Kuressaare (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈkureˈsˑɑːre]) is a town on the island Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2024 was 13,185.
The town is situated on the southern coast of Saaremaa, facing the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea, and is served by the Kuressaare Airport, Roomassaare harbour, and Michael's harbour.
Saaremaa (/ˈsɑːrəmɑː/; Estonian: [ˈsɑˑreˌmɑː]) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare maakond (county), is the town of Kuressaare.
From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, the island of Saaremaa was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name Ösel.
View the full Wikipedia page for SaaremaaKreis Ösel (Estonian: Kuressaare kreis, Russian: Эзельский уезд) was one of the nine subdivisions of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kuressaare (Arensburg). It was situated in the northwestern part of the governorate (in present-day western Estonia). The territory of Kreis Ösel corresponds to the present-day Saare County.
View the full Wikipedia page for Kreis Ösel