Muratsi: Coast, Harbor, and Manor House History

Muratsi offers several distinct starting points for planning a trip: the causeway to the Suur-Tulpe Peninsula, the coastal and aquatic landscape with its protected areas, the harbor area, and the manor house. This makes it possible to consider the coast, nature, and history as separate focal points. If you are looking for a hotel in Muratsi, you can first think about which of these themes matters most for your stay.

Peninsula and Landscape

A causeway built during the Soviet era connects the village of Muratsi with the Suur-Tulpe Peninsula. The peninsula, however, was not created by the causeway: Suur-Tulpe changed from an island into a peninsula through land uplift. Thus, the area's history brings together a built connection and a change in the shape of the coastline.

Coast and Bays

The coastal and aquatic area of Muratsi is part of the network of protected areas comprising Kasti maastikukaitseala, Kasti lahe hoiuala, and Tulpe merikotka püsielupaik. The network's main values are considered to include semi-natural habitats such as coastal meadows, wooded pastures, wooded meadows, alvars, and juniper thickets. The character of the coast therefore cannot be described solely by the shape of the bays: these diverse habitats are also among the network's main values.

Muratsi laht, Kasti laht, and Kase laht are shallow, have indented shorelines, and are about two meters deep on average. The average does not describe any single spot. Muratsi laht is a publicly accessible part of a bay with a water surface area of 292 hectares; check its access status locally. Muratsi Bay is used mainly by local residents as a fishing spot. The figure in hectares refers to the water surface area of Muratsi laht, while about two meters describes the average depth of the three bays mentioned.

Harbor, Swimming, and Refreshments

The beach area at Muratsi Harbor is publicly accessible and is one of the main swimming spots. Swimming and bathing are at your own risk and are unsupervised. There is also a playground at the harbor. If you are heading to the harbor to swim, take the lack of supervision into account when planning your visit.

Muratsi Resto & Cafe welcomes visitors at Muratsi Harbor and offers a maritime stop by the sea. Its cuisine is inspired by the nature of Saaremaa, Baltic Sea traditions, and Nordic culinary arts. The dishes feature only carefully selected local ingredients and fresh catches from Saaremaa fishers. If you plan to visit the café, check in advance whether it is currently welcoming visitors and what is on offer.

Manor House and Historical Layers

Muratsi Manor, known in German as Murratz, dates back to a fief granted to the Hoslöt family in the 1560s–1570s. The stone, early-classical main building was constructed in the early 19th century. The main building and outbuildings are ruins. The dates refer to different stages: the fief marks the manor's origins, while the construction date applies to the main building. The house's beginnings and its later architecture should therefore be distinguished when placing it in historical context.

Discover more destinations: Kõõru, Koguva, Haeska, Igaküla, Tumala, Laugu, Kirikuküla, Mustjala

For the main travel overview: Saaremaa.