Metsaääre combines protected cultural heritage with distinctive landscape features. Metsaääre Hiis is a protected sacrificial site and historic natural place of worship. The Hiietantsijate koht stone circle is defined by its oval shape and dimensions; a traditional practice attributed to it adds to its cultural significance. Together, these features make it a clear point of interest for travellers interested in sacred sites and the local landscape.

Place of worship and traditional practice

Metsaääre Hiis is a protected sacrificial site and a historic natural place of worship (Reg. No. 12467). The Ohvrikivi, also called hiiekivi, is located within the protected sacrificial grove Ohvrihiis (Reg. No. 12467). The terms distinguish the larger sacred site from the individual stone: the protected status applies to the sacrificial site, while the Ohvrikivi is a named stone within it.

The traditional practice attributed to Hiietantsijate koht was dancing within the stone circle, known as “hiiel-käimiseks”. This former use adds a historical cultural dimension to the structural description. The place name thus brings together the shape of the stone circle and the practice associated with it.

A stone circle with clearly defined dimensions

A traditional description places Hiietantsijate koht on Rauniku mägi hill as an oval ring of large ironstones. Its diameter is 21 metres from north to south and 29 metres from east to west. The longer axis therefore runs from east to west and is eight metres longer than the north–south span. This comparison makes the oval shape easier to picture: the site extends to different lengths in the two directions. Together, the material, cardinal directions and dimensions offer concrete points of reference for understanding the site spatially.

Hill, bog and rock

Traditional descriptions of the landscape also highlight different features. In a historical local account, Penimägi was considered relatively high, while the terrain was lower towards the bog. This difference in elevation is central to the description. An older landscape account describes patches of ironstone and limestone on the eastern side of Rauniku mägi hill; it gives the slope on this side as approximately 20 to 30 degrees. The detail concerns the eastern side and specific stony patches, not the entire hill. This distinguishes two different features: the change in elevation towards the bog at Penimägi, and the rocks and slope on the eastern side of Rauniku mägi.

Choose a focus for your visit

Two different questions can help with planning: would you like to focus more on the protected sacrificial site and the traditional practice, or are you mainly interested in the stone circle’s shape and the terrain? The first perspective leads to the site’s sacred context and history, the second to its orientation, dimensions, rocks and changes in elevation. Check current access to the sites before your visit.

Discover more travel destinations: Kuressaare, Haapsu, Laugu, Koguva, Salme, Siiksaare, Haeska, Nässuma

For the broader travel guide: Saaremaa.