Pärnu

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.

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 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.

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.

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 all desirable 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. It's 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.

• Elisabeth Aspe, writer
• Gustav Fabergé, jeweller
• Johann Voldemar Jannsen, journalist and poet
• Lili Kaelas, archeologist
• Tõnis Kasemets, race-car driver who has competed in ChampCar and IMSA
• Rein Kask, politician
• Egon Kaur, rally driver
• Paul Keres, chess grandmaster
• Lydia Koidula, poet
• Ilmi Kolla, poet
• Kaie Kõrb, prima ballerina
• Jüri Kukk, professor of chemistry, dissident, and political prisoner
• Karin Luts, artist
• Friedrich Martens, lawyer
• Kaili Närep, actress
• Rene Pais, professionally known as Syn Cole, DJ and musician
• Liisa Pulk, actress
• Rasmus Rändvee, singer
• Salme Reek, actress
• Georg Wilhelm Richmann, German physicist
• Erika Salumäe, track bicycle racer
• David Samoylov, poet
• August Sang, poet
• Olev Siinmaa, architect
• David Shrayer-Petrov, poet, fiction writer, translator, medical scientist
• Maxim D. Shrayer, author and literary scholar
• Lilli Suburg, writer
• Avo Sõmer, musicologist, music theorist, composer
• Kristin Tattar, athlete, disc golf world champion

• 1886 Konstantin Possiet
• 1901 Friedrich Fromhold Martens
• 1934 Konstantin Päts
• 2007 Neeme Järvi
• 2008 Valter Ojakäär
• 2009 Jüri Jaanson
• 2017 Arbo Valdma
• 2024 Olaf Esna

• Monument to poet Lydia Koidula (by Amandus Adamson)
• Endla Theatre
• Kursaal hall dating from 1880
• Sunset in Pärnu beach
• Rüütli street in Pärnu
• Pärnu mud baths
• A street view
• In 1857, the first Estonian weekly newspaper Perno Postimees began to be published in Pärnu.
• The building of the Endla Theatre, where the Estonian Declaration of Independence was first publicly proclaimed on 23 February 1918.
• Crowd gathering in front of the Endla Theatre in Pärnu to listen to the Estonian Declaration of Independence in February 1918.

• Pärnu Leht