Hapsal

Hapsal, or Haapsalu, stands on a sheltered bay on Estonia's western coast. It grew around the castle and cathedral of the bishops of Ösel–Wiek, who governed lands on the mainland and the island of Saaremaa. Bishop Hermann granted the town rights modelled on those of Riga in 1279. The castle and cathedral formed an ecclesiastical centre as well as a stronghold beside the sea.

In 1559 the last Catholic bishop sold the bishopric to the Danish king. The Livonian War badly damaged Hapsal Castle, and after Sweden took control in 1581 it was rebuilt as a garrison fortress. King Gustavus Adolphus sold it to Jacob De la Gardie in 1624. A fire destroyed the castle in 1688, and the town suffered further devastation during the Great Northern War.