Angla Windmills
Five wooden windmills in a row on a Saaremaa ridge - four island trestle mills and one Dutch-style newcomer, kept as the last complete group of its kind.
At the start of the twentieth century Saaremaa had hundreds of windmills - almost every farm group had one. Angla is what is left of that: five standing together on an open ridge, and the only surviving line of its size anywhere in Estonia.
What you actually see
Four small post mills of the island type, squat wooden boxes on trestle bases that the whole mill turned on, and one larger Dutch-style mill built in 1927 with a rotating cap instead. The contrast between the two designs, side by side, is the actual interest.
A heritage centre beside them covers island farming and craft, with a working smithy and demonstrations in season. You can go inside the Dutch mill and see the gearing.
When to go
- June to August - the centre is fully staffed with demonstrations and the smithy running.
- May and September - open, quiet, and the light on the ridge is better.
- Winter - the centre is largely closed; the mills against snow are still worth a stop if you are passing.
Honest expectations
It is a short visit. The mills are small and there is only so much to look at, so this works best as a stop on the way between Kuressaare and the north of the island rather than a destination.
The interiors are cramped and the mill stairs are steep ladders.
Nearby
The Kaali meteorite crater is about twenty minutes south. Panga cliff, the highest stretch of klint on Saaremaa, is a similar distance north.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.