Pärnu - Art Nouveau

Pärnu (Pernau) was founded by the Livonian Order, which began building an Ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town was a member of the Hanseatic League and an important ice-free harbour for Livonia. It had been in Swedish possession since the Livonian War in 1561 and experienced a period of cultural and economic prosperity.

Sweden lost Livonia to the Russian Empire in 1710 following the Great Northern War. It belonged to the Imperial Russian Governorate of Livonia until 1917 when it was transferred to the short-lived Autonomous Governorate of Estonia. The town became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following WWI and the Estonian War of Independence.

The city was occupied by the Soviet Red Army along with the rest of Estonia in 1940 during WW II. Pärnu continued as being part of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991 when Estonia restored its independence.

In 1838, the first bathing establishment opened its doors in Pärnu. In the following decades, a green belt with numerous parks was created on the site of the former fortress ring. Little by little, the town developed into a spa resort.

As an up-and-coming spa and recreation town, interesting Art Nouveau buildings were also created in the old town. The proximity to Riga certainly played a role.