Hill of Crosses

Western Estonia & the Islands


Northern Hiiumaa had a population of free Swedish farmers until they were forced to leave on the orders of Catherine the Great, with many ending up in the Ukraine on the false promise of a better life. This low forested 'hill' is where the last 1000 Swedes living on Hiiumaa performed their final act of worship before leaving, in 1781. It's become a tradition for first-time visitors to brave the mosquitoes to lay a homemade cross here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western Estonia & the Islands attractions

1. Mihkli Farm Museum

1.88 MILES

Hidden away in the forest at Malvaste, 2km north of the Kärdla–Kõrgessaare road, this farm complex, founded by Swedes deported in 1781, is preserved as…

2. Kärdla Beach

3.18 MILES

While not spectacular, Kärdla’s extremely shallow beach is pleasant enough, with a mixed sand-and-grass shoreline edged by Rannapark. This expanse of…

3. Long House

3.33 MILES

Built in the 1830s, this handsome, 60m-long timber house once lodged the directors of the Hiiu-Kärdla textile factory, burnt out in WWII. It's now perhaps…

4. Hiiumaa Military Museum

5.11 MILES

Despite limited English captions, this small museum in a former Soviet border guard station is quite engrossing, providing insight into the battles fought…

5. Tahkuna Lighthouse

6.16 MILES

Dating from 1874, this 43m lighthouse watches over Tahkuna Peninsula’s northwest tip. Beyond the lighthouse stands an eerie memorial to the victims of the…

6. Rudolf Tobias House Museum

13.31 MILES

On the western edge of Käina, the early-19th-century wood-and-thatch birthplace and childhood home of Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918), Estonia’s 'first…

7. Suuremõisa Manor

14.18 MILES

Lending its name to the sleepy, surrounding settlement, this soberly symmetrical manor was built between 1755 and 1760 by Countess Ebba Margaretha…

8. Pühalepa Church

14.32 MILES

Hiiumaa’s oldest stone church, founded by the German Livonian Order in the 13th century, is worth visiting if driving through sleepy Suuremõisa, en route…

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