Kuressaare () is a
town on
Saaremaa island in
Estonia. It is the administrative centre of
Saaremaa Parish
Saaremaa Municipality, also known as Saaremaa Rural Municipality ( et, Saaremaa vald), is a municipality in Saare County in western Estonia. It is the largest municipality in Estonia by land area. The administrative centre of the municipality is i ...
and the capital of
Saare County
Saare County ( et, Saare maakond or ''Saaremaa''; la, Oesel; german: Ösel; sv, Ösel) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, Abru ...
. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2018 was 13,276.
The town is situated on the southern coast of
Saaremaa island
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the island ...
, facing the
Gulf of Riga of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, and is served by the
Kuressaare Airport
Kuressaare Airport ( et, Kuressaare lennujaam, ) is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated south southeast of Kuressaare on Saaremaa island.
Overview
The first runway was built in the last half of the 1930s. The airport was opened offic ...
,
Roomassaare
Kuressaare () is a town on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Parish and the capital of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2018 was 13,276.
Th ...
harbour, and Kuressaare yacht harbour.
Names
Kuressaare's historic name Arensburg
(from
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hi ...
''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
John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...
, are also depicted on Kuressaare's coat of arms.
The town, which grew around the fortress, was simultaneously known as Arensburg and Kuressaarelinn; the latter name being a combination of ''Kuressaare''—an ancient name of the Saaremaa Island—and ''linn'', which means ''town''.
[Pospelov, p. 28] Alternatively, the town's name may come from ''kurg'' (''crane'') and ''saare'' (''island''), a name that may have come from the city's German name and coat of arms, or may have existed before German settlers arrived. Eventually, the town's name shortened to Kuressaare
and became official in 1918 after Estonia had
declared its independence from
Bolshevist Russia. Under
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
rule, the town was renamed Kingissepa in 1952. This name came from the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
Kuressaare-native
Viktor Kingissepp executed in 1922. The name Kuressaare was restored in 1988.
History
The town first appeared on maps around 1154. The island of Saaremaa (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, sv, Ösel) was conquered by the
Livonian Brothers of the Sword
german: Schwertbrüderordenfrench: Ordre des Chevaliers Porte-Glaive
, image=
, caption=
, dates=1204–1237
, country= Terra Mariana
, allegiance= Catholic Church
, garrison= Wenden (Cēsis), Fellin (Viljandi), Segewold (Sigulda). Aschera ...
under
Volkwin
Volkwin von Naumburg zu Winterstätten (also ''Wolquin, Folkwin, Folkvin, Wolguinus, Wolgulin'', Middle High German: ''Volkewîn''; died 22 September 1236) was the Master (''Herrenmeister'') of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword from 1209 to 123 ...
of Naumburg in 1227, who merged with the
Teutonic Knights shortly afterwards.
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,
grew and flourished around the fortress. It became the see of the
Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
established by
Albert of Riga
Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia or Albrecht (german: Albert von Buxthoeven, lv, Alberts fon Buksthēvdens; c.1165 – 17 January 1229) was the third Bishop of Riga in Livonia. In 1201 he allegedly founded Riga, the modern capital of Latv ...
in 1228, part of the
Terra Mariana.
Johann von Münchhausen, bishop since 1542, converted to
Protestantism. With the advance of the troops of Tsar
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
in the course of the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
, 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.
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.
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.
Abandoned by the Swedes, it was incorporated into the
Governorate of Livonia of the
Russian Empire through the
Treaty of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...
in 1721.
During the 19th century Kuressaare became a popular
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the German ' ...
on the
Baltic coast
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. 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
The Battle of Tehumardi ( Estonian: ''Tehumardi öölahing'', Russian: Бой у Техумарди, German ''Schlacht von Tehumardi'') was a battle related to the Moonsund Operation during World War II. Soviet soldiers fought German troops ...
took place. In October 1990, Kuressaare was the first town in Estonia to regain its self-governing status.
Neighborhoods of Kuressaare
There are nine neighborhoods of Kuressaare:
*Ida-Niidu
*Kesklinn
*Kellamäe
*Marientali
*Põllu alev
*Roomassaare
*Smuuli
*Suuremõisa
*Tori.
Landmarks and culture
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.
In 1968, architect began studies on Kuressaare Castle.
The town hall was originally built in 1654, and restored, retaining classicist and baroque features.
It was last restored in the 1960s with dolomite stairs at the front.
St Nicolaus Church was built in 1790.
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
FC Kuressaare, commonly known as Kuressaare, is a professional football club, based in Kuressaare, Saaremaa, Estonia. The club's home ground is Kuressaare linnastaadion.
