Pärnu

Pärnu stands where the Pärnu River enters the Gulf of Riga. Two medieval towns grew near the river mouth: Old Pärnu, founded by the bishop of Ösel–Wiek, and the Livonian Order's New Pärnu, known to German merchants as Pernau. The latter joined the Hanseatic League and became an important Livonian port, open to maritime trade even in winter.

During the wars over Livonia, Poland–Lithuania and Sweden contested the town. Swedish forces captured it in 1617 after an earlier assault had failed. In 1699 the Academia Gustavo-Carolina moved here from Tartu, bringing scholars and students to Pärnu. The Great Northern War ended this Swedish chapter: the university ceased its work in 1710, the year Pärnu capitulated to Russia. The Treaty of Nystad confirmed the transfer of Livonia in 1721.