Everything about Kuressaare totally explained
Kuressaare (
German:
Arensburg) is a
town and a
municipality on
Saaremaa island in
Estonia. It is the capital of
Saare County. The current population is about 15,300.
The town is situated on the coast of
Gulf of Riga and is served by
Kuressaare Airport.
History
Kuressaare, first mentioned in
1422, developed around a
bishop's castle (Latin
Arx Aquilae), first mentioned in
1381. In
1559 it was sold by the
Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek to
Denmark, and it obtained its civic charter, modeled after that of
Riga from
Magnus of Livonia in
1563. In
1645 it passed to
Swedish control in the
Treaty of Brömsebro. Kuressaare was formerly known by the
German and
Swedish name of
Arensburg. Kuressaare was burnt to the ground by
Russian troops in
1710 during the
Great Northern War. With the
Treaty of Nystad of
1721 the town passed to Russian control. During the
18th century Kuressaare became a popular
resort. Its historic German name of
Arensburg was replaced by Kuressaare in
1918 when Estonia declared its independence during
World War I. From
1952-
1988 it was called
Kingissepa after the
Bolshevik Kuressaare-native
Viktor Kingissepp (not to be confused with the Russian town
Kingisepp).
In October
1990, Kuressaare was the first town in
Estonia to regain its self-governing status. Today, Kuressaare is a safe and healthy town, open for international cooperation and communication. It also hosts the
FC Kuressaare football club.
Notable residents
Kuressaare is the birthplace of
Voldemar Väli (1903-1997), who was a two time Olympic medalist for Estonia in the sport of Men's Greco-Roman Featherweight Wrestling. The Estonian-American architect
Louis Kahn was also born there.
Sights
- The medieval episcopal castle, which houses the Saaremaa Regional Museum.
Twin Towns
Ekenäs,
Finland since
21 November 1988
Rønne,
Denmark since
3 October 1991
Mariehamn,
Finland since
24 October 1991
Skövde,
Sweden since
23 June 1993
Vammala,
Finland since
30 June 1994
Turku,
Finland since
30 May 1996
Talsi,
Latvia since
27 May 1998
Kuurne,
Belgium since
9 August 1998
Gallery
Image:Kuressaare Castle.JPG|Kuressaare castle in Spring
Image:Kuressaare Castle Moat Sunset.JPG|Kuressaare castle towers over the moat at dusk
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kuressaare'.
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