Founded on 14 March 1997, the club competes in the Meistriliiga, the top ti ...
football club.
Climate
Economy
Transportation
Kuressaare is served by
Kuressaare Airport
Kuressaare Airport ( et, Kuressaare lennujaam, ) is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated south southeast of Kuressaare on Saaremaa island.
Overview
The first runway was built in the last half of the 1930s. The airport was opened offic ...
, 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
Kuivastu is a village on the eastern coast of the Estonian island Muhu. (retrieved 28 July 2021) Kuivastu Harbour is the primary gateway to the biggest Estonian island Saaremaa (Muhu and Saaremaa are distinct islands, but are connected by a cause ...
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.
Notable people
*
Adam Georg von Agthe (1777–1826), Russian military officer
*
Tiiu Aro
Tiiu Aro (born June 18, 1952 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian physician and politician.
She is a former Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
The Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia ( et, Eesti Sotsiaalministeerium) is a government ministry ...
(born 1952), Estonian physician and politician
*
Eugen Dücker
Eugen Gustav Dücker (also ''Eugène Gustav Dücker''; , in Arensburg (now Kuressaare, Estonia) – 6 December 1916, in Düsseldorf) was a Baltic German painter, in the Romantic atyle, associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule.
Biograph ...
(1841–1916), Baltic German painter
*
Maria Faust (born 1979), Estonian saxophone player and composer
*
Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven (1914–2007), German military officer
*
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky; – March 17, 1974) was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. W ...
(1901–1974), American architect
*
Madis Kallas
Madis Kallas (born 22 April 1981) is an Estonian decathlete and politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create l ...
(born 1981), Estonian decathlete and politician
*
Viktor Kingissepp (1888–1922), Estonian communist politician
*
Heli Lääts
Heli Lääts (24 June 1932 – 16 February 2018) was an Estonian singer (mezzo-soprano) whose career began in the mid-1950s. Lääts predominantly performed estrada, chamber, pop, polka, and jazz music.
Early life and education
Heli Läät ...
(1932–2018), Estonian singer
*
Karl Patrick Lauk (born 1997), Estonian cyclist
*
Tullio Liblik
Tullio Liblik (born November 12, 1964 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian entrepreneur, the CEO and member of the board of the investment company Saarte Investeering and the chairman of the council of Kuressaare Regional Training Centre.
Education
* ...
(born 1964), Estonian entrepreneur
*
Jörgen Liik (born 1990), Estonian actor
*
Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna (born 12 June 1949 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian singer.
Eurovision Song Contest and Eesti Laul
He represented Estonia alongside Maarja-Liis Ilus, Maarja Liis Ilus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo with the song "Kaelakee Hä ...
(born 1949), Estonian singer
*
Richard Maack
Richard Otto Maack (also Richard Karlovic Maak, Russian: Ричард Карлович Маак; 4 September 1825 – 25 November 1886) was a 19th-century Russian naturalist, geographer, and anthropologist. He is most known for his explor ...
(1825–1886), Russian naturalist
*
Konstantin Märska (1896–1951), Estonian cinematographer and film director
*
Gerd Neggo (1891–1974), Estonian dancer and choreographer
*
Marek Niit (born 1987), Estonian sprinter
*
Sulev Nõmmik
Sulev Nõmmik (11 January 1931, in Tallinn – 28 July 1992, in Kuressaare) was an Estonian theatre and movie director, actor, humorist and comedian. He's mostly associated with the comical character of Kärna Ärni and the related fictional vill ...
(1931–1992), Estonian actor, director, humorist and dancer
*
Tiidrek Nurme (born 1985), Estonian runner
*
Margus Oopkaup
Margus Oopkaup (born 11 March 1959) is an Estonian stage, film and television actor and playwright who was engaged at the Endla Theatre from 1982 to 2000. In 1983, he was awarded the Best Young Actor award for his performance in the film '' Nip ...
(born 1959), Estonian actor
*
Mikk Pahapill (born 1983), Estonian decathlete
*
Grete Paia
Grete Paia (born 27 August 1995) is an Estonian singer and songwriter. She is best known internationally for competing in '' Eesti Laul 2013'' and later in '' Eesti Laul 2016''. She also competed in Eesti Laul 2019 and in Eesti Laul 2022 in a d ...
(born 1995), Estonian singer and songwriter
*
Tõnis Palts (born 1953), Estonian politician and businessman
*
Jüri Pihl (1954–2019), Estonian police officer and politician
*
Keith Pupart
Keith Pupart (born 19 March 1985) is an Estonian volleyball player who plays for Romanian Divizia A1 club SCM U Craiova.
