Military heritage of Saaremaa
This exciting excursion to the islands of Muhu and Saaremaa allows students to explore the military heritage of the First and Second World Wars on the Baltic Sea coast. The route includes historical coastal defense batteries, landing sites, memorials and a war museum, which help to understand military strategy and the impact of war events on the islanders. The excursion provides an opportunity to learn about history in an authentic environment, exploring preserved fortifications and evidence of war in nature.
What the tour includes
The excursion route introduces students to the military heritage of Muhu and Saaremaa islands. On Muhu island, you can see old coastal defense batteries, such as the Võikila 100/120 mm and 10-inch batteries , built during the First and Second World Wars to protect the Muhu Strait. Today, gun emplacements, concrete ramparts and the ruins of some barracks have survived, and students can imagine how the defensive embankments were built and the guns were positioned. Near the Small Strait Dam, there is a common grave with a granite monument “Mourning Mother” and two more memorial stones, commemorating the fallen Estonian riflemen. The memorial stone of the Kübassäre 130 mm battery , which recalls the battles of 1941, is worth seeing. In the port of Tāliku, landing units landed in 1941 and 1944, while in the port of Triigi, earthen burial pits have survived, where there was a Soviet ammunition depot. The Pamman coastal battery , built in 1939–1941, introduces the defense of the Soviet Baltic Fleet and naval battles in the Sela Strait and the North Sea during Operation Albion. Students can walk through the battery positions, compare guns, see memorial sites and landing sites, take photographs, make drawings and discuss the history of the war and the preservation of heritage.