Vormsi (Ormsö) in Estonia

Vormsi is in Lääne county and is an independent commune. The area is 93 km², distance between Sviby and Rohuküla is 12 km. Population is 331. Vormsi is Estonia's fourth largest island. Abundant in forests, meadowlands, and thickets, as well as shoreline meadows and pastures. Most of the villages on Vormsi have names that are Swedish in origin, a reminder of the Estonian Swedes who lived here prior to 1944. In 1934, the island was inhabited by 2515 people. Today there are a few more then over 300 inhabitants. The gallery of the church in Vormsi dates from the beginning of the 14th Century. 

In all probability, Swedes populated the island in the second half of the 13th century and in 1934 there were 2393 of them (122 Estonians in addition). Most of the Swedes left the island during World War II.

As the legends go, Vormsi once consisted of three islands. Today's Vormsi is one main island and a many smaller islands. The landscape is amazingly diverse on the young - three thousand years old - Vormsi: bogs and coastal meadows covered with scattered trees. Due to the rise of the land, a number of smaller lakes have formed in what was previously sounds. Eastern part of the island is rather low and swampy, on the higher plains of the western part of the island there are forests - mainly fir and pine .

One hundred kilometres of the island's coastline is well indented. Vormsi is separated from Hiiumaa (Dagö) by 11 km wide Hari Sound and from the mainland by 3 km wide Voosi Sound. Very characteristic to Vormsi's bedrock, Huitberg's coral reef is located in the dense fir-forest in the centre of the island.

There are several boulders on the island. Vormsi church dates from the 14th century, and is now protected as an architectural monument. The oldest lighthouse at Saxby (built in 1864 ) is located on the western coast of the island.

You can travel to Vormsi from Rohukula harbour by regular ferry every day. There is an iceway in cold winter.