Estonian national team
As a member of the senior Estonia men's national volleyball team, Pupart competed at the 2009, the ...
(born 1985), Estonian volleyball player
*
Ilmar Raag
Ilmar Raag (born 21 May 1968 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian media executive, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his socio-critical film '' The Class''. He has served as CEO of Estonian Television from 2002 to 2005. He is a w ...
(born 1968), Estonian film director and media personality
*
Mihkel Räim (born 1993), Estonian cyclist
*
Tuuli Rand
Tuuli Rand (born 1 March 1990 in Kuressaare, Saaremaa) is an Estonian singer.
Early life and education
She is a graduate of Kuressaare Gymnasium and Georg Ots Music Singing School.
Career
She is the lead singer in bands TuuliKustiPeep, Funk ...
(born 1990), Estonian singer
*
Getter Saar (born 1992), Estonian badminton player
*
Indrek Saar
Indrek Saar (born February 20, 1973) is an Estonian actor and politician, leader of the Social Democratic Party, and former Minister of Culture.
Saar attended secondary school in Kuressaare and graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Hig ...
(born 1973), Estonian actor and politician
*
Benno Schotz
Benno Schotz (28 August 1891 Arensburg, Livonia, Russian Empire – 11 October 1984 Glasgow, Scotland) was an Estonian-born Scottish sculptor, and one of twentieth century Scotland's leading artists.
Biography
Early life
Schotz was the ...
(1891–1984), Scottish sculptor
*
Hannibal Sehested (1609–1666), Danish statesman
*
Karen Sehested (1606–1672), Danish court official
*
Adeele Sepp (born 1989), Estonian actor
*
Jaanus Tamkivi (born 1959), Estonian politician
*
Tarmo Teder (born 1958), Estonian writer and critic
*
Ivar Karl Ugi
Ivar Karl Ugi (9 September 1930 in Saaremaa, Estonia – 29 September 2005 in Munich) was an Estonian-born German chemist who made major contributions to organic chemistry. He is known for the research on multicomponent reactions, yielding the U ...
(1930–2005), German chemist
*
Voldemar Väli
Voldemar Väli (10 January 1903 – 13 April 1997) was an Estonian two-time Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman
The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scho ...
(1903–1997), Estonian wrestler
*
Mihail Velsvebel (1926–2008), Estonian runner
*
Alexander Vostokov
Alexander Khristoforovich Vostokov (born Alexander Woldemar Osteneck; russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Христофо́рович Восто́ков; – ) was one of the first Russian philologists.
Background
He was born into a Balti ...
(1781–1864), Russian philologist
*
Richard Otto Zöpffel (1843–1891), Baltic German theologian
Twin towns and sister cities
The former municipality of Kuressaare was
twinned with:
*
Ekenäs,
Finland (since 21 November 1988)
*
Kuurne
Kuurne () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Kuurne proper. On January 1, 2006, Kuurne had a total population of 12,591. The total area is 10.01 km² which gives a p ...
,
Belgium (since 9 August 1998)
*
Mariehamn
Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in ...
, Finland (since 24 October 1991)
*
Rønne
Rønne ( sv, Rönne) is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,807 (1 January 2022). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a county (Danish: ''Bornh ...
,
Denmark (since 3 October 1991)
*
Skövde
Skövde () is a locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden.
Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Sw ...
,
Sweden (since 23 June 1993)
*
Talsi
Talsi (; liv, Tālsa, german: Talsen) (population 11,371) is a town in Latvia. It is the administrative centre of Talsi Municipality. It is nicknamed the "green pearl of Courland".
Etymology
It is believed that the name is derived from an old ...
,
Latvia (since 27 May 1998)
*
Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 1 ...
, Finland (since 30 May 1996)
*
Vammala
Vammala is a former town and municipality of southwestern Finland, chartered in 1907. On 1 January 2009, Vammala was consolidated with the municipalities of Mouhijärvi and Äetsä, to form a new city named Sastamala.
Geography
Vammala was locat ...
, Finland (since 30 June 1994)
Significant depictions in popular culture
* Arensburg (Kuressaare) is one of the starting towns of the
State of the Teutonic Order in the turn-based strategy game
Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Estonia
References
Notes
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.
External links
*
{{Authority control
Saaremaa
Cities and towns in Estonia
Former municipalities of Estonia
Populated coastal places in Estonia
Populated places in Saare County
Gulf of Riga
Spa towns in Estonia
Kreis Ösel
Populated places established in the 1380s
1380s establishments in Europe
Port cities and towns in Estonia