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Pärnu is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in southwestern Estonia
Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden across the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russia ....
 on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga

The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a Headlands and bays of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.The area of the Gulf of Riga is about 18,000 km?....
 in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotel
Hotel

----A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including Bathroom#Types of bathroomss and air conditioning or clima...
s, restaurant
Restaurant

A restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery ....
s, and large beach
Beach

File:MiamiSouthBeachPanoramaEdit.jpgA beach is a geology landform along the shoreline of a body of water. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of Rock , such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, pebbles, or cobble....
es. The Pärnu River
Pärnu River

The P?rnu is a river in Estonia that drains into the Gulf of Riga at P?rnu. It is a one of the longest rivers in Estonia - 144 km long....
 flows through the city. The city is served by Pärnu Airport
Pärnu Airport

P?rnu Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 4 km from the city of P?rnu.In October 1937 P?rnu town council gave an area of 0.28 km? for building of an airport....
.

The city is occasionally referred to as Pyarnu, an incorrect reverse-transliteration
Transliteration

Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice....
 from Russian ?????.

History
(Perona, German Alt-Pernau or Estonian Vana-Pärnu) was founded by the bishop of Ösel-Wiek
Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek

The Bishopric of ?sel-Wiek was a semi-independent Roman Catholic Church prince-bishopric in what is now Saare County and L??ne County counties of Estonia....
 ca.






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Encyclopedia


Pärnu is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in southwestern Estonia
Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden across the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by the Russia ....
 on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga

The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a Headlands and bays of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.The area of the Gulf of Riga is about 18,000 km?....
 in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotel
Hotel

----A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including Bathroom#Types of bathroomss and air conditioning or clima...
s, restaurant
Restaurant

A restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery ....
s, and large beach
Beach

File:MiamiSouthBeachPanoramaEdit.jpgA beach is a geology landform along the shoreline of a body of water. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of Rock , such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, pebbles, or cobble....
es. The Pärnu River
Pärnu River

The P?rnu is a river in Estonia that drains into the Gulf of Riga at P?rnu. It is a one of the longest rivers in Estonia - 144 km long....
 flows through the city. The city is served by Pärnu Airport
Pärnu Airport

P?rnu Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 4 km from the city of P?rnu.In October 1937 P?rnu town council gave an area of 0.28 km? for building of an airport....
.

The city is occasionally referred to as Pyarnu, an incorrect reverse-transliteration
Transliteration

Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice....
 from Russian ?????.

History


(Perona, German Alt-Pernau or Estonian Vana-Pärnu) was founded by the bishop of Ösel-Wiek
Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek

The Bishopric of ?sel-Wiek was a semi-independent Roman Catholic Church prince-bishopric in what is now Saare County and L??ne County counties of Estonia....
 ca. 1251, suffered heavily under pressure of the concurrent town, and was finally destroyed ca. 1600. Another town (Embeke, later German Neu-Pernau or Estonian Uus-Pärnu) was founded by the Livonian Order
Livonian Order

The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561....
, who began building an Ordensburg
Ordensburg

An Ordensburg was a fortress built by Crusades Germans military orders during the Middle Ages. "Ordensburg" was also used during Nazi Germany to refer to training schools for Nazism leaders....
 nearby in 1265. The latter town, then known by the German name of Pernau, was a member of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an Military alliance of Trade cities and their guilds that established and maintained trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and Early modern period ....
 and an important ice-free harbor for Livonia
Livonia

Livonia was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida Castle....
. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 took control of town between 1560-1617; the Poles
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 fought the Swedes
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 nearby in 1609. Sweden took control of the town during the 16th century Livonian War
Livonian War

The Livonian War of 1558?1582 was a lengthy military conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and variable coalition of Denmark?Norway, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Kingdom of Poland , and Kingdom of Sweden for control of medieval Livonia, the territory of the present-day Estonia and Latvia....
, but it was subsequently taken by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
 in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad
Treaty of Nystad

The Treaty of Nystad was signed in 1721 in the then Swedish town of Uusikaupunki . It ended the Great Northern War, in which Russian Empire received the territories of Duchy of Estonia , Duchy of Livonia and Duchy of Ingria, as well as much of Finnish Karelia and number of islands in Baltic sea from Swedish Empire and Tsar Peter I of Russia...
 following the Great Northern War
Great Northern War

The Great Northern War was a war in which the so-called Northern Alliance composed of Russia, Denmark-Norway, Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth and Saxony engaged Sweden to challenge them for the supremacy in the Baltic Sea....
.

The town became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
.

