Haapsalu () is a seaside

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

located on the west coast of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. It is the administrative centre of

Lääne County Lääne County ( et, Lääne maakond or ''Läänemaa'', literally "Western land"; german: Wiek; la, Rotalia) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders the Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-ea ...

, 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 The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...

still operate. Narrow streets with early 20th century wooden houses lead to the sea. Haapsalu has been called the "

Venice of the Baltics The following is an incomplete list of settlements nicknamed Venice of the North. The term ''Venice of the North'' refers to various cities in Northern Europe that contain canals, comparing them to Venice, Italy, which is renowned for its canals ( ...

", although this claim has been criticized as an exaggeration. The name "Haapsalu" is from Estonian ''haab'' 'aspen' and ''salu'' 'grove.' In

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and

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 **Ger ...

, the town is called ''Hapsal'', and in Russian it is Га́псаль (''Gapsal'').

History

The town dates back to 1279, when it was chartered and became the centre of the

Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

, which it remained for the next 300 years. Buildings from those early days remain today, including an

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

castle which has the largest single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

cathedral in the

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

Haapsalu Castle Haapsalu Castle (also Haapsalu Episcopal Castle, et, Haapsalu piiskopilinnus, or more simply ''Bishop's Castle'') is a castle with cathedral in Haapsalu, Estonia, founded in the thirteenth century as the seat of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. Ac ...

. Haapsalu and the surrounding area was the center for the

Estonian Swedes The Estonian Swedes, or Estonia-Swedes ( sv, estlandssvenskar, colloquially ''aibofolke'', "island people"; et, eestirootslased), or "Coastal Swedes" ( et, rannarootslased) are a Swedish-speaking minority traditionally residing in the coastal ...

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 Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...

, founded the first mud cure resort in 1825. News of the curative mud quickly reached the aristocracy of

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, the capital of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. 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

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...

s, a delicate craft made by local women.

Other attractions

The Land of

Ilon Wikland Maire-Ilon Wikland (née Pääbo; born February 5, 1930) is an Estonian-born Swedish artist and illustrator. Wikland was born in Tartu, Estonia and raised in Haapsalu, Lääne County on Estonia's Baltic coast. In 1944 she escaped with the family ...

('' Wiklandia''), a recreation centre for children, is set to open in a few years within the town. This world-famous book illustrator has been involved with Haapsalu since her childhood. The

August Blues Festival August Blues Festival ( et, Augustibluus) is a blues music festival held in Haapsalu, Estonia since 1994. The festival takes place mainly inside the walls of Haapsalu Castle. It is the biggest blues festival in the Baltic states. Besides Estoni ...

is held every August in Haapsalu. Since 2005 the town hosts

Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival ( et, Haapsalu Õudus- ja Fantaasiafilmide Festival, abbreviated HÕFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in Haapsalu, Estonia. HÕFF focuses on horror film, horror and fantasy f ...

, an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

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.

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 ''The Fencer'' ( fi, Miekkailija, et, Vehkleja) is a 2015 biographical drama film about the life of Endel Nelis, an accomplished Estonian fencer and coach. It was directed by Klaus Härö and written by Anna Heinämaa. Filming began in Estoni ...

''.

Gallery

File:Central square-1.JPG, Central square Haapsalu.JPG, City center Haapsalu kuursaal 2012-2.jpg, Haapsalu resort hall File:Paadid Haapsalu Tagalahel.jpg, Boats in gulf Tagalaht Haapsalu raudteejaam 2010.jpg, Haapsalu Railway Station, now disused, and notable for the length of its platform canopy. Haapsalu raekoda 2012.jpg, Town Hall Haapsalu raudteejaama ooteplatvorm.jpg, Train station Haapsalu raudteejaama veetorn.jpg, Water tower Haapsalu raudteejaama ambulants.jpg, Train station polyclinic Auruvedur Su 252-94 Haapsalus.jpg, Steam locomotive Haapsalu rannapromenaad.jpg, A pavilion at Haapsalu seaside promenade File:Kepimurdja, Juhan Raudsepa skulptuur.jpg, Sculpture "Kepimurdja", by Juhan Raudsepp File:Haapsalu promenaad.jpg, View from the promenade File:Jaani kirik-1.JPG, Jaani church Haapsalu Maarja õigeusu kirik.jpg, Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene

References

External links

Haapsalu pictures and article
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Populated coastal places in Estonia Spa towns in Estonia Populated places established in the 13th century 1279 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Estonia Kreis Wiek Port cities and towns in Estonia