Kuressaare () is a city on the island 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.

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

Names

thumb|left|Kuressaare castle

Kuressaare's historic name Arensburg (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 linn; the latter name being a combination of Kure saar — an ancient name of the Saaremaa island — and linn ('city', 'fortress'). 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. Eventually, the town's name shortened to Kuressaare The western and southern portions of Saaremaa then became part of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek in 1228, a vassal statelet of the Holy Roman Empire. The first documentation of the Prince-bishop's castle in Kuressaare (arx aquilae) has been found in Latin texts written in 1381 and 1422. Over time, a town, which became known as Arensburg or Kuressaare linn, Saaremaa 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 Sea coast. The first known tourist group visited Kuressaare already in 1840, and, since then, it has remained a popular summer destination and resort town to this day.

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. Healing with mud baths has been tested on the west coast of Saaremaa since the mid-1820s. It was the "healthy mud" that became Kuressaare's main attraction. New sanatoriums and boarding houses were created, the order was considerably improved and the number of visitors continued to grow.

During World War I, in the autumn of1917, German land and naval forces invaded Saaremaa during Operation Albion and occupied the island until the end of the war in November 1918. Kuressaare was the administrative capital of the Saaremaa County of independent Estonia from 1918 to 1940. During that time, the resort's heyday continued. In addition to domestic visitors, there were also visitors from foreign countries: Latvia, Finland and Sweden.

thumb|Over 90 civilians were killed by the Soviet naval forces and [[NKVD in 1941 in Kuressaare in one of the largest mass executions during the Soviet occupation of Estonia.]]

During World War II, after the Soviet Union had invaded and annexed Estonia in the summer of 1940, hundreds of Saaremaa islanders were arrested, deported and executed by the Soviet regime. Over 90 civilians were killed by the Soviet naval forces and NKVD in 1941 in the Kuressaare castle.

The development of tourism stopped during World War II, and was very slow during the second Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1944-1991, when the entire Saaremaa was declared a closed border zone, which excluded all foreign tourism. Only strictly limited and controlled domestic tourism was allowed. The wooden church building from 1912, which belongs to the Estonian Methodist Church, is also noteworthy.

Kuressaare bishop castle

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 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.

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.

Landmarks and culture

thumb|left|Historical buildings in city center

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 town hall was originally built in 1654, and restored, retaining classicist and baroque features.

! colspan="2" |1934

! colspan="2" |1941

! colspan="2" |1959

! colspan="2" |1970

! colspan="2" |1979

! colspan="2" |1989

! colspan="2" |2011

! colspan="2" |2021

|-

!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).

The Estonian Environmental Agency  since 2008 conducts weather observations in Roomassaare neighbourhood of Kuressaare.

Its temperatures during the older observation period showed a stronger correlation with humid continental climate.

Economy

Transportation

thumb|Former railway station, reconstructed in 1990

thumb|Former railway station, reconstructed in 1990

Kuressaare is served by Kuressaare Airport, located on a peninsula southeast of the city. 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. In 1990, the railway station was reconstructed using old photos.

Notable people

  • Adam Georg von Agthe (1777–1826), Russian military officer
  • Tiiu Aro (born 1952), Estonian physician and politician
  • Eugen Dücker (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 (1901–1974), American architect
  • Madis Kallas (born 1981), Estonian decathlete and politician
  • Viktor Kingissepp (1888–1922), Estonian communist politician
  • Heli Lääts (1932–2018), Estonian singer
  • Karl Patrick Lauk (born 1997), Estonian cyclist
  • Adelaida Lemberg (1904–1986), Estonian journalist and translator
  • Tullio Liblik (born 1964), Estonian entrepreneur
  • Jörgen Liik (1990-2025), Estonian actor
  • Ivo Linna (born 1949), Estonian singer
  • Richard Maack (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 (1931–1992), Estonian actor, director, humorist and dancer
  • Tiidrek Nurme (born 1985), Estonian runner
  • Margus Oopkaup (1959–2025), Estonian actor
  • Mikk Pahapill (born 1983), Estonian decathlete
  • Grete Paia (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 (born 1985), Estonian volleyball player
  • Ilmar Raag (born 1968), Estonian film director and media personality
  • Mihkel Räim (born 1993), Estonian cyclist
  • Tuuli Rand (born 1990), Estonian singer
  • Getter Saar (born 1992), Estonian badminton player
  • Indrek Saar (born 1973), Estonian actor and politician
  • Benno Schotz (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 (1930–2005), German chemist
  • Voldemar Väli (1903–1997), Estonian wrestler
  • Sulev Vare (born 1962), Estonian politician
  • Mihail Velsvebel (1926–2008), Estonian runner
  • Alexander Vostokov (1781–1864), Russian philologist
  • Richard Otto Zöpffel (1843–1891), Baltic German theologian

Twin towns and sister cities

The former municipality of Kuressaare (until 2017) was twinned with:

  • Ekenäs, Finland (since 21 November 1988)
  • Kuurne, Belgium (since 9 August 1998)
  • Mariehamn, Finland (since 24 October 1991)
  • Rønne, Denmark (since 3 October 1991)
  • Skövde, Sweden (since 23 June 1993)
  • Talsi, Latvia (since 27 May 1998)
  • Turku, Finland (since 30 May 1996)
  • Vammala, Finland (since 30 June 1994)
  • 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.