Rakvere is a town in northern

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 ...

and the administrative centre of the Lääne-Viru ''

maakond Counties ( et, maakond, plural ') are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. The government (') of each county is led by a ' (gove ...

'' (county), 20 km south of the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...

of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. Rakvere is the 8th most populous urban area in Estonia. Rakvere has a total area of 10.75 square kilometres, and although about 15% of it is covered by forest, the city is still populated so densely as to make it the third most densely populated city in Estonia. From the 13th century until the early 20th century, Rakvere was more widely known by its historical German name, ''Wesenberg(h)''.

History

The earliest signs of human settlement dating back to the 3rd–5th centuries AD have been found on the present theatre hill. Probably to protect that settlement, a wooden stronghold was built on the present-day Vallimägi. Soon after the

kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...

had conquered northern Estonia, in 1220, the new rulers started to erect stone buildings. A settlement called ''Tarvanpea'' was first mentioned in the

Chronicle of Henry of Livonia The ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' ( la, Heinrici Cronicon Lyvoniae) offers a Latin narrative of events in Livonia (roughly corresponding to today's inland Estonia and the northern part of Latvia) and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. It was ...

in 1226. The new Danish stronghold got the first recorded mention as ''Wesenbergh'' (in

Middle Low German Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...

) for the first time in 1252. The battle of Wesenberg between the Danish and

Teutonic knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

and local militia on one side and the forces of

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

and

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

on the other occurred near Rakvere on 18 February 1268. On 12 June 1302, Rakvere was granted

Lübeck rights Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the st ...

. When the Danish king sold

Danish Estonia Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

to 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 ...

in 1346, a large castle was built on top of the previous stronghold. The

Ordensburg ''Ordensburg'' (plural ''Ordensburgen'') is a German term meaning "castles/fortresses of (military) orders", and is used specifically for such fortified structures built by crusading German military orders during the Middle Ages. Medieval Ord ...

was protected by towers and courtyards. The building of a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

monastery was started in 1508. During the wars of the 16th century, Rakvere was in 1558 captured by

Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...

troops and heavily damaged after the disastrous

Siege of Wesenberg (1574) The siege of Wesenberg (Rakvere, Rakovor) was an abortive Swedish siege of the Russian-held town of Wesenberg in Estonia from January through March 1574, during the Livonian War. The siege is infamous for a brawl and subsequent combat between ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. Sweden captured the town in 1581 before it passed to the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

in 1602; Polish troops destroyed the castle in 1605. After being returned to Swedish control in that year, a mansion was built on the ruins of the monastery. During the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...

, Rakvere was burned down in 1703. With the

Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia With the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 the Swedish dominions Estonia and Livonia were integrated into the Russian EmpireLuts (2006), p. 159 following their conquest during the Great Northern War.Frost (2000), p. 294 The Livonia ...

in 1710 and the subsequent

Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...

in 1721, Rakvere passed to 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. ...

, where it remained until Estonia become an independent nation in 1918 following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the first period of Estonian independence in 1918-1940, many prominent buildings were built in Rakvere, including the market building, the old bank building (current

SEB Eesti Ühispank SEB Pank is an Estonian bank, owned by the Swedish bank SEB. SEB is the second largest bank in Estonia and is a member of the international SEB Group. Until 11 April 2005 the name of the bank was Eesti Ühispank, which was originally founded in ...

), and Rakvere Gymnasium. In 1930, the town stadium was opened, during the tenure of mayor Heinrich Aviksoo. Local newspapers started to emerge, including the county paper ''

Virumaa Teataja ''Virumaa Teataja'' is newspaper published in Rakvere, 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 th ...

'', which was first published in 1925. The idea of Rakvere's own professional theatre started to take shape as well. The construction of the theatre house was completed at the end of the 1930s and its festive opening was on 24 February 1940. The theatre survived

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and is active to this day. Rakvere also has a professional

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

which is one of smaller, if not the smallest, town in Europe with its own professional theatre. Its roots date back to 1882 and it is still active and very popular. The theatre of Rakvere has given Estonia many renowned actors and actresses:

Volli Käro Volli Käro (born 13 December 1940) is an Estonian actor who is possibly best known for his long engagement as a stage actor at the Rakvere Theatre in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. He has also appeared in several film and television roles. Early ...

