Väike saar, suured elamused

The sea is Hiiumaa islanders’ life and destiny, dining table and horizon, work and route of connection. The sea brings winds and storms, love and tragic. You will be able to see a lot under the waters of Hiiumaa. Walk on the muddy seabed and discover how Hiiumaa was created. Admire ancient wrecks of ships or stand face to face with a NATO submarine. You can also see how we net fish and how we relate to seals. The little guests can second crabs in a fencing duel and become acquainted with the fishes of Hiiumaa. There will be bottomless amounts of fresh experience.

Hiiumaa begins and ends with the sea. Come and walk on the UNESCO-recognised pebbled coast, feel the tugging force of the wind and discover Hiiumaa with all your senses. It is here that you will learn the smell of wild thyme, tarred rope and wild strawberries. You can touch sealskin and take a closer look at rocks that have been rounded by the autumn storms and winter winds in Ristna. Compare the life-sized plants in the herbarium with a Hiiumaa that will fit in the palm of your hand. There is plenty to discover here.

For little pirates, we have the Hiiu breakwater, where one can actually pull start a boat motor and put on a pair of wellingtons to almost literally walk in the shoes of a Hiiumaa fisherman.

Indeed! You will find our miraculous stories about island life unfolding here in front of your very eyes. These stories originate from the daily lives, from the kitchen, shop or even sauna. Whether the fine art of storytelling is inherited by the islanders or transmitted through the sea air, is not known.

Hiiumaa islanders love words and stories. It is part of the island’s mystery. Words can be honed and tossed up into the air, caught and knocked up. And of course, words can also be eaten, even though we usually prefer smoked fish. Here you can learn about the language of Hiiumaa and test your sense of humour. But beware, Hiiumaa jokes are no joke.

Take time out and give yourself some decent relaxation with the finest moments and views of Hiiumaa. What emotions are in fact caused by the wind, rain, sunshine, vastness, roar of the sea and quiet of the forest?

Look inside yourself but keep your ears open. You will hear then how the feel of Hiiumaa is described by our well-known composers, actors, athletes and other public figures.

Here you can lie in a hammock and meditate with a video slowly gliding over Hiiumaa’s charming nature. Every moment is full of poetry, and the walls are decorated with poems by Paul-Eerik Rummo, Ernst Enno, Ave Alavainu and other much-loved poets, inspired by Hiiumaa.

Rise up into the sky and experience Hiiumaa from a bird’s-eye view. You will need a bit of imagination and dreams. Sometimes, dreams can turn into clouds, scattered by winds and shaken by gusts of rain. Some unfulfilled dream, though, may plop down from the sky and unexpectedly come true.

Let us suppose that you have dreamed about jumping on the clouds. You can do it in real life here.

Children can put themselves to the test on a thrilling net wall that can even be used for climbing to the next floor. If that is not enough, there is a surprising Tahkuna lighthouse in our building, awaiting to be discovered.

Or, perhaps, you have dreamed about controlling the weather? Be our guest! Sitting behind our Hiiumaa weather control panel, you will be able to conjure up rain, storm, thunder or northern lights. It will not be possible, though, to directly verify the old local saying ‘thunder and lightning means Our Lord eating herring’. But from the interactive game about migratory birds you will learn what the common buzzard feeds on. Or whether the Pied avocet has its tail up or down. Or whether the black-headed gull, also known as the ‘laughing gull’ in Latin, laughs at the jokes of Hiiumaa islanders.

Come to embrace the wind! Up the spiral stairs to face the real breath of Hiiumaa. This island is not gone with the wind but it definitely came with the wind. Wind cleans the world. Wind gives birth to storms and makes ships move, breaks trees and wheels windmills.

Despite everything, you may start to like the wind in its waywardness – especially here, on the roof of our tower. It will sing you a genuine wind song, play in your hair and blow away any sadness. From this wuthering height, you can cast an eye at Käina bay and wave hello to the neighbouring Saaremaa islanders across the sea.

And when your eyes are finally adapted to looking at the distance, play a wind symphony with the wind chimes.

Who said Estonia is so flat that you cannot do mountain climbing here? Hiiumaa islanders lent a hand and built an indoor climbing wall of dimensions unexampled in the Baltic countries. Not to mention the neighboring island of Saaremaa.

Our climbing wall begins from the lower ground floor of the Windtower and stretches nearly 20 meters up. The indoor wall has 16 routes, which should be enough for even the most passionate adrenaline lover. Be a professional climber or just about to discover the fascination of climbing – under the direction of an instructor, you will be able to safely test your abilities in conquering new heights.

