Kärdla

Kärdla (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈkærˑ'dlɑ]; Swedish: Kärrdal; German: Kertel) is the only town on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia. It is the capital of Hiiu County and the administrative center of Hiiumaa Parish.

Kärdla
Town
The town square of Kärdla.
Kärdla
Location of Kärdla by the Baltic Sea
Kärdla
Location in Estonia
Kärdla
Location in Europe
Coordinates: 58°59′53″N 22°44′48″E
Country Estonia
County Hiiu
Municipality Hiiumaa Parish
Town status1938
Area
 • Total4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total3,287
 • Rank28th
 • Density730/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 • Estonians98.2%
 • others1.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
92401 to 92420
Area code(s)(+372) 46
Vehicle registrationH

Geography

Kärdla is located on the northeastern coast of Hiiumaa, by the Tareste Bay; to the southeast of the town lies the 455 million year old Kärdla meteorite crater. Several small rivers flow through the town. There are also artesian wells in Kärdla.

History

Kärdla was first mentioned in 1564 as a village inhabited by Swedes. Its growth was greatly influenced by the cloth factory founded in 1830. A port was built in 1849. Both the port and the factory were destroyed in World War II.

Kärdla officially became a borough in 1920, and a town in 1938. In 2013 the town was merged with Kõrgessaare Parish to establish Hiiumaa Parish, therefore Kärdla lost its municipality status.

Population
Population census
Year 1897 1922 1934 1959 1970 1979 1989 2000 2010
Pop.1,7181,5801,5242,6882,9693,4264,1263,6723,634
±% p.a.—    −0.33%−0.30%+2.30%+0.91%+1.60%+1.88%−1.05%−0.10%
Kärdla harbor
Kärdla Airport

Transport

Road transport from Estonian mainland to Hiiumaa involves a 90-minute (28 km (17 mi)) ferry crossing from Rohuküla to Heltermaa, which is 25 kilometers (16 miles) by road from Kärdla. There are about 10 ferry departures a day operated by TS Laevad.[2] In the summer weekends, getting car space on the ferry usually requires advance booking. There are about 2 scheduled buses a day between Tallinn (the capital of Estonia) and Kärdla.[3]

There are no scheduled passenger boats directly to Kärdla.

Kärdla is served by Kärdla Airport, with regular flights to Tallinn.

Kärdla town itself is small enough to get around on foot. Bicycle rental is available, and there is a good bicycle path built from Kärdla towards Kõrgessaare.

Events

June's first weekend annual Hiiumaa Children's festival takes place.

In the first week of August, the coffee-loving people of Kärdla expect visitors to Kärdla Cafés' Day celebrated just for one day in their own gardens, serving coffee and home-made pastry.

Notable people

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Estonia

Twin towns – Sister cities

Kärdla is twinned with:

References
  1. Population by sex, age and place of residence after the 2017 administrative reform, 1 January. Statistics Estonia.
  2. Praamid.ee. Ferry schedules and booking.
  3. "Bus schedules and booking". T pilet.
  4. "Twinnings" (PDF). Central Union of Municipalities & Communities of Greece. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  • Media related to Kärdla at Wikimedia Commons
  • Kärdla travel guide from Wikivoyage
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