Paldiski

Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri Peninsula of northwestern Estonia. Since 2017, it's the administrative centre of Lääne-Harju Parish of Harju County. Previously a village of Estonia-Swedes known by the historical name Rågervik, it was extended into a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russian authorities renamed it Балтийский Порт ("Baltiyskiy Port", i.e., Baltic Port, Baltisch-Port) in 1762. In written Estonian, the name was spelled Baltiski until 1933, when the phonetically spelled version Paldiski became official. Paldiski was founded as a fishing village by Estonian Swedes. Peter the Great of Russia chose the location in 1715 for a naval base, and construction started in 1716. It was meant to be a sea fortress and in 1790, during the Russo-Swedish War, it was conquered by the Swedes through trickery, when a Swedish warship sailing under a Dutch flag was allowed to dock. On 23 June 1912 the Russian emperor Nikolai II and German kaiser Wilhelm II met for the last time before World War I in Paldiski. Since the 18th century, Leetse manor existed there. In the 1910s the manor ceased to exist and was formed the populated place called Leetse (Leetse asundus). From 1920-1940, Paldiski was a regular Estonian small town. The main economic activities were fishing, fish processing and agriculture. Town had Lutherian Nikolai church, built in 1842 and Orthodox Saint George church, built in 1784. 1922-1935 there was gymnasium. 1939 Soviet Union started building naval base in Paldiski under Basis Treaty. In 1940 whole population of Paldiski was removed and relocated. The town was populated by Soviet military personnel and their family members from Soviet Union. From that year Paldiski became gradually closed city for average Estonian residents until 1990. Soviet naval base headquarters was located in Paldiski. During World War II, Germans occupied town 28th August 1941 and left 1944. During the retreat, most of the town was burnt down, only 20 buildings survived.