Haapsalu 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.

History

The name "Haapsalu" derives from the Estonian words haab 'aspen' and salu (archaic meaning) 'island'. Until the first half of the 20th century, in Swedish and German the town was called Hapsal. 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 prior to the Soviet invasion of Estonia during World War II in 1944. The first written record of Hapsal dates back to 1279, when the town was chartered and became the capital of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, which it remained for the following three centuries. Buildings from those early days remain today, including an episcopal castle which has the largest single-nave church in Estonia.

Neighborhoods of Haapsalu

There are six neighborhoods of Haapsalu:

Healing by sea mud

The sea mud in Haapsalu is claimed to have a curative effect. A military doctor, Carl Abraham Hunnius, founded the first mud cure resort in 1825. News of the "curative mud" spread quickly amongst the wealthy customers in then capital city Saint Petersburg, and elsewhere in the former Russian Empire. The mud spas were frequented by the Russian imperial Romanov family. For almost 200 years, Haapsalu has been a popular summer destination where people from all around the world come for medical treatment. At present, there are three "mud cure" establishments in Haapsalu.

Other attractions

The Land of Ilon Wikland (Wiklandia), a recreation centre for children, is set to open in a few years within the town. Wikland, a famous book illustrator, has had a strong bond with Haapsalu since her childhood. The August Blues Festival is held every year in 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

In popular culture

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1867 wrote a suite of three pieces for piano during his stay in Haapsalu, titled Souvenir de Hapsal. In the 19th century, the town became famous for its "Haapsalu shawls", a delicate craft made by local women. Haapsalu has sometimes been called the "Venice of the Baltics" — an apparent exaggeration used mostly to promote the resort town to foreign tourists. Haapsalu is site of a fencing school founded by Estonian fencer Endel Nelis, used as the setting of the Finnish-Estonian film The Fencer.

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