Kärdla harbour

Kärdla Harbour was established after the construction of the Kärdla Broadcloth Factory (in 1830) to facilitate the transport of raw material and production. Originally, the port belonged to the Hiiu-Kärdla Broadcloth Factory and in the 19th century, it was the only harbour on the island that had foreign trade rights. The harbour operated between 1849 and 1944, initially just as the harbour with the highest goods turnover on the island, but in the beginning of the 20th century, a passenger service line between Kärdla and Tallinn was launched, which operated until the beginning of WWII.

In order to facilitate the entry into the harbour, three lane markers were built in – two in Kärdla and one in Lehtma.

The central structures of the harbour were the quay measuring 142 metres and big stone harbour warehouses.

The goods were carried from the quay to the warehouses by horses. For this purpose, a railway was built on the quay, on which barrows with goods moved pulled either by horses or pushed by manpower.

Kärdla Harbour was destroyed on the eve of WWII in 1944.

Since 2011, the development and restoration of the harbour have been the responsibility of the Foundation Kärdla Harbour.