City Guide: Rakvere

Rakvere, or rather Rakvere’s castle is first mentioned in the Chronicle of Livonia, written by Henrik of Latvia in 1226, where he describes an Estonian wooden castle located on a hill. The wooden castle was destroyed during the Livonian War and then replaced by a large, stone castle, the ruins of which you can still see today.

Rakvere is rapidly developing and is home to many interesting music and art festivals. Arvo Pärt, Estonia’s most famous modern day composer, went to school here. A statue of Pärt as a young boy can be seen in the Town Square. The Estonian Punk Song Festival takes place every few years. The festival began as a protest against the conservatism of the national song festival. Baltoscandal, the biannual international theatre festival has been held in Rakvere, Europe’s smallest theatre city, since 1994.

This small city makes for a great day trip, or even a quiet overnight stay on your way to Narva and eastern Estonia.

How to get there

Rakvere is Estonia’s fifth largest city and is located about 100km east of Tallinn.

Bus: Buses leave almost hourly from Tallinn and tickets start at €4. Tickets and schedules can be found at www.tpilet.ee

Train: There are two daily trains to Narva that stop in Rakvere. Tickets cost €5.30. Tickets and schedules can be found at www.elron.ee

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