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Pärnu (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈpærˑnu]) is a city in southwest Estonia. Pärnu is located 128 kilometres (80 mi) south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and 176 kilometres (109 mi) west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the 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 resort town among Estonians with many hotels, restaurants and large beaches. The city is served by Pärnu Airport.
Pärnu or Old Pärnu (Latin: Perona, German: Pernau, Alt-Pernau, Estonian: Vana-Pärnu), which was founded by the bishop of Ösel–Wiek c. 1251, suffered heavily under pressure of the concurrent town, and was finally destroyed c. 1600. Another town, Embeke (later German: Neu-Pernau, Estonian: Uus-Pärnu) was founded by the Teutonic Order, who began building an ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town, then known by the German name of Pernau, was a member of the Hanseatic League and an important ice-free harbor for Livonia.
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took control of town between 1560 and 1617; the Poles and Lithuanians fought the armies of the Kingdom of Sweden nearby in 1609. Sweden took control of the town during the 1558–1583 Livonian War and it became part of Swedish Livonia. In 1617, during the Polish–Swedish War of 1617–1618, Swedish forces assaulted the town on two occasions, failing once in July 1617, and later succeeding in August of the same year.
The Academia Gustavo-Carolina (predecessor of modern University of Tartu) was relocated from Tartu (Dorpat) to Pärnu in 1699, and operated there until 1710. The university has still maintained a branch campus in Pärnu to this day (1,000 students in the 2004/2005 school year).
During the 1700–1721 Great Northern War, the Kingdom of Sweden then lost Pärnu along with the rest of Livonia to the Tsardom of Russia in the 1710 Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia and the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, following the Great Northern War; the city also bore the name Пернов, Pernov—an "adapted" German name—among the Russians.
Pärnu belonged to the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire until 1917, when it was transferred to the short-lived autonomous Governorate of Estonia.
The city became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following World War I. During World War II, Estonia was invaded and occupied by the Soviet army in June 1940. Estonia (and Pärnu) was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941 until 1944. After the war, Pärnu was part of Soviet-occupied Estonia until 1991, when Estonia restored its independence.
There are seven districts in Pärnu: Ülejõe, Rääma, Vana-Pärnu, Kesklinn, Rannarajoon, Eeslinn and Raeküla.
Pärnu lies within the temperate humid continental climate zone.
Pärnu River, Sauga River, Reiu River, Pärnu Moat, Pärnu Bay. Pärnu Moat was previously a part of Pärnu Fortress. Nowadays, it is mainly used as a venue for different events.
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 many 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. Its long tradition as a resort has made Pärnu well known in Finland and Scandinavian countries.
The majority of the tourists in Pärnu are Estonians, Finns and Swedes. 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. Kursaal hall dating from 1880 which is close by is used for concerts. Since 1996 Pärnu has been known as Estonia's Summer Capital.
Starting from 2015 the city of Pärnu hosts the annual Weekend Festival, 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, The Chainsmokers, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, 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.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Pärnu”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.