th century.Interesting facts:It is likely that the master of the Livonian Order who was killed near Karuse in the sea ice battle with the Lithuanians is buried in the church.

Salumagi is one of the most beautiful places in Laanemaa. It is a type of relief designed by a mass of glacier ice and by the Baltic Sea. This limestone relief almost 400 million years old managed to withstand the wearing effect of the ice sheet. The steep limestone wall on the side of the sea of the elevation is probably almost 6000 years old. A spring called Silmaallikas flows from the wall of the shore – this is the place which was in the old times used as a place for sacrificing. Salevere hiking trail passes the spring.Interesting facts:The remains of an ancient fort have been discovered in Salumagi and at the base of the hill you can see a very rare forest abundant in species.

Laelatu wooded meadow, not far from Virtsu, is one of the biggest and best-preserved meadows of its kind in northern Europe. It is rich in plant life, with more than 400 species of vascular plants and 30 species of moss. The most common trees here are oak, ash, white birch and maple. Two-thirds of the orchids that grow in Estonia can also be found here.Did you know...?- Laelatu wooded meadow holds a record for number of species per square metre: in 2001 a sample square metre of ground was counted to have 76 different species of vascular plants. This could well be not only the Estonian but also the European record!

You can see vintage vehicles in the former house of field hands in the Virtsu Manor, the exhibits are from the private collection of Valeri Kirss. Among the displayed exhibits there are unique horse-drawn vehicles, bicycles, and automobiles. Good to know: there are also more than 200-year-old vehicles exhibited!

Puhtulaid is a narrow peninsula - it measures just 500 m across. The southern part of the peninsula is mainly covered in pebbly coastal ridges whose broadleaf forests are home to many different species. The northern end is more sparse, with less forest cover and more reedy marsh and meadows. You will find around 60 separate species of trees and bushes here.Puhtulaid is a place unique in the world because of the migratory Arctic birds who stop here - experienced birdwatchers have counted almost a million birds in one single day here!Did you know...?*Puhtulaid's forests boat pine trees that are up to 360 years old

Hanila church is one of the most stylish early-Gothic-style sacral buildings in the Saare-Laane region and was built in the 13th century. In the west wall of the church you should pay attention to the stairs leading to the vaults and the baroque-style pulpit and carved altar. Also of interest are the gravestones of interesting shapes, probably dating back to the early medieval times, in the cemetery near the church.Interesting facts:18 trapezoid gravestones were found in the church depicting paganism symbols. A legend says that the builders had bricked in a goose in the wall of he church, hence the name Hanila (The English word for the Estonian hani is goose).

The buildings of the manor ensemble which went into the ownership of Otto von Rosen in 1807 are one of the imposing ones in Laanemaa. The rarities in the manor include a frieze in the hall in grey tones depicting the topic of triumph and the landlord’s bedroom resembling a grotto in the mantle chimney the walls of which are covered with the paintings of exotic southern plants. The oval-shaped front yard is edged by an arched barn and stables. At present the main building accommodates Vatla Basic School and library.Interesting facts:According to a legend the landlord in Vatla had a bet with the neighbouring landlord that he will build such a house that one could not see the corner from other corners. And indeed, one cannot see the other corner from a crooked corner of the building.

A short boardwalk has been constructed along the road that passes through the Tuhu bogs which winds its way through different parts of the landscape. The trail begins and ends at the road, meaning that to get back to the starting point you will have to walk a little way along the road itself. The boardwalk is an arch shape and is 1.1 km long. A short arm branches out to a rest and recreation area where you will find benches to sit on. There are information boards along the trail, including one large stand by the road and three smaller ones along the trail.

There are fenced burial mounds near Komsi's Orthodox church that are more than 2500 years old. One of the mounds was left open after its unearthing and the other has been reconstructed. The open mound consists of nearly two-dozen fenced graves; the oldest are in the middle of the mound and are very big. Originally the dead were buried without cremation; later they were also buried after cremation. The mound was abandoned at the latest by the time of the change in the system of chronology. The Komsi mounds have proven rich in findings – the most valuable being jewellery originating from the headwaters of Volga-Oka. There is also the area of 11th-13th century creamtion funerals, and traces of ancient fields have been preserved over a large area.

The museum operates in the old Hanila schoolhouse, where materials related to Hanila’s history and cultural heritage are collected and displayed. The preservation of the work and memories of August Tampark is a duty of honour, as is the appreciation of the old parish school as a cultural memorial. The life’s work of August Tampark, an honoured citizen of Hanila Rural Municipality, was the preservation of the municipality’s cultural heritage for future generations.Good to know: The permanent ethnographic and cultural exposition consists of several subdivisions – the farmyard, traditional threshing room, and workshop. The main part of the exhibition comprises items from Porsiku Farm that have been preserved over several generations.