| Information sur la photo |
| Copyright: Harrison King (ninkasi) (2) |
| Genre: Lieux |
| Média: Couleur |
| Date de prise de vue: 2008-08-01 |
| Catégories: Nature |
| Versions: version originale |
| Date de soumission: 2008-08-13 8:07 |
| Vue: 443 |
| Points: 0 |
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| [Ligne directrice - Note] Note du photographe |
Located just 8.5 km off the coast of Tallinn, Naissaar Island is one of Estonia's most unspoilt nature parks. Although the island is only 11km x 4 km, its two beautiful nature trails that run through dense forest make it seem much larger than it really is. Some interesting history: in 1917-1918 white (tsarist) soldiers tried to establish their own government on the island; after World War II, Naissaar became a closed military outpost, and civilians were forcibly removed. Wandering across the practically uninhabited island, you will inevitably encounter an old military town, railroad tracks built before World War I, dilapidated Soviet bunkers, machinery, and weapons, and countless rusted-out mines strewn across the sands, making for a rather surreal experience. It's the perfect place to take a day trip hiking, biking (bring your own since you apparently cannot rent bikes there), or claiming your own private beach. To get to the island, take the hour long ferry on the "Monica" that departs from the Linnahall Terminal only on the weekends.
Pictured here is a beach opposite the port on the eastern side of the island where boats arrive/depart, with erratic boulders dotting the shoreline. These can be found all over the island, remnants of receding glaciers from thousands of years ago. If you look closely, on the distant horizon you can see Tallinn.
**Interesting fact: According to Leito, Kimmel, and Ader's Estonian Conservation Areas, "in 1297 the Danish King Erik Menved decreed that no trees should be felled on the islands of Naissaar and neighboring Aegna, which is the first known act to regulate the use of nature resources in the area that today forms the Estonian territory" (111).
Recommended reading: Tiit Leito, Kai Kimmel, and Arne Ader's "Estonian Conservation Areas." A really great guide to Estonia's natural wonders as well as an excellent coffee table book. Should be available in local bookstores in Tallinn and at KUMU Art Museum for sure!
-Harrison |
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