:Rakvere

The earliest signs of a human settlement, dating back to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries AD, have been found on Rakvere's theatre hill (Teatrimägi). Probably to protect this settlement, a wooden stronghold was built on another hill (Vallimägi) nearby.

After the Kingdom of Denmark conquered northern Estonia, it started to erect stone buildings in 1220. A settlement called Tarvanpea is first mentioned in 1226 in the Livonian Chronicle of Henry. The Danish stronghold is first recorded as Wesenbergh (in Middle Low German) in 1252. The Battle of Wesenberg, with the Danish and Teutonic knights and local militia on one side and the forces of Novgorod and Pskov on the other, occurred near Rakvere on 18 February 1268. King Erik VI Menved granted Rakvere Lübeck rights on 12 June 1302.Rakvere Turismiinfokeskus, Rakvere Eng. Retrieved from https://visitrakvere.com/yldinfo/ After the king sold Danish Estonia to the Livonian Order in 1346, a large stone castle was built on top of the stronghold on Vallimägi. The Ordensburg was protected by towers and courtyards.

File:Rakvere linnuse varemed vallikraaviga1.jpg

The building of a Franciscan monastery started in 1508. Yet, in 1558, during the first year of the Livonian War, Muscovite troops captured Rakvere, and, in 1574, Sweden heavily damaged the town after the disastrous Siege of Wesenberg.{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Gary Dean|title=Warrior kings of Sweden. The rise of an empire in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries|publisher=McFarland|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7864-2873-1|pages=91–92}} In 1581, Sweden captured Rakvere{{cite book|last=Black|first=Jeremy|title=Warfare. Renaissance to revolution, 1492–1792|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1996|series=Cambridge Illustrated Atlases|volume=2|isbn=0-521-47033-1|page=59}} and passed it to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1602; Polish troops destroyed the castle in 1605. After Rakvere returned to Swedish control that same year, a mansion was built on the ruins of the monastery. In 1703, during the Great Northern War, Rakvere was burned down. With the Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 and the subsequent Treaty of Nystad in 1721, the town became part of the Russian Empire. It was a part of Russia until 1918 when, following World War I, Estonia became an independent nation.

During the period of independence from 1918 to 1940, Estonia completed its first railway, and Rakvere was at the heart of the crucial Tallinn-Rakvere-Narva-St. Petersburg trade route. Telephone lines had been installed in 1898, and nearly the entire city had electric lights in 1918. Many prominent buildings were built, too, in Rakvere, during this period, including the market building, the old bank building (today, SEB Pank), and Rakvere Secondary School (since 2022, Rakvere Freedom School). Local newspapers emerged, including the county paper Virumaa Teataja in 1925. The idea of a professional theatre in Rakvere started to take shape as well. In 1930, during the administration of Mayor Heinrich Aviksoo, the town stadium opened. Later, Anton Soans developed a new master plan from which emerged a private German-language school and a public Estonian-language high school.

On 17 June 1940, the Red Army occupied Estonia, and on 20 August 1991, Estonia again declared its independence.

Rakvere is reportedly Europe's smallest town with its own professional theatre.Taul, Gregor. [https://archive.today/20120913112409/http://www.sirp.ee/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13717:turism-ja-linnamaastikud-pihkvas&catid=20:arhitektuur&Itemid=25&issue=3374 "Turism ja linnamaastikud Pihkvas"]. Sirp. 22 December 2011. Accessed 4 April 2012. {{in lang|et}} The roots of Rakvere Theatre date back to 1882. Construction of the theatre was completed at the end of the 1930s, and its festive opening was on 24 February 1940. The theatre survived World War II and, today, presents 10 new productions each season. Rakvere Theatre has given Estonia many renowned actors, including Volli Käro, Üllar Saaremäe, Indrek Saar, Ülle Lichtfeldt, and Aarne Üksküla. Since 1990, the theatre has organized the biannual event Baltoscandal, which hosts avant-garde plays and groups from all over the world.

