Ten of the 15 kilometres of the Käsmu hiking trail run directly along the coast. There is also a 4.2-kilometre nature and cultural history trail. A 16-kilometre cycling route adds another option. The different route lengths and the village’s maritime history give you several specific starting points for planning your stay.
Hiking between the coast and glacial erratics
The nature and cultural history trail begins at the Käsmu cemetery and chapel. It passes through Estonia’s largest concentration of glacial erratics, which covers more than 400 hectares. The Käsmu boulder field is Estonia’s largest and can be visited from the trail. If you are especially interested in the landscape and its glacial erratics, this short route offers a particular focus.
One boulder is known as Eremiit or Matsikivi. Its circumference is 14.7 metres and its height is 4.7 metres. The two figures describe different measurements of the same stone and give you a sense of its size without confusing circumference with height.
The longer Käsmu hiking trail is 15 kilometres long. It leads to Palganee and Lake Käsmu, then returns to the village along a forest path. Ten kilometres of the route run directly along the coast. The granite boulders Meremunk and Metsamunk are also located along the trail. This route therefore differs from the 4.2-kilometre nature and cultural history trail both in length and in its described route.
A cycling route with sea views
The Käsmu cycling route is 16 kilometres long in total. This total already includes the section to Cape Palganeem and back. The route offers sea views from the cape. If you are weighing up hiking and cycling, you can compare the stated route lengths and features: the hiking route description includes the coastal section, Palganee, Lake Käsmu and the forest path; the cycling route goes to the cape and back and offers sea views.
Maritime history and village character
The Käsmu Maritime Museum has been housed in a Tsarist-era border guard building since 1993. Its exhibitions explore seafaring, fishing and smuggling, as well as the sea as part of nature and as a subject in photography and visual art. The museum also runs children’s museum days on the themes of the captains’ village and the Viking Age. An orienteering programme is called “Aardejaht”.
Other historical details are found throughout the village and its surroundings. The Käsmu maritime school operated from 1884 to 1931; the Käsmu lighthouse was built in 1892. The wooden chapel was built in 1863 with money from the villagers and houses one of Estonia’s oldest organs. The cemetery contains a grave monument to Signe, the daughter of Captain Tiedemann. Near Käsmu, there is also a cast-iron memorial chapel built in 1846 in memory of General Nikolai von Dellingshausen.
White captains’ houses and tall flagpoles are part of the village’s character. Together with the museum, maritime school and lighthouse, they offer several different ways to explore its maritime history. You can therefore choose to focus your activities on the coast and glacial erratics or on the history of the captains’ village.
For the wider travel overview: Käsmu.
