Haapsalu

Haapsalu
View from Haapsalu Castle
View from Haapsalu Castle
Haapsalu is located in Baltic Sea
Haapsalu
Haapsalu
Location of Haapsalu in the Baltic Sea region
Haapsalu is located in Estonia
Haapsalu
Haapsalu
Location in Estonia
Haapsalu is located in Lääne County
Haapsalu
Haapsalu
Haapsalu (Lääne County)
Coordinates: 58°56′22″N 23°32′27″E / 58.93944°N 23.54083°E / 58.93944; 23.54083
Country Estonia
County Lääne
Municipality Haapsalu
Town rights1279
Area
 • Total11.09 km2 (4.28 sq mi)
Elevation10 m (30 ft)
Population
(2020)
 • Total9,375
 • Rank14th
 • Density850/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2021)
 • Estonians83.5%
 • Russians11.9%
 • other4.6%
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
90503 to 90507
Area code(+372) 047
Vehicle registrationS

Haapsalu (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈhɑːpsɑlu]) is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2020 it had a population of 9,375.

Description

Haapsalu has been well known for centuries for its warm seawater, curative mud and peaceful atmosphere. Salt mud spas frequented by the Russian Romanov family still operate. Narrow streets with early 20th century wooden houses lead to the sea. Haapsalu has been called the "Venice of the Baltics", although this claim has been criticized as an exaggeration. The name "Haapsalu" is from Estonian haab 'aspen' and salu 'grove.' In Swedish and German, the town is called Hapsal, and in Russian it is Га́псаль (Gapsal).

History

Haapsalu castle

The town dates back to 1279, when it was chartered and became the centre of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, which it remained for the next 300 years. Buildings from those early days remain today, including an episcopal castle which has the largest single-nave cathedral in the Baltic states, Haapsalu Castle.

Haapsalu and the surrounding area was the center for the Estonian Swedes from the 13th century until the evacuation of almost all ethnic Swedes from Estonia in 1944.

Neighborhoods of Haapsalu

There are six neighborhoods of Haapsalu:

  • Holmi
  • Kesklinn
  • Männiku
  • Paralepa
  • Randsalu
  • Vanalinn.

Healing spas

For many years, locals have claimed that the sea mud has a curative effect. A military doctor, Carl Abraham Hunnius, founded the first mud cure resort in 1825. News of the curative mud quickly reached the aristocracy of Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. Ever since then, Haapsalu has been a popular summer destination where people from all around the world come for medical treatment. Today, there are three mud cure establishments in Haapsalu varying in size and location.

Haapsalu shawl

In the 19th century, Haapsalu became famous for its shawls, a delicate craft made by local women.

Other attractions

Drone video of Haapsalu promenade, peninsula of Krimmi holm, Tagalaht and Haapsalu old town in June 2022

The Land of Ilon Wikland (Wiklandia), a recreation centre for children, is set to open in a few years[when?] within the town. This world-famous book illustrator has been involved with Haapsalu since her childhood.

The August Blues Festival is held every August in Haapsalu.

Since 2005 the town hosts Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, an annual film festival dedicated to genre films. In 2017, the pastors of Haapsalu made an open statement calling to end the city's financing of the festival, claiming the horror and violence depicted in the screened films were not fit to represent the resort town image. The same year the festival was held to a record-breaking attendance.

Demographics

Ethnic composition 1922-2021
Ethnicity 1922 1934 1941 1959 1970 1979 1989 2000 2011 2021
amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount %
Estonians 3597 84.9 4103 88.3 3580 94.5 6819 79.6 8417 73.3 9058 69.5 9704 66.4 9587 79.5 8404 82.0 8016 83.5
Russians 178 4.20 125 2.69 57 1.50 - - 2220 19.3 2987 22.9 3726 25.5 1841 15.3 1427 13.9 1140 11.9
Ukrainians - - 0 0.00 - - - - 296 2.58 441 3.38 547 3.74 287 2.38 181 1.77 127 1.32
Belarusians - - - - - - - - 99 0.86 186 1.43 233 1.59 97 0.80 61 0.60 58 0.60
Finns - - 5 0.11 6 0.16 - - 62 0.54 81 0.62 77 0.53 64 0.53 57 0.56 60 0.63
Jews 9 0.21 5 0.11 0 0.00 - - 23 0.20 20 0.15 12 0.08 5 0.04 4 0.04 3 0.03
Latvians - - 10 0.22 3 0.08 - - 44 0.38 40 0.31 32 0.22 9 0.07 12 0.12 15 0.16
Germans 304 7.17 251 5.40 - - - - - - 46 0.35 48 0.33 16 0.13 8 0.08 6 0.06
Tatars - - 0 0.00 - - - - - - 38 0.29 38 0.26 15 0.12 10 0.10 11 0.11
Poles - - 11 0.24 11 0.29 - - - - 21 0.16 18 0.12 9 0.07 4 0.04 7 0.07
Lithuanians - - 0 0.00 1 0.03 - - 26 0.23 24 0.18 27 0.18 24 0.20 18 0.18 15 0.16
unknown 0 0.00 1 0.02 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 34 0.28 13 0.13 37 0.39
other 149 3.52 138 2.97 131 3.46 1748 20.4 296 2.58 93 0.71 155 1.06 66 0.55 52 0.51 101 1.05
Total 4237 100 4649 100 3789 100 8567 100 11483 100 13035 100 14617 100 12054 100 10251 100 9595 100.01

In popular culture

Haapsalu is site of a fencing school founded by Estonian fencer Endel Nelis, used as the setting of the Finnish-Estonian film The Fencer.

Gallery

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-10-07 17:42 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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