Saaremaa, the island of windmills

This Estonian island has become famous for its windmills and local beer. Saaremaa is the largest island of Estonia and the third largest island in the Baltic Sea after Selandia and Gotland. Located west of the Estonian mainland, it borders the Gulf of Riga to the north and is part of the Estonian archipelago together with the island of Hiiumaa. The capital of Saaremaa is Kuressaare which has about 16,000 inhabitants, the island as a whole has instead about 40,000. According to some methods of calculation, not universally accepted, the island of Saaremaa would correspond to the geographical center of Europe. Saaremaa is the main island of Saaremaa County or Saare maakond. The island boasts a number of tourist and spa resorts, a splendid medieval castle, churches and Teutonic Knights' fortresses in a peaceful environment ideal for hiking, horseback riding or simply wandering through the countryside with its pine and juniper forests.