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22-471: The county is subdivided into municipalities . There are 3 rural municipalities ( Estonian : vallad – parishes) in Saare County. The largest islands of the county are Saaremaa , Muhu , Ruhnu , Abruka and Vilsandi . Arable land is 570 km (220 sq mi) and it has a mild maritime climate. The mean annual air temperature is 6.0 °C (42.8 °F) and the mean annual precipitation

44-399: A number of 169 to 15. The number of councillors was reduced from 2,026 to 1,019. In 2022, 36 municipalities (45.56%) had falling population numbers. The municipalities are: Arms In each municipality there is a local government as well as a council . The council ( volikogu ) is a representative body elected by the residents of a municipality for a term of three years. The members of

66-526: Is 509 mm (20.0 in). Religion in Saare County (2021) [1] According to archeological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited for at least five thousand years. In the first centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of

88-690: Is called Eysysla which means exactly the same as the name of the island in Estonian: the district (land) of island . This is the origin of the island's name in German and Swedish, Ösel , Danish, Øsel , and in Latin Oesel . The name Eysysla appears sometimes together with Adalsysla , 'the big land', perhaps 'Suuremaa' or 'Suur Maa' in Estonian which refers to mainland Estonia. Sagas talk about numerous skirmishes between islanders and Vikings. Saaremaa

110-499: Is therefore a "village-parish". Some municipalities are divided into districts. The 8 urban districts ( linnaosad , singular linnaosa ) of Tallinn have limited self-government, while other urban districts are formed for administrative purposes. Some rural districts ( osavallad ) have limited self-government, while other types of rural districts do not. Municipalities range in population from Tallinn with 427,500 inhabitants to Ruhnu with 68. Previously, as over two-thirds of

132-651: The Old Norse Icelandic Sagas and in Heimskringla as Víkingr frá Esthland (in English, Estonian Vikings). Their sailing vessels were called pirate ships by Henry of Livonia in his Latin chronicles from the beginning of the 13th century. Eistland or Esthland is the historical Germanic language name that refers to the country at the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea in general and is

154-954: The Bishop of Lund landed on Saaremaa and attempted to establish a stronghold, but without success. In 1216 the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and the bishop Theodorich joined forces and invaded Saaremaa over the frozen sea. The following spring the Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule in revenge. In 1220, the Swedish army led by king John I of Sweden and the bishop Karl of Linköping conquered Lihula in Rotalia in Western Estonia. Oeselians attacked

176-629: The Master of Teutonic Order in Livonia Andreas de Velven and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek in 1241. The next treaty was signed in 1255 by the Master of the Order, Anno Sangerhausenn, and, on behalf of the Oeselians, by men whose "names" (or declaration) were transcribed by Latin scribes as Ylle, Culle, Enu, Muntelene, Tappete, Yalde, Melete, and Cake The treaty granted several distinctive rights to

198-643: The Oeselians. The 1255 treaty included clauses concerning the ownership and inheritance of land, the social system and autonomy from certain religious rules. In 1261, warfare continued as the Oeselians had once more renounced Christianity and killed all the Germans on the island. A peace treaty was signed after the united forces of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and

220-527: The Swedish stronghold the same year, conquered it and killed the entire Swedish garrison including the Bishop of Linköping. In 1222, Valdemar II again tried to conquer Saaremaa, this time establishing a stone fortress housing a strong garrison. But the Danish stronghold was besieged, and surrendered within five days, and the Danish garrison returned to Reval , leaving bishop Albert of Riga 's brother Theodoric and few others behind as hostages for peace. The castle

242-574: The castle and killed all the defenders. In February 1344, Burchard von Dreileben led a campaign over the frozen sea to Saaremaa. The Oeselians' stronghold was conquered and their king Wesse was hanged. In the early spring of 1345, the next campaign of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order took place; it ended with a treaty mentioned in the Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge and the Novgorod First Chronicle . Saaremaa remained