During the Great Northern War, the University of Dorpat
University of Tartu

The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. Regarded by many Estonians as the country's "national university", it is the highest-ranked university in Estonia as well as one of the highest-ranked in former Eastern Europe....
 (Tartu
Tartu

For the French captain, see Jean-Fran?ois TartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned University of Tartu....
) was relocated to Pernau from 1699-1710. The university has a branch campus in Pärnu today (1,000 students in the 2004/2005 school year).

Administration


Local administration consists of the town council and the town government. Town council elections take place every three years. The current town council was elected in October 2005. The number of councillors depends on the population. The current number of councillors is 33.

Tourism


Pärnu is a health resort of international stature. In addition to guests arriving from around fifty countries, it is also proved by its membership in the European Spas Association (since 2000) and the European Flag
European flag

The Flag of Europe is the flag and emblem of the European Union and Council of Europe . It consists of a Circle of stars 12 golden stars on a blue background....
 that has been flying at the beach of Pärnu since 2000. Many tourists in Pärnu are Finns
Finnish people

The terms Finns and Finnish people are used in English to mean "a native or inhabitant of Finland". They are also used to refer to the ethnic group historically associated with Finland or Fennoscandia, and they are only used in that sense here....
 and Estonians
Estonians

Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. The Estonians speak a Finno-Ugric languages language, known as Estonian....
. Hotel and restaurant staff speak English, Russian and some Finnish
Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by Finnish people outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden....
 in addition to Estonian
Estonian language

Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various ?migr? communities....
.

In 1837, a few business-minded entrepreneurs decided to rebuild a lone tavern near the beach into a bathing establishment, thus preparing the ground for the development of the resort of Pärnu. This wooden building was the predecessor of the present-day mud bath
Mud bath

A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly from areas where hot spring water can combine with volcanic ash. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years, and can be found now in high-end spas in many countries of the world....
s. The establishment, which was opened in 1838, 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
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. In 1927, the present stone building of Pärnu Mud Baths was erected at the same site. Later, the wings were attached to the building to accommodate a bath unit and a pool.

Today, disorders of the joints, spinal column and peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the central nervous system , which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs....
, gynaecological problems and dysfunction of the central nervous system are treated at Pärnu Mud Baths. The therapies include hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy

According to the International SPA Association , HYDROTHERAPY has long been a staple in European spas. It's the generic term for water therapies using jets, underwater massage and mineral baths and others....
, mud and ozocerite therapies, massage
Massage

Massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional, and in some cases psychological purposes and goals. The word comes from the French language massage "friction of kneading," or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle" or from Latin massa meaning "mass, dough"....
, laser and electrotherapies, lymph and inhalation therapies, aromatherapy
Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils , and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health....
 and ECG. There are 130 rooms in the hotel of the Mud Baths.

Since 1996 Pärnu has been known as

Notable residents

  • Lydia Koidula
    Lydia Koidula

    Lydia Koidula, , was the pen name of Lydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen, an Estonians poet. Her sobriquet, Lydia Koidula, meaning ?Lydia of the Dawn? in Estonian language, was given her by the writer Carl Robert Jakobson....
    , poet
  • Friedrich Martens
    Friedrich Martens

    Friedrich Fromhold Martens, or Friedrich Fromhold von Martens, also known as Fyodor Fyodorovich Martens in Russian language and Frederic Frommhold Martens in French language was a diplomacy and jurist in service of the Russian Empire who made important contributions to the science of international law....
    , lawyer
  • David Oistrakh
    David Oistrakh

    David Fyodorovich Oistrakh , David Fiodorovic Ojstrah; – October 24, 1974) was a Russian violin virtuoso who made many recordings and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works....
    , violinist
  • Georg Wilhelm Richmann
    Georg Wilhelm Richmann

    Georg Wilhelm Richmann was a Germany physicist living in Russia.He was born into a Baltic German family in Pernau in what had been Duchy of Livonia but later became part of Imperial Russia as a result of the Great Northern War ....
    , German physicist
  • David Samoylov
    David Samoylov

    David Samoylov , pseudonym of David Samuilovich Kaufman . He is a notable poet of War generation of Russian poets, and considered one of the most important Russian poets of the post-World War II era....
    , poet
  • Olev Siinmaa
    Olev Siinmaa

    Olev Siinmaa , was an Estonians architect who is perhaps best recalled for his work in the style coined "P?rnu Resort Functionalism".Olev Sinnmaa was born Oskar Siimann in P?rnu into a joinery shop owner's family....
    , architect


External links