This was the 12th island in the Baltic Sea that I visited. I spent six hours exploring it. Surprisingly, it was sunny on the day of my visit, even though it was raining in Tallinn. Lucky me! In the past, Prangli was known as ‘Bolshoy Wrangell’ on Russian maps and ‘Wrangö’ on Swedish maps.
In brief:
- Area: 6 km², about 5.5 times larger than Old Tallinn.
- Population: 75 permanent residents plus seasonal visitors.
- Highlights: Three villages, a wooden church, sandy beaches, and a natural gas burner.
Ferries to the island are operated by Tuule Liinid – several times a day in summer, and once a day at other times. You can buy tickets online for the route Leppneeme-Kelnase.
The small port of Leppneeme is located on the Viimsi peninsula, a prestigious suburb of Tallinn. I got there from the centre of Tallinn on two buses in less than an hour (including transfer time). There’s not much to do in the tiny port – it feels like the edge of the world.
There were few passengers on the ferry, seven people including me. On deck were a couple of bicycles, a dog, and no cars. Round-trip tickets cost 16 euros. Tickets aren’t even checked – all the faces are familiar, and tourists are rare in October. But why? The ferry operates year-round.
Elections and motorbikes
An hour later, I arrived at Kelnase port on Prangli. It’s only 9 km from the mainland. People have lived on the island since the late 13th century.
During the Soviet era, when the island was part of a fishing collective farm, 300 people lived there. People say that in those days, a watchtower stood in the harbour, and barbed wire fenced the northern shore. Authorities didn’t allow members of the same family to go to sea in the same boat to prevent them from escaping to Finland.
Nowadays, the collective farm is gone, but people still live here – there are three villages. In total, about 70 residents live on the island. I met both elderly and young people. Some were repairing houses or raking leaves, others were heading to vote – it was election day in Estonia. The youth zoomed around the island on motorbikes. Nothing particularly reminded me that I wasn’t on the mainland.
On the main road
The main road starts from the port. Most houses, the school, the shop, and the post office are along it – all well-maintained and tidy. The same goes for Prangli Laurentsiuse Kirik (1848) – one of Estonia’s smallest wooden churches. They say its walls are covered with wallpaper, but I couldn’t see it – the church was closed.
I visited the shop (pood in Estonian), which seems to have everything – from vodka and camembert to chocolate and laundry detergent. But the prices! Twice as high as in Tallinn.
In summer, guesthouses and campsites are open, and there are many holidaymakers in good weather. There’s even a travel agency, Prangli Travel – you can easily find it on Facebook. But I prefer to explore things on my own.
The island has a tiny museum of island life. It was closed during my visit, but you can see many interesting things right on the streets. For example, a flat-bottomed boat – convenient for dragging over ice when residents hunted seals. Or old root cellars – standing next to many houses.
Place of mourning
In the forest near the shore, you can find white crosses and a monument. The steamship Eestirand carried retreating Soviet troops in 1941 and faced an attack from German aircraft near the island of Keri.
The ship carried 3,500 people on board. The captain navigated it out of the attack and reached the shallow waters off Prangli’s eastern shore. On the island, 2,762 people disembarked. Forty-four who died on Eestirand are buried on Prangli.
Gas and lighthouses
The island is small, so it’s easy to explore. There is a lighthouse and a navigational mark, which I saw from below – you can’t go up. They’re not the most beautiful in the world. There’s an interesting old lighthouse on the nearby small island of Keri, but tours there are rare.
Prangli also has an interesting geological feature – a natural gas outlet. It’s easy to find by following the GAAS sign. You can cook barbecue on the equipped burner.
I’d love to visit Prangli again in the summer to swim and relax – there are many beautiful sandy beaches, though there are also rocky and overgrown shores. And huge thickets of juniper, which I adore.
The forest here isn’t as dense and large as on the island of Naissaar, where I even saw wild boars. But there are foxes and vipers on Prangli too. In spring, it’s a great place for birdwatching with many migratory birds.
In the evening, I returned to Tallinn and kept reminiscing about this wonderful place for a long time.
At Leppneeme port near Tallinn, it’s just me and this guy waiting for the ferry.
This vessel will take me to Prangli Island.
An hour later, the vessel arrived at Kelnase port on Prangli Island.
There’s a café at the port.
You can also rent bicycles here.
Oh, there’s even a sauna! We’re all set.
I feel like I’m in Sweden – these red houses are so similar.
This way to food and lodging, but I’m walking past.
I love these moss-covered houses and sheds.
And here’s the shop!
The shelves are stocked, but there aren’t many customers this time of year.
Another red house like in Sweden…
This part of the village feels like a museum.
The church is tiny.
The firewood stacks show that people live here year-round.
The weather that October day was warm, almost like summer.
The lighthouse, or rather the navigational mark, stands near the shore.
The navigational mark was built during the Soviet era.
There are many boulders on the island; this one is my favourite.
In summer, this truck takes tourists to the campsite.
It’s fascinating to see the old ships at the port.
One last look at Prangli Island. I’ll be back!