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264-411: The council elect a chairman ( volikogu esimees ), who organises the council's work and represents the municipality. The government ( valitsus ) is an executive body formed by the council. It is headed by a mayor ( linnapea in towns, vallavanem in parishes), who is appointed for a four-year term. The mayor cannot be the chairman of the council. Other members of the government are chosen by

286-514: The entire territory of the country. Municipalities in Estonia are of two types: There is no other status distinction between them. Municipalities may contain one or several settlements . All but 5 urban municipalities ( Haapsalu , Narva-Jõesuu , Paide , Pärnu and Tartu ) plus 1 rural municipality ( Ruhnu ) contain only one settlement. As of 2017, there are no longer any "borough-parishes", i.e. rural municipalities with only one borough-type settlement. Ruhnu Parish contains only one village and

308-635: The eve of the Northern Crusades , the Oeselians were summarized in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle thus: "The Oselians, neighbors to the Kurs ( Curonians ), are surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers when they can travel across the sea they oppress the surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans." In 1206, the Danish army led by king Valdemar II and Andreas,

330-518: The forces of Danish Estonia , including mainland Estonians and Latvians, defeated the Oeselians by conquering the Kaarma stronghold. Soon afterwards, the Teutonic Knights established a stone fort at Pöide . On July 24, 1343, the Oeselians again killed all the Germans on the island, drowned all the clerics and started to besiege the fort at Pöide. After its surrender, the Oeselians levelled

352-507: The local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century, the following major counties had developed in Estonia: Saaremaa (Oesel), Läänemaa (Rotalia or Maritima), Harjumaa (Harria), Rävala ( Revalia ), Virumaa ( Vironia ), Järvamaa (Jervia), Sakala (Saccala), and Ugandi ( Ugaunia ). In old Scandinavian sagas, Saaremaa

374-533: The municipalities had a population of under 3,000, many of them found it advantageous to co-operate in providing services and carrying out administrative functions. After the administrative reform was completed in October 2017, there are total of 79 municipalities, 15 of which are urban and 64 rural. 51 of the present municipalities were the result of mergers, 28 remain unchanged. After the reform small municipalities with under 5,000 inhabitants have been reduced from

396-423: The origin of the modern national name for Estonia. The mainland of modern Estonia in the 8th century Ynglinga saga was called Adalsyssla in contrast to Eysyssel or Ösyssla that was the name of the island ( Swedish ): Ösel or ( Estonian ): Saaremaa , the home of the Oeselians ( Estonian : Saarlased ). In the 11th century, Courland and Estland (Estonia) were both denoted separately by Adam of Bremen . On

418-547: The vassal of the master of the Teutonic Order in Livonia, and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. 58°25′N 22°35′E  /  58.417°N 22.583°E  / 58.417; 22.583 Municipalities of Estonia A municipality ( Estonian : omavalitsus , plural omavalitsused ) is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia . Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover

440-582: Was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword , but remained a hotbed of Estonian resistance. The Order founded the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek there. When the Order was defeated by the Lithuanian army in the Battle of Saule in 1236, Oeselians rebelled. The conflict was ended by a treaty that was signed by the Oeselians and the Master of the Order. The Oeselians along with the Curonians were known in

462-629: Was leveled to the ground by the Oeselians. In 1227, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the town of Riga and the Bishop of Riga organized a combined attack against Saaremaa. After the surrender of two major Oeselian strongholds, Muhu and Valjala , the Oeselians formally accepted Christianity. In 1236, after the defeat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule , military action on Saaremaa broke out again. The Oeselians again accepted Christianity by signing treaties with

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484-675: Was the wealthiest county of ancient Estonia and the home of notorious Estonian pirates , sometimes called the Eastern Vikings. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia describes a fleet of sixteen ships and five hundred Oeselians ravaging the area that is now southern Sweden, then belonging to Denmark. In 1206, the Danish Valdemar II the Victorious built a fortress on the island but they found no volunteers to man it. They burned it down themselves and left. In 1227, Saaremaa

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