Kuressaare
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| Kuressaare | |||
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  Kuressaare
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Estonia | ||
| County | Saare County | ||
| First appeared on map | 1154 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Urve Tiidus | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 14.95 km² (5.77 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - Total | 14,898 | ||
| - Density | 996.52/km² (2,581.98/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Website: www.kuressaare.ee | |||
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.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Sights
- The medieval episcopal castle, which houses the Saaremaa Regional Museum.
[edit] 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
[edit] Gallery
 Kuressaare castle in Spring |
 Kuressaare castle towers over the moat at dusk |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
(English) Kuressaare.ee - Official Website
(English) Information and history about the town
(Estonian) Kuressaare Airport homepage
(English) Kuressaare Live Webcam
(English) Kuressaare travel information
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