Kuressaare

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Kuressaare (Template:IPA) is a town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2024 was 13,185.<ref>Statistics Estonia</ref>

The town is situated on the southern coast of Saaremaa island, facing the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea, and is served by the Kuressaare Airport, Roomassaare harbour, and Kuressaare yacht harbour.

Names

File:Kuressaare linnus, vaade põhjast.jpg
Kuressaare castle

Kuressaare's historic name Arensburg<ref name="BesFrankot2007">Template:Cite book</ref> (from Middle High German a(a)r: eagle, raptor) renders the Latin denotation arx aquilae for the city's castle. The fortress and the eagle, tetramorph symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, are also depicted on Kuressaare's coat of arms.

The town, which grew around the fortress, was simultaneously known by variants of its German-language name Arensburg (or Ahrensburg) and the Estonian name Kuresaare linnTemplate:Disputed inline;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the latter name being a combination of Kure saar — an ancient name of the Saaremaa island — and linn ('town', 'fortress').<ref name="Pospelov">Pospelov, p. 28</ref> Alternatively, the name may come from kure ('crane', 'large bird') a name that may have come from the city's German name and coat of arms, or may have existed before German settlers arrived.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Eventually, the town's name shortened to Kuressaare<ref name="Pospelov" /> and became the official name when Estonia became an independent country in 1918.Template:Citation needed After World War II, during the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the town was officially called Kingissepa in 1952—1988 after Viktor Kingissepp (1888–1922), a Kuressaare-native Bolshevik and founder of the underground communist party in Estonia.

History

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The town first appeared on maps around 1154.Template:Citation needed The island of Saaremaa (German, Template:Langx) was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword under Volkwin of Naumburg in 1227, who merged with the Teutonic Knights shortly afterwards.<ref name="Kjaergaard1994">Template:Cite book</ref> The first documentation of the castle (arx aquilae) was found in Latin texts written in 1381 and 1422. Over time, a town, which became known as Arensburg or Kuressaarelinn,<ref name="Pospelov" /> grew and flourished around the fortress. It became the see of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek established by Albert of Riga in 1228, part of the Terra Mariana.<ref name="Murray2001">Template:Cite book</ref>

Johann von Münchhausen, bishop since 1542, converted to Protestantism. With the advance of the troops of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia in the course of the Livonian War, Münchhausen sold his lands to King Frederick II of Denmark in 1559 and returned to Germany. Frederick sent his younger brother Prince Magnus to Kuressaare where he was elected bishop the following year. It was through his influence that the city obtained its civic charter in 1563, modeled after that of Riga.<ref name="BesFrankot2007"/> The bishopric was finally secularised in 1572 and Kuressaare fell to the Danish Crown.

In 1645, it passed to Swedish control through the Treaty of Brömsebro after the Danish defeat in the Torstenson War.<ref name="BesFrankot2007"/> Queen Christina of Sweden granted her favourite, Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie, the title of Count of Arensburg, the German and Swedish name for Kuressaare at that time. The city was burnt to the ground by Russian troops in 1710 during the Great Northern War and suffered heavily from the plague.<ref name="Taylor2010">Template:Cite book</ref> Abandoned by the Swedes, it was incorporated into the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire through the Treaty of Nystad in 1721.

During the 19th century Kuressaare became a popular seaside resort on the Baltic coast. During World War I, between September and October 1917, German land and naval forces occupied Saaremaa with Operation Albion. During World War II, the Battle of Tehumardi took place. In October 1990, Kuressaare was the first town in Estonia to regain its self-governing status.

