Kuressaare : Estonia
Kuressaare : Estonia
Kuressaare Travel : Estonia
Kuressaare (Swedish and German: Arensburg) is both the capital of Saaremaa, an Estonian island, and of Saare County.
The town is located at the Bay of Livonia. It has a territory of about 15 sq. km and a population of about 16,000.
Kuressaare obtained the freedom of a town in 1563 and has been called by different names throughout its existence. Its historic name of Arensburg was replaced by Kuressaare in 1917. During the Soviet period, from 1952-1988 it was called Kingissepa after the Bolshevik Viktor Kingissepp who was born there.
In October 1990 Kuressaare was the first town in Estonia to regain its self-governing status. Today, Kuressaare is a safe and healthy town, open for international cooperation and communication and having eight twin-towns.