Üllar Saaremäe Üllar Saaremäe (born November 23, 1969) is an Estonian actor, director, politician, and punk band singer. Biography Üllar Saaremäe was born 23 November 1969 in Kohta-Järve. He has two children from his relationship with actress Tiina Mäl ...

Indrek Saar Indrek Saar (born February 20, 1973) is an Estonian actor and politician, leader of the Social Democratic Party, and former Minister of Culture. Saar attended secondary school in Kuressaare and graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Hig ...

Ülle Lichtfeldt Ülle Lichtfeldt (born 4 August 1970) is an Estonian actress. Since 1995 she is working at Rakvere Theatre. Besides theatre roles she has also played on films and television series. Lichtfeldt is married to actor and politician Indrek Saar. Sele ...

Aarne Üksküla Aarne Üksküla (21 September 1937 Tallinn – 29 October 2017) was an Estonian actor and theatre instructor. In 1961 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory's Performing Arts Department. Career: * Rakvere Theatre (1961-1968) * Endla Theatr ...

, and others. It also holds the biannual event '' Baltoscandal'', which gathers avant-garde plays and groups from all over the world. On 15 July 2000, a high-end F2/T5

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

hit the town, killing one person and injuring one other. The tornado damaged 110 homes and destroyed 120 garage buildings. One car was even airborne.

Transport

The Rakvere–Pärnu highway starts in Rakvere. To the north of the city is the Tallinn-Narva highway that is part of the

European route E20 European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia. Its length is but it is not continuous; at three points, a ...

. The Tallinn-Narva railway passes the city. Long-distance transport connections from Rakvere include

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

and train transportation. By bus and train one can travel to several destinations around

. Train transportation is operated by Elron.

Religion

Main landmarks

Rakvere Castle

The oldest known archeological traces of the ancient fortress on Rakvere's Vallimäe hill date from the 5th-6th century. Throughout the ages, Rakvere castle has belonged to Danish kings, knight-monks of the Livonian Order and the Swedish and Polish states. During the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1629, the castle was partly blown up by the Polish troops in 1605, and later also by the Swedish army. The castle has lain in ruins ever since. Today there is a theme park in the castle representing the everyday life of the 16th century.

Tarvas statue

Rakvere is also known now for its Tarvas

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

of an

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') ( or ) is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocen ...

, which was made by the Estonian sculptor Tauno Kangro. It is thought to be the largest animal statue in the

Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...

. It is situated on the edge of Vallimägi hill and was erected for the town's 700th birthday. Along with the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

block it sits on, the statue is seven meters long and four meters high and weighs about seven tons. The statue is made out of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

. The names of the companies and private people who financed it are engraved in the granite block.

Rakvere Central Square

Rakvere central square got a new modern look in 2004. It is a beautiful place to sit down for a moment and observe city life. This is the city's representative square. In the spring-summer period, the central square delights with gorgeous flower arrangements and a cooling fountain. During the winter, the square is decorated with various winter and Christmas installations. There is also the sculpture ''Young man on bicycle listening to music'' dedicated to

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

, an honorary citizen of Rakvere. Next to the central square is a historical market building and one of the most representative bank buildings in Estonia designed by Ferdinand Gustav Adoff. The square is surrounded by a shopping center, shops, pharmacies, restaurants, cafes, banks, and the Tourist Information Center.

Rakvere Trinity church

The

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

church of Rakvere, the Trinity church, originally dates from the 15th century and was designed to also be able to function as a stronghold in times of trouble. It was severely damaged during the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...

and renovation started only in 1684. During the

, the church once more was damaged by fire twice. Renovations were carried out 1727–1730, and again during the middle of the 19th century, when the church received its present look, dominated by its

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

spire. The interior displays some fine craftsmanship, including a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

pulpit from 1690 made by

Christian Ackermann Christian Ackermann was a sculptor and carver who worked in Estonia. Life and work Christian Ackermann was born in Königsberg. He worked in Riga, Stockholm, and Gdańsk, before becoming active in Tallinn from about 1672 until his death in 171 ...