On 15 July 2000, a high-end F2/T5 tornado hit Rakvere, killing one person and injuring one other. The tornado damaged 110 homes and destroyed 120 garage buildings. One car was seen airborne.{{Cite web|url=https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi|title = European Severe Weather Database}}{{Cite web|url=http://vana.loodusajakiri.ee/eesti_loodus/EL/vanaweb/0009/tornaado.html|title = Tornaado läks läbi Rakvere}}

The T5 highway to Pärnu starts near Rakvere, and the T1 Tallinn-Narva highway, part of European route E20, is just to the north of the town. Narva is 114 km to the east of Rakvere. The Tallinn-Narva railway passes the city, and passenger trains between Tallinn and Narva, operated by Elron, stop at Rakvere several times a day. Daily busses connect Rakvere to Tallinn and Narva, too, as well as to many small towns throughout Lääne-Virumaa, including Tapa and Kunda.

Rakvere has a total area of 10.75 square kilometres. There are 19 districts, or neighborhoods, in Rakvere: Kondivalu, Kukeküla, Kurikaküla, Lennuvälja, Lepiku, Lilleküla, Linnuriik, Moonaküla, Mõisavälja, Paemurru, Palermo, Roodevälja, Seminari, Südalinn, Taaravainu, Tammiku, Vallimäe, Vanalinn, and Õpetaja Heinamaa. Although about 15% of Rakvere is covered by forests and parks, it is Estonia's third most densely populated urban area.

{{Pie chart

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The oldest known archeological traces of the ancient fortress on Rakvere's Vallimägi hill date from the 5th and 6th centuries. Throughout the ages, Rakvere Castle has belonged to Danish kings, knight-monks of the Livonian Order, and the Swedish and Polish states. During the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1629, the castle was partly blown up by Polish troops in 1605, and, later, by the Swedish army. The castle has lain in ruins ever since.{{Cite web|title=RAKVERE CASTLE'S HISTORY|url=https://www.rakverelinnus.ee/en/node/79}}

Today, permanent exhibitions and seasonal programs and activities in the castle explain everyday life in the 16th century. Visitors can dress as medieval knights and walk through the castle's rooms, including a torture chamber, an alchemist's workshop, and a room of historical artifacts. -->{{Cite web|title=Virumaa Museums - Rakvere Castle|url=https://www.virumaamuuseumid.ee/en/rakvere-castle/}}

File:Rakverke town(2).jpg

Rakvere's "Tarvas" statue of an aurochs, by Estonian sculptor Tauno Kangro, is considered the largest animal statue in the Baltic region. Erected in 2002 for Rakvere's 700th birthday, Tarvas, which stands on the edge of Vallimägi, pays homage to the town's historical name Tarvanpää and symbolizes the town's motto Väge täis (Full of Strength). Along with its granite pedestal, the bronze sculpture is seven meters long and four meters high and weighs about seven tons. The individuals and companies who financed it are engraved in the granite block.{{Cite web|title=Tarvas sculpture|url=https://www.visitestonia.com/en/tarvas-sculpture}}

Trinity Church, Rakvere's Lutheran church, originally called St. Michael Church and dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel,"Rakvere Kolmainu Kirik / Church of the Trinity" monument sign in Trinity Church park, near the bridge, viewed January 11, 2025 dates from the 15th century. It was designed to also be a stronghold in times of trouble. The tower, the masonry stairway, the sharp edges of the windows, and some pillars have been preserved. The church was severely damaged during the Livonian War and during Polish-Swedish conflicts in the 17th century. It was reconstructed from 1684 to 1693, becoming a three-nave chamber from which the name Trinity Church came. In 1703 and 1708, during the Great Northern War, the church was damaged again. It was reconstructed from 1727 to 1730; a Renaissance-style tower was completed in 1752, which was replaced by a neo-Gothic tower in 1852. The church's interior displays fine craftsmanship, including a Baroque pulpit from 1690 made by Christian Ackermann{{cite book | last = Viirand| first = Tiiu| title = Estonia. Cultural Tourism | publisher = Kunst Publishers | date = 2004 | page = 129| isbn = 9949-407-18-4 }} and the altar wall from 1730 by Johann Valentin Rabe.https://visitrakvere.com/visitee/rakvere-kolmainu-kirik/ A statute of an egg and a cock that was on the top of the tower is now in the Rakvere Museum

Estonian architect and Rakvere native Alar Kotli designed St. Paul's (Freedom) Church in 1935 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Estonian independence. Construction started in 1937 but stopped in 1940 due to World War II. Although it is one of the few religious buildings in Estonia with two towers, the church was never completed, and the towers were never crowned spires. In 2009, the City of Rakvere launched an international architectural competition for designs that would transform Kotli's building into a music center in honor of Arvo Pärt. Rakvere selected Estonian architects Kristiina Aasvee, Kristiina Hussar, and Anne Kose, and, in March 2025, 85 years late, a spire was rested atop the northwest tower.

