Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city,

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

. The city sits off the coast of

Pärnu Bay Pärnu Bay ( et, Pärnu laht) is a bay in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Livonia (Gulf of Riga), in southern Estonia. Geography It has an area of 411 km2.Gulf of Riga, which is a part of the Baltic Sea. In the city, the Pärnu River drains into the Gulf of Riga. Pärnu is a popular summer

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

resort town among Estonians with many hotels, restaurants and large beaches. The city is served by Pärnu Airport.

History

Perona (german: Alt-Pernau, links=no, et, Vana-Pärnu, links=no), which was founded by the bishop of Ösel–Wiek , suffered heavily under pressure of the concurrent town, and was finally destroyed . Another town, Embeke (later german: Neu-Pernau, links=no, et, Uus-Pärnu, links=no) was founded by the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...

, who began building an Ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town, then known by the German name of , was a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...

and an important ice-free harbor for Livonia. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took control of town between 1560 and 1617; the

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

ns fought the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

nearby in 1609. Sweden took control of the town during the 16th-century Livonian War as part of

Swedish Livonia Swedish Livonia ( sv, Svenska Livland) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1629 until 1721. The territory, which constituted the southern part of modern Estonia (including the island of Ösel ceded by Denmark after the Treaty of Brömse ...

, although it was not formally ceded by Poland-Lithuania until the 1660 Treaty of Oliva. Sweden then lost Livonia to the Russian Empire in the 1710 Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia and the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, following the Great Northern War. It belonged to the

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, 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 th ...

n Governorate of Livonia until 1917, when it was transferred to the short-lived

Autonomous Governorate of Estonia In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...

. The city is occasionally referred to as ''Pyarnu'', an incorrect reverse- transliteration from the Russian . The town became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following World War I and the Estonian War of Independence. The city was occupied by the Soviet Red Army along with the rest of Estonia in 1940 during World War II, and its German population fled the town. It was briefly occupied by Germany from 1941 until 1944 before it was reoccupied by the Soviet Union during its counteroffensives. Pärnu then continued as being part of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, when Estonia restored its independence. During the Great Northern War, the University of Dorpat (

) was relocated to Pärnu from 1699 to 1710. The university has still maintained a branch campus in Pärnu to this day (1,000 students in the 2004/2005 school year).

Geography

Districts of Pärnu

There are seven districts in Pärnu: Ülejõe, Rääma, Vana-Pärnu, Kesklinn, Rannarajoon, Eeslinn and Raeküla.

Climate

Pärnu lies within the temperate humid continental climate zone.

Waterbodies

Pärnu River, Sauga River,

Reiu River The Reiu is a long river in southwest Estonia. Its source is Soka Lake in Latvia. It flows generally north. It is a left tributary of the Pärnu River Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu i ...

Pärnu Moat Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

Pärnu Bay Pärnu Bay ( et, Pärnu laht) is a bay in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Livonia (Gulf of Riga), in southern Estonia. Geography It has an area of 411 km2.

Demography

Population change

Ethnic groups

Economy

Today Pärnu is an economically balanced region with a comprehensive range of industries. Foreign investments and new businesses with up-to-date technologies have enhanced job creation and higher competitiveness of the businesses in the world markets. Several enterprises of Pärnu region stand out as the best in Estonia. Significant flows of exports from Pärnu region and South-Estonia pass through the Port of Pärnu which lies at the mouth of the Pärnu River. In recent years, the port has developed into an important regional harbour for south-western and southern Estonia. Pärnu's fame as a rehabilitation and holiday resort dates back to the middle of the 19th century. The foundation of the first bathing facility in 1838 is considered the birth date of Pärnu resort. Today Pärnu has all desirable qualities of a modern holiday resort – it has spas and rehabilitation centres, hotels, conference and concert venues, golf courses and tennis courts, restaurants and pubs. Long tradition of as a resort has made Pärnu well known in Finland and Scandinavian countries.

Tourism

The majority of the tourists in Pärnu are Finns, Swedes and Russians. German, Latvian, and Norwegian tourists have also become more common. In 1837, a tavern near the beach was made into a bathing establishment. The establishment 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. Since 1996 Pärnu has been known as Estonia's Summer Capital. Starting from 2015 the city of Pärnu hosts the annual

Weekend Festival Weekend Festival is a music festival taking place in Hämeenlinna, previously also in Helsinki, Stockholm and Pärnu. The festival was organised for the first time in Luukki, Espoo (about 25 km from the centre of Helsinki), Finland on the 17 a ...

, the largest dance music festival in the Nordic and Baltic region. Stages are headlined by DJs from across the electronic dance music spectrum, with audiovisual support. Some of the past and upcoming artists to perform include Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Avicii,

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...

, Tiësto,

Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...

, Hardwell, Robin Schulz, Afrojack, deadmau5, Knife Party, Desiigner and many more. Pärnu is also known for its seawall. According to legend, if a couple holds hands while journeying along the wall and kisses at its endpoint they will stay together forever.

