Pärnu
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| Pärnu Pärnu |
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Estonia |
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| County | Pärnu County | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 32.22 km² (12.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 44,568 | ||
| - Density | 1,383.2/km² (3,582.5/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Pärnu (German: Pernau; Russian: Пярну, formerly Пернов; Polish: Parnawa) is a city on the Baltic Sea coast of Pärnu Bay, in southwestern Estonia. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city, which is served by Pärnu Airport.
The city is occasionally referred to as Pyarnu, an incorrect reverse-transliteration from Russian Пярну.
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[edit] History
There were two towns on the estuary of the Pärnu River during Middle Ages. The original Perona (later Contemporary Latin Antiqua Perona, German Alt-Pernau or Estonian Vana-Pärnu) was founded by the bishop of Ösel-Wiek ca. 1251, suffered heavily under pressure of the concurrent town, and was finally destroyed ca. 1600. Another town (Embeke, later German Neu-Pernau or Estonian Uus-Pärnu) was founded by the Livonian Order, who began building an Ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town, then known by the German name of Pernau, was a member of the Hanseatic League and an important ice-free harbor for Livonia. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took control of town between 1560-1617; the Poles fought the Swedes nearby in 1609. Sweden took control of the town during the 16th century Livonian War, but it was subsequently taken by the Russian Empire in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad following the Great Northern War.
The town became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following World War I.
During the Great Northern War, the University of Dorpat (Tartu) was relocated to Pernau from 1699-1710. The university has a branch campus in Pärnu today (1,000 students in the 2004/2005 school year).
[edit] Administration
Local administration consists of the town council and the town government. Town council elections take place every three years. The current town council was elected in October 2005. The number of councillors depends on the population. The current number of councillors is 33.
[edit] Tourism
Pärnu is a health resort of international stature. In addition to guests arriving from around fifty countries, it is also proved by its membership in the European Spas Association (since 2000) and the European Flag that has been flying at the beach of Pärnu since 2000. Most tourists in Pärnu are Finns and Estonians. Hotel and restaurant staff speak English and some Finnish in addition to Estonian.
In 1837, a few business-minded entrepreneurs decided to rebuild a lone tavern near the beach into a bathing establishment, thus preparing the ground for the development of the resort of Pärnu. This wooden building was the predecessor of the present-day mud baths. The establishment, which was opened in 1838, accommodated 5-6 bathrooms that provided hot seawater baths in summer and operated as a sauna in winter. The wooden building was burnt down in the course of World War I. In 1927, the present stone building of Pärnu Mud Baths was erected at the same site. Later, the wings were attached to the building to accommodate a bath unit and a pool.
Today, disorders of the joints, spinal column and peripheral nervous system, gynaecological problems and dysfunction of the central nervous system are treated at Pärnu Mud Baths. The therapies include hydrotherapy, mud and ozocerite therapies, massage, laser and electrotherapies, lymph and inhalation therapies, aromatherapy and ECG. There are 130 rooms in the hotel of the Mud Baths.
Since 1996 Pärnu has been known as Estonia's Summer Capital.
[edit] Notable residents
- Lydia Koidula, poet
- Friedrich Martens, jurist
- David Oistrakh, violinist
- Nikita Panin, statesman
- Georg Wilhelm Richmann, German physicist
- David Samoylov, poet
- Olev Siinmaa, architect
[edit] References
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of July 27, 2006.
[edit] External links
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