Long, or Pikk, Street is the oldest street in Rakvere. Most Estonian cities have a Pikk Street, which is like a High Street in the United Kingdom or a Main Street in the United States. In the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, Pikk Street was Rakveres's main shopping street with banks, shops, restaurants, and guesthouses as well as the residences of the town's wealthiest businessmen. In 2016, during the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Estonian Republic ({{langx|et|Eesti Vabariik 100}}), Rakvere was one of 15 municipalities that won the "Good [sometimes translated as Great] Public Space" competition and received financing from the European Union Regional Development Fund and Enterprise Estonia to reconstruct approximately 700 meters of Pikk Street as a pedestrian-friendly, historical thoroughfare reminiscent of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The National Heritage Board of Estonia ({{langx|et|Muinsuskaitseamet}}) recognized Rakvere's project with its 2020 New Building in a Historical Environment award, and, in 2021, Estonia showcased it at Venice's 17th Biennale of Architecture. A sculpture of eight-year-old {{langx|et|Edith Kotka-Nyman}} (1932-2017) by G.S. Hansen is at 22 Pikk Street, and, behind her, are the so-called Carrot Stairs ({{langx|et|Porganditrepp}}) that lead up to Vallimägi and Rakvere Castle with wider steps at the top and narrower ones at the bottom. {{cite web |title=Rakvere Stairs |url=https://www.kavakava.ee/en/project/rakvere-staircase/ |website=Kavakava |publisher=Kavakava Architects |access-date=October 2, 2024 |location=Tallinn}}{{Cite web|title=Historic Pikk street|url=https://rakvere.kovtp.ee/historic-pikk-street}}

In 2004, Rakvere's central, or town, square got a new, modern look with architects' Otto Kadarik, Mihkel Tüür, and Villem Tomiste's five yellow domes (that also look like umbrellas or chanterelle mushrooms or medieval turret tops) hanging from white semi-arches on cobbled hills. In 2010, the sculpture A Young Man on Bicycle Listening to Music was dedicated to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, an honorary resident of Rakvere, in honor of his 75th birthday{{Cite web|title=Market square Rakvere|url=https://visitrakvere.com/rakvere/rakvere-keskvaljak/}} The sculptors are Aivar Simson and Paul Mänd. Surrounding the young man and the square is Rakvere's central business district, including a historical market building and the SEB Pank building, one of the most representative bank buildings in Estonia designed by Ferdinand Gustav Adoff.

The building of Rakvere Freedom School ({{langx|et|Rakvere Vabaduse Kool}}), designed by alumnus Alar Kotli, is a significant example of Functionalism. A key characteristic of Functionalism (architecture) in school architecture is an open building plan that incorporates plain white wall surfaces and round windows. Opened in 1938, Freedom School was one of the first schools to have a separate gymnasium and assembly hall."Rakvere Gümnaasiumi Hoone / Rakvere Secondary School" monument sign at Vabaduse 1 Street, in front of the school, viewed September 15, 2024 Local singers and musicians contend that Freedom School's assembly hall has the best acoustics of any school in Lääne Viru County.