Tourism

Tourism

Kuressaare is a well-known summer and resort town. The city is one of the most visited tourist centers in Estonia. The first known tourist group visited Kuressaare almost 165 years ago.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

History

In the middle of the 19th century, Kuressaare became a spa town when large reserves of healing mud were discovered near the town. The first mud spa was built in 1840, but healing with mud baths has been tested on the west coast of Saaremaa since the mid-1820s. It was the health mud that became Kuressaare's key word. New sanatoriums and boarding houses were created, the order was considerably improved and the number of visitors continued to grow.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Between 1918 and 1940, the resort's heyday continued. The share of Russians among visitors decreased, giving way to Latvians, Finns and Swedes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The development of tourism slowed down from the beginning of the Second World War until the end of the Soviet occupation, when the entire Saaremaa was declared a closed border zone, which excluded all foreign tourism. Only strictly limited and controlled domestic tourism was allowed.<ref name=":1" />

Today, Kuressaare is once again a resort town. New health facilities and hotels have been built, and historical monuments have been restored. Two thirds of the current visitors to the city are mainland Estonians, the remaining visitors are mainly from Finland, Sweden and Latvia.<ref name=":1" />

Sights

In the old town of Kuressaare, mainly the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved. historical buildings from the 19th century, but there are also older ones. In the old town there are, for example, St. Nicholas Church and Laurentius Church, a goods yard, an old mill (1899), a harbor yard (1663) and residential buildings. The baroque town hall and council house date from the Swedish era in the 17th century, while the building of the Saaremaa Knights, located next to the Kuressaare town hall, dates from the 18th century. Among the oldest preserved buildings are also the parsonage building at Kauba tänav 5 and the Põlluvahi house at the corner of Kitsa and Kitzbergi streets.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Kuressaare bishop castle

The city's biggest attraction is the Kuressaare Bishop's Castle, which mainly dates from the 14th century, and currently houses the Saaremaa Museum. The square-shaped fortress consists of four building wings around the courtyard. On the northeast side are the gate and two towers: Pikk Hermann and Sturvolt. 17-18 are also important. The powerful earthen fortifications of the Kuressaare fortress around the medieval fortress core date from the 19th century. Kuressaare Castle is one of the best preserved in the Baltic States. It has been restored several times since the beginning of the 20th century. Since 2001, Kuressaare Castle Days have been organized every summer with knight tournaments, theatrical tours and processions, and other medieval attractions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

To the south-west of the castle is Tori Bay, where the port of Kuressaare is located.

Kuressaare Castle Park and the historicist-style Kuressaare Kursaal are the center of resort life. Both were founded in the second half of the 19th century.<ref name=":0" />

At the beginning of Lossi Street, in the former fish market, there is a monument to those who fell in the Estonian War of Independence.

Neighborhoods of Kuressaare

There are nine neighborhoods of Kuressaare:

  • Ida-Niidu
  • Kesklinn
  • Kellamäe
  • Marientali
  • Põllu alev
  • Roomassaare
  • Smuuli
  • Suuremõisa
  • Tori.<ref name="eki.ee_neighborhoods">Template:Cite web</ref>

Landmarks and culture

File:Kuressaare-1.JPG
Historical buildings in city center

The medieval episcopal Kuressaare Castle today houses the Saaremaa Regional Museum. The original wooden castle was constructed between 1338 and 1380, although other sources claim a fortress was built in Kuressaare as early as 1260.<ref name="O'Connor2006">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="JarvisOchser2011">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1968, architect Template:Interlanguage link began studies on Kuressaare Castle.<ref name="LangLaneman2006">Template:Cite book</ref>

The town hall was originally built in 1654, and restored, retaining classicist and baroque features.<ref name="Taylor2010"/> It was last restored in the 1960s with dolomite stairs at the front.<ref name="Taylor2010"/> St Nicolaus Church was built in 1790.<ref name="Taylor2010"/>

The wooden Methodist Church, the oldest church building of the Estonian Methodist Church, dates from 1912.

The annual Saaremaa Opera Days (Saaremaa Ooperipäevad) have been held in Kuressaare each summer since 1999. Other festivals include Kuressaare Chamber Music Days (Kuressaare Kammermuusika Päevad), held since 1995 and Kuressaare Maritime Festival (Kuressaare Merepäevad), held since 1998.