You can use the indoor climbing wall individually or in good company, celebrating a birthday, or some other event here. School groups are cordially invited and we can also host corporate events. Training is available for all adults interested in developing their climbing skills.

Our experience shows that first-time visitors spend around one hour on our wall. Based on this, we also make reservations for an hour. We make exceptions for groups and experienced climbers.

We allow climbers on the wall from the age of 7. The age restriction comes from the difficulty of our routes, the nature of the service, and the equipment we use.

When planning a visit, please note that we accept reservations at least 24 hours in advance tuuletorn@hiiumaa.ee or +372 53 50 50 28. When planning a climb for the same day, a lively queue must be taken into account.

Due to the regulations, we do ask you to book time through us for your visit.

Please read the Rules, Liability Sheet and Registration Form.

Keep your eye on our climbing wall schedule here.

Come and organize a seminar, conference, meeting or motivational day, at the Tuuletorn Experience Centre on the paradise island of Hiiumaa. We offer  locally produced food and different leisure opportunities. Bring your colleagues, business partners or customers and share some unique experiences.

Private and bright meeting room Roostik can accommodate 10 people. Suitable for smaller teams and remote working.

A more exciting experience can be organized in the underwater world, which can accommodate up to 50 people.

Large receptions and conferences can be comfortably held in the spacious and light-filled exhibition room on the second floor, which can accommodate 80 people.

To make things easier, we have prepared three sample packages for you:

To make the seminar more than just a seminar, we offer various experiences both from us and from our partners:

• Guided tour of the exhibition: exciting and windy stories of Hiiumaa from under, on and above the water;
• Adrenaline-filled climbing on the highest indoor climbing wall in the Baltics;
• Visit to the sports center: swimming pool with saunas, gym, table tennis, infrared and  private sauna, aerobics room, massage;
• A walk in the natural beauty of Kassari, where stories are told of the people and the island of Hiiumaa;
• Rally driving with go-karts at Käina go-kart track;
• Accommodation;
• Transportation.

Additional information and booking: tuuletorn@hiiumaa.ee and (+372) 5305 3412

tuultevaikus – Silence of the winds

Maire Põldma

A wood sculptor from Hiiumaa who has been shaping wooden sculptures for 24 years. A kindergarten teacher by education. She also acquired a first category lumberjack specialty at Suuremõisa Vocational School. She has done work as a wood sculptor in both Finland and Germany.

Tuultevaikus

The selection of paintings in my first exhibition is inspired by the nature of Hiiumaa, and in addition, there is a painting of a shipwreck on the seashore located in Loksa. I have been engaged in wood sculpting for 24 years, but I have always looked at nature as a painting from the corner of my eye. My path to brush and canvas has been easy, only dreaming about it has lasted twenty yearsA few years ago, I started to realize a long-time dream. Since winter is a time for collecting thoughts and just as created for painting, then this thought gained momentum and pictures began to accumulate. I dive into snowy forests, into dusky sunsets – I forget myself there. I am happy that I am painting what I want and exactly as I can at the moment. The bumpy road of self-learning is exciting. The title of the exhibition speaks for itself and is reflected in the paintings.

We are always happy to welcome large groups to our centre, which is why we offer a 10% discount on the Tuuletorn exhibition and climbing wall tickets for groups of 10 people or more.

Teachers accompanying the group (one adult for every 6 preschoolers and every 10 schoolchildren) can enter the centre free of charge during their visit. The school group discount does not apply to the climbing wall.

Send us your group visit request here:

Birthdays offering discovery and educative content will be memorable. In the Windtower, birthday events can be organised for children or adults, with fun and discovery for all ages.

Further information and booking: tuuletorn@hiiumaa.ee.

There is a fun café in the new Tuuletorn experience centre. Our dishes are simple yet delicious, and a little mysterious, our ingredients are local, and our people are awesome. Very nice play area for children.
RUUDI is a truly lovely place to spend time at.

Opening times:

15 May to 31 August

Mon–Sun 11–21

1 September to 14 May

Mon–Fri 15–21

Sat–Sun 12–21

On Monday we only serve the soup of the day, from Tuesday to Friday the kitchen is open from 17:00.

Information and reservations:

E-mail: tuuletorn@hiiumaa.ee

Phone: +372 53 50 50 28

Follow us on Facebook and check the menu via our page Kohvik Ruudi

Look at the menu here!

Would you like a memento of Hiiumaa or a special gift for someone? On Floor 1 there is a gift shop with an interesting selection of items, including local handicrafts and authentic tastes of Hiiumaa.