Pikk street

This is oldest street in Rakvere. In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, Pikk Street was the main shopping street in Rakvere, where the bank, shops, restaurants, and guesthouses were located. In 2020, Pikk Street was reconstructed to the extent of approximately 700 meters, as a result, the street became a modern pedestrian-friendly promenade and at the same time again a representative street of the city. Walking along the historic Pikk Street, you can get an overview of the diverse architecture of the city, where creative activities and several handicraft shops are concentrated, where you can find genuine Estonian handicrafts, souvenirs, folk costumes, and consumer goods. Here is also one of the strangest stairs in Estonia - the so-called Carrot Staircase, which leads to the Vallimägi viewing platform. The viewing platform offers a view in two directions - the city and the castle.

Twin towns - sister cities

Rakvere is twinned with: *

Cēsis Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Upland, Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja, Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges ...

, Latvia *

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...

, Finland *

Lapua Lapua (; sv, Lappo) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located next to the Lapua River in the region of South Ostrobothnia. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The mun ...

, Finland *

Lütjenburg Lütjenburg ( Low German: ''Lüttenborg'') is a town of the district of Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located approximately northeast of Plön, and east of Kiel. History left, Lütjenburg in 1895 Lütjenburg was founded in the 12t ...

, Germany *

Sigtuna Sigtuna () is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 8,444 inhabitants in 2010. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta. Sigtuna is for historical reasons often still referre ...

, Sweden *

Panevėžys Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...

, Lithuania *

Senaki Senaki ( ka, სენაკი; xmf, სანაკი) is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around between the rivers Tekhura/i and Tsivi, at an elevation of 28–38 meters above sea level. Senaki is ...

, Georgia *

Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, in the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, wh ...

, Hungary *

Vyshhorod Vyshhorod ( uk, Ви́шгород) is a city in Kyiv Oblast (region) in central Ukraine, situated immediately north of Kyiv city, the national capital, and part of the Kyiv metropolitan area. It is on the right (western) bank of the Dnieper r ...

, Ukraine

Sports

Sports clubs

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

** Rakvere Tarvas – a men's basketball team, Estonian second best basketball club in season 2009/2010. In season 2019/2020 they were 4th. The club takes part in Paf Estonian Latvian basketball league. This is the best basketball league in Estonia. The home ground is Kastani Arena. *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

** BMF/Rakvere VK – a men's volleyball team, multiple Estonian Champion and Cup winner. Now the club takes part in Mens esiliiga. This is second best volleyball league in Estonia. *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

** Rakvere JK Tarvas – an amateur football club established in 2004. The club plays in Estonian

II liiga II liiga is the fourth level of football league competition in Estonia arranged by the Estonian Football Association. It consists of 28 teams, divided geographically into two divisions with 14 teams respectively in group North/East and South/Wes ...

(fourth tier in Estonian football). In 2016 they played in Estonian premium league. The home ground is

Rakvere linnastaadion Rakvere linnastaadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Rakvere, Estonia. The stadium holds 1,785 seating places and is the home ground of Rakvere JK Tarvas. The address of the stadium is Kastani puiestee 12, Rakvere. Although being a small venue, ...

Sports events

* Amateur Sumo World Championships 2008 * U19 EURO2012

Gallery

File:Rakvere linnuse varemed vallikraaviga1.jpg, Rakvere castle File:Rakvere, centrum.jpg, Rakvere town centre File:HPIM2189 Rakvere teatri linnapoolne vaade.jpg, Rakvere theatre File:Rakvere kirik..jpg, Rakvere Trinity Church File:Tallinna-25 Rakvere.jpg, Hotel Wesenberg File:Rakvere mõisa park.jpg, Rakvere manor park File:Rakvere-1.JPG, Rakvere main square File:Rakvere, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia - panoramio (12).jpg, Buildings on Pikk Street File:Tallinna-3 Rakvere.jpg, Estonian Police Museum File:Rakvere Estonia Street with church.JPG, Street in Rakvere File:Rakvere mõisa peahoone ja teatrihoone.jpg, Rakvere main manor and theatre File:Viru maakohus.jpg, Rakvere courthouse File:Kastani Arena.jpg, Rakvere Sports Hall

References

External links

*
Things to see in Rakvere

Photos of Rakvere in the night by Kaiko Lipsmäe

Population of Rakvere by mother tongue in 1897

Rakvere stronghold
picture gallery at Remains.se {{Authority control Populated places established in the 3rd century Populated places in Lääne-Viru County Castles of the Livonian Order Kreis Wierland Cities and towns in Estonia Municipalities of Estonia