Kuressaare also hosts the FC Kuressaare football club.

Demographics

Ethnic Composition 1922-2021
Ethnicity 1922<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1934<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1941<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1959<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1970<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 1979<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref> 1989<ref name=":02" /> 2000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2011<ref name="RL0429">Template:Cite web</ref> 2021<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount %
Estonians 2666 79.3 3938 87.9 3835 97.5 7884 81.1 10658 87.8 12783 90.0 14999 92.8 14548 97.5 12861 97.7 12705 97.5
Russians 156 4.64 119 2.66 40 1.02 - - 1063 8.76 1076 7.57 833 5.15 211 1.41 159 1.21 125 0.96
Ukrainians - - 2 0.04 - - - - 261 2.15 187 1.32 178 1.10 63 0.42 41 0.31 38 0.29
Belarusians - - - - - - - - 64 0.53 44 0.31 51 0.32 12 0.08 9 0.07 6 0.05
Finns - - 3 0.07 6 0.15 - - 11 0.09 19 0.13 17 0.11 35 0.23 43 0.33 57 0.44
Jews 39 1.16 22 0.49 0 0.00 - - 13 0.11 5 0.04 3 0.02 1 0.01 2 0.02 0 0.00
Latvians - - 16 0.36 9 0.23 - - 8 0.07 15 0.11 9 0.06 9 0.06 4 0.03 8 0.06
Germans 401 11.9 321 7.17 - - - - - - 3 0.02 7 0.04 3 0.02 2 0.02 9 0.07
Tatars - - 0 0.00 - - - - - - 22 0.15 13 0.08 1 0.01 0 0.00 3 0.02
Poles - - 10 0.22 4 0.10 - - - - 7 0.05 3 0.02 2 0.01 2 0.02 4 0.03
Lithuanians - - 2 0.04 1 0.03 - - 11 0.09 11 0.08 11 0.07 5 0.03 8 0.06 13 0.10
unknown 0 0.00 5 0.11 1 0.03 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 17 0.11 7 0.05 11 0.08
other 102 3.03 40 0.89 39 0.99 1836 18.9 51 0.42 35 0.25 42 0.26 18 0.12 28 0.21 54 0.41
Total 3364 100 4478 100 3935 100 9720 100 12140 100 14207 100 16166 100 14925 100 13166 100 13034 99.9

Climate

Kuressaare has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb), bordering on an oceanic climate (Cfb).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Estonian Environmental Agency  since 2008 conducts weather observations in Roomassaare neighbourhood of Kuressaare.<ref name="Meteoroloogilised vaatlused">Template:Cite web</ref>

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Its temperatures during the older observation period showed a stronger correlation with humid continental climate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Weather box

Economy

Transportation

File:KuressaareEhemBhf2a.jpg
Former railway station, reconstructed in 1990
File:KuressaareEhemBhf1a.jpg
Former railway station, reconstructed in 1990

Kuressaare is served by Kuressaare Airport, located on a peninsula southeast of the town. There is regular traffic to Tallinn, as well as seasonal flights to the island of Ruhnu.

There are bus connections around the island, as well as with Kuivastu on Muhu Island, a ferry terminal with connection to the mainland.

In 1917, during the German occupation, an urban railway was built in Kuressaare, and in 1918, it was transferred to the town administration. It connected the port with the city center. One of the stations was provisionally located in Kurhouse, and in 1924, the dedicated Park Station was built. The railway functioned until the 1930s when it was gradually disused and mostly dismantled. An attempt to revive the railway in the beginning of the 1950s, during the Soviet period, was unsuccessful, and ended up with rails fully removed from the streets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1990, the railway station was reconstructed using old photos.

Notable people

Twin towns and sister cities

The former municipality of Kuressaare (until 2017) was twinned with:<ref name="sister cities">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

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References

Notes

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Sources

  • Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.) Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.

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