From 1994 to 2022, Freedom School was one of Rakvere's high schools (gümnaasium). In 2022, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research opened a high school ({{langx|et|Rakvere Riigigümnaasium}}) in a new 4,100-square-meter building,https://rakvere.edu.ee/tarkuse-vaega-kool/ and Freedom School became an elementary school.https://rakverevk.edu.ee/ajalugu/

From 1936 to 1940, during a period of significant growth, Harald {{langx|et|Henno Jänes}}, an Estonian patriot, was the director of Rakvere High School. In 1954, composer Arvo Pärt graduated from the high school. (Across the street from Freedom School the Municipality of Rakvere is converting St. Paul's Church, also designed by Kotli, into a multipurpose music center in honor of Pärt.)https://rakvere.ee/arvo-part-music-house?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_VKfYL3HSNntq&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=1 In 1970, entrepreneur {{langx|et|Oleg Gross}} graduated from the school.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Estonia}}

Rakvere is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Sõpruslinnad|url=http://rakvere.kovtp.ee/rakvere-sopruslinnad|website=rakvere.kovtp.ee|publisher=Rakvere linn|language=et|access-date=7 November 2019}}

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• Cēsis, Latvia
• Lappeenranta, Finland
• Lapua, Finland
• Lütjenburg, Germany
• Sigtuna, Sweden
• Panevėžys, Lithuania
• Senaki, Georgia
• Szolnok, Hungary
• Vyshhorod, Ukraine

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• Basketball
• Rakvere Tarvas – a men's basketball team, Estonian second best basketball club in season 2009/2010. In season 2019/2020 they were 4th. The club takes part in Paf Estonian Latvian basketball league. This is the best basketball league in Estonia. The home ground is Kastani Arena.
• Volleyball
• BMF/Rakvere VK (Võrkpalliklub) – a men's volleyball team in the Men's First (Premier) League (Meeste I Liiga) of the Estonian Volleyball Union (Eesti Võrkpalli Liit) (2024-2025). Their home court is the Rakvere Sports Hall (Rakvere Spordihall).
• Rakvere VK – a men's volleyball team that was a multiple Estonian Champion and Cup winner, which took part in Esiliiga, the second best volleyball league in Estonia.
• Football
• Rakvere JK Tarvas – an amateur football club established in 2004. The club plays in Estonian II liiga (fourth tier in Estonian football). In 2016 they played in Estonian premium league. The home ground is Rakvere linnastaadion.

• Amateur Sumo World Championships 2008
• U19 EURO2012

File:Rakvere, centrum.jpg|Rakvere town centre

File:HPIM2189 Rakvere teatri linnapoolne vaade.jpg|Rakvere Theatre

File:Rakvere kirik..jpg|Rakvere Trinity Church

File:Rakvere Karmeli koguduse kirik.jpg|Rakvere Baptist Church

File:Tallinna-25 Rakvere.jpg|Hotel Wesenberg

File:Rakvere mõisa park.jpg|Rakvere manor park

File:Rakvere-1.JPG|Rakvere main square

File:Rakvere, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia - panoramio (12).jpg|Buildings on Pikk Street

File:Tallinna-3 Rakvere.jpg|Estonian Police Museum

File:Rakvere Estonia Street with church.JPG|Pikk Street in Rakvere

File:Rakvere mõisa peahoone ja teatrihoone.jpg|Rakvere Manorhouse and Theatre

File:Viru maakohus.jpg|Rakvere County Courthouse

File:Kastani Arena.jpg|Rakvere Sports Hall

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Rakvere}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [https://www.rakvere.ee/ Rakvere City Government]
• [https://www.visitrakvere.com/ Rakvere Tourist Information]
• [https://www.archdaily.com/959347/estonian-pavilion-at-the-biennale-architettura-2021-explores-the-role-of-urban-space-in-the-future-of-small-towns/ Estonian Pavilion at the 2021 Biennale of Architecture]
• [http://www.k55.ee/rakvere/ Night photos of Rakvere in winter by Kaiko Lipsmäe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720125103/http://www.k55.ee/rakvere/ |date=20 July 2011 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100824220237/http://remains.se/picturem.php?ObjectID=163&Browse=AREA Rakvere Castle] Picture gallery at Remains.se
• [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97_uezd_eng.php?reg=1735 Population of Rakvere by mother tongue in 1897]

{{Cities_of Estonia}}

{{Lääne-Virumaa}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places established in the 3rd century

Category:Populated places in Lääne-Viru County

Category:Castles of the Livonian Order

Category:Kreis Wierland

Category:Cities and towns in Estonia

Category:Municipalities of Estonia