Saaremaa is largest island of the Estonia. Located in the the Baltic, in the South of the island of Hiiumaa, it closes the Golfe of Rīga. Its surface is of 2.714 km ².
Saaremaa (Estonian name ) names Ösel (or Oesel ) in German and Swedish, while in Finnois the island is indicated by Saarenmaa .
More the big city of the island east Kuressaare.
The island constitutes most of the area of Saare or Saare maakond , which includes also the islands of Muhu and Ruhnu
History
See also: History of Estonia.The results of archaeological excavations proved that the island of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least five thousand years. In the old women Saga S Scandinavians, Saaremaa is called Eysysla , name which has the same significance exactly as Saaremaa in Estonian: the area of the island . This name was transposed in German and Swedish to give Ösel and in Latin Osilia . The name Eysysla appears jointly with Adalsysla , “the great area”, perhaps “Suuremaa” or “Suur Maa” in Estonian, who indicates the continental part of Estonia. The sagas report many skirmishes between Osiliens and the Viking S. Saaremaa was the richest area of old Estonia and the refuge of many Estonian pirates (whom one called sometimes the Estonian Vikings). The Chronicles of Henri de Livonie describe a fleet of sixteen boats and five hundred islanders devastating the South of Sweden (which was then Danish).
In 1227, Saaremaa was conquered by the Chevaliers Carry-Sword at the time of the Baltic Croisades but remained one of the high-places of Estonian resistance. When the knights were demolished by the army Lithuania in 1236, the islanders rebelled. The conflict was regulated by a treaty signed by Osiliens and the Masters of the Order.
Part of Saaremaa was directly controlled by the Order, while the other part was controlled by the évéché of Ösel-Wiek, partially independent. The April 15th 1560, évéché and Saaremaa were sold by the last prince-évèque of the Denmark.
In 1645, Saaremaa was yielded by Denmark to the Sweden by the Traité of Brömsebro. In 1721, Saaremaa as well as the remainder of the Swedish Estonia was yielded to the imperial Russia by the Traité of Nystad.
At the 20th century, Saaremaa was occupied twice by the Germans. At the time of the First World War, the islands Estonian was conquered in October 1917 and occupied (Operation Albion) until the end of the hostilities.
The Estonia became independent after the Russian Révolution and the end of the Russian empire. The new state was constrained to incorporate the the USSR in June 1940 following the Pacte Molotov-Ribbentrop. The Germans réocuppèrent the islands in 1941 (Operation Beowulf) then were driven out by it by the Red Army in November 1944.
The independence of Estonia was again proclaimed the August 20th 1991 with the decline of the USSR.
A detailed description of the history of Saaremaa is in permanent exposure to the regional museum of the island with Kuressaare.
Transport
An airport maintains the scheduled flights of Kuressaare towards Tallinn, but also the seasonal flights towards Pärnu, the island of Ruhnu and even Stockholm.
Saaremaa is connected to the island of Muhu by a road being given their geographical proximity. Lines of bus serve Tallinn, Pärnu and Tartu
A permanent line of ferry connects Muhu (and thus Saaremaa) to the continent (Virtsu). the cost is of 35 EEK is approximately 2€ and 15 EEK for the students. Lines of ferry maintain the regular transfers towards the island of Hiiumaa (Sõru) and the Latvia (Ventspils). Its cost is of 24€ approximately.
Projects of bridges or tunnels between the island and the continent are being studied, but would cost 175 million euros at least and will not see the day before 2014.
Geography
The craters of Kaali were formed by an impact of Météorite approximately 4000 years ago.
Fiu-vro: Saarõmaa
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