Noarootsi is a quiet coastal parish on Estonia's west coast, just north of Haapsalu. Known as Nuckö in Swedish, it sits on a low-lying peninsula facing the Baltic, with reed beds, juniper-dotted meadows, and a handful of stone-walled fishing villages that feel far removed from the mainland.
The parish has deep Swedish roots. For centuries a Swedish-speaking minority made up most of the population, but nearly all of them fled to Sweden ahead of the Soviet occupation in 1944. After Estonian independence in 1991, ties with Sweden were renewed. The old manor house at Pürksi has been restored, and the local secondary school teaches Swedish as a compulsory language.
For visitors, Noarootsi is a place to walk, cycle, and be still. The coastline is wild and empty, the birding is excellent, and small churches like the one at Hosby and their overgrown cemeteries tell the story of a community that was here for centuries before it vanished almost overnight.