Haapsalu

Haapsalu dates back to 1279, when it was chartered and became the centre of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, which it remained for the next 300 years until the seat was moved to the island of Saaremaa.

The impressive Bishop's Castle, situated on an artificial hill, surrounded by an 803 m long wall and preserved as a ruin, is still a reminder of this time.

The town lost its importance, but at the beginning of the 19th century the healing properties of Haapsalu's mud were discovered and the first sanatorium was founded in 1825. Haapsalu developed into a fashionable health resort. Even the Russian tsar's family Romanov appreciated the spa.