KÄINA, ESTONIA–The little island of Muhu between Saaremaa and the Estonian mainland, had a large prehistoric population — much larger than it has today. The Muhu Estonians built a large fort of stone heaps near the western coast opposite Saaremaa so that they could control the traffic and trade through the Small Strait. The remains of that fortification are seen above. In January 1227, Teutonic Crusaders cornered the last of the pagan Estonians in this stronghold. (They were, in fact, among the last pagans in all of Europe.) Reports say that 20,000 soldiers besieged 2500 Estonian warriors for six days here. All the Estonians were killed save one, who escaped by pretending to be a victorious crusader. Most of the stones of the fort were removed to build the causeway between Muhu and Saaremaa, but the site remains as a ring of earthen walls and a stone monument (below) marking the bloody battlefield.