Gallery

File:Endla teatrihoone 2020.jpg, Endla Theatre File:St. Elizabeth's Church, Pärnu 4.jpg, Nikolai street with St. Elizabeth's Church File:Pärnu rannapromenaad 2014.jpg, Pärnu beach promenade File:Sunset in Pärnu beach (1).jpg, left, Sunset in Pärnu beach.

Honorary citizens of Pärnu

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

Konstantin Possiet Konstantin Nikolayevich Posyet (russian: Константин Николаевич Посьет, french: Constantin Possiet, – ) was a Russian Empire statesman and admiral of French origin, who served as Minister of Transport Communications bet ...

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

Friedrich Fromhold Martens Friedrich Fromhold Martens, or Friedrich Fromhold von Martens,, french: Frédéric Frommhold (de) Martens ( – ) was a diplomat and jurist in service of the Russian Empire who made important contributions to the science of international law. ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

Konstantin Päts *

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

Neeme Järvi *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Valter Ojakäär *

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Jüri Jaanson

Notable residents

Gustav Fabergé Gustav Fabergé (18 February 1814 – 3 January 1894) was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German origin and father of Peter Carl Fabergé, maker of Fabergé eggs. He established his own business in Saint Petersburg, which his son inherited. Life and ...

, jeweller * Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet *

Lili Kaelas Lili Sanelma Nyström (better known as Lili Kaelas; born 1919 in Estonia; died 2007 in Sweden) was a Swedish archaeologist and museum director. She was the wife of Swedish historian and the former governor of Gothenburg and Bohus County, Per Nyst ...

, archeologist * Tõnis Kasemets, race-car driver who has competed in ChampCar and IMSA * Paul Keres, chess grandmaster * Lydia Koidula, poet *

Kaie Kõrb Kaie Kõrb (born 1 April 1961, in Pärnu) is an Estonian ballet dancer and dance teacher. In 2006 she was described as "perhaps the country's most famous dancer today". She graduated from the Tallinn Ballet School (Tallinna Balletikool) in 1980, ...

, prima ballerina *

Karin Luts Karin Luts (29 April 1904 – 14 May 1993) was a Estonian female painter and a graphic artist. Biography Karin Luts was born in Riidaja in Valga County to parents Andres and Juuli Mari Luts (''née'' Gentalen) in April 1904 where she was one of t ...

, Estonian artist * Friedrich Martens, lawyer * Kaili Närep, actress * David Oistrakh, violinist *

Liisa Pulk Liisa Pulk (born 12 June 1985) is an Estonian stage, television, voice, and film actress whose career began in 2010. Early life and education Liisa Pulk was born in Pärnu, where she attended primary and secondary schools. She is a 2004 graduate ...

, actress *

Rasmus Rändvee Rasmus Simon Rändvee (born 28 November 1995, in Pärnu) is an Estonian singer. He is best known for winning the Eesti otsib superstaari (season 5), fifth season of ''Eesti otsib superstaari''. He attended Pärnu Gymnasium and, in 2015, graduated ...

, singer * Salme Reek, actress * Georg Wilhelm Richmann, German physicist * Erika Salumäe, track bicycle racer * David Samoylov, poet *

August Sang August Sang (27 July 1914 – 14 October 1969) was an Estonian poet and literary translator.Marcel Cornis-Pope, John Neubauer, ''History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe: junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries, ...

, poet *

Olev Siinmaa Olev Siinmaa (November 12, 1881 – March 29, 1948), was an Estonian architect who is perhaps best recalled for his work in the style coined "Pärnu Resort Functionalism". Olev Siinmaa was born Oskar Siimann in Pärnu into a joinery shop ow ...

, architect * David Shrayer-Petrov, poet, fiction writer, translator, medical scientist * Maxim D. Shrayer, author and literary scholar *

Avo Sõmer Avo Sõmer (born 1934) is an American musicologist music theorist, and composer, of Estonian birth. Sõmer was born in Tartu, Estonia. He emigrated from Estonia with his parents in 1944, when he was ten years old, first to Germany and then to ...

, musicologist, music theorist, composer * Kristin Tattar, athlete, disc golf world champion

Sister cities

* Pánd

References

* Maxim D. Shrayer
Dunes of Happiness: Fifteen Summers in Estonia
Baltic Worlds (September 2013).

External links

The Official Tourist Information Centre Foundation of Pärnu

Parnu tour overview

MERKO: 2010–2011 Pärnu moat and park area reconstruction, land reclamation and landscaping
with 6 photos {{DEFAULTSORT:Parnu Cities and towns in Estonia Populated places in Pärnu County Gulf of Riga Populated coastal places in Estonia Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Spa towns in Estonia 13th-century establishments in Estonia Populated places established in the 1250s 1251 establishments in Europe Kreis Pernau Members of the Hanseatic League Port cities and towns in Estonia