Narva (in the past Narwa ) is an Estonian city located on the northern limit with the Russia. The river Narva crosses the city. It counts at January 1st 2004 67.355 inhabitants, who makes of it the third plus big city of the country. The city extends on a surface from 84.54 km ².

Nearly 95% of the population is Russian speaker, the majority being resulting from immigration coming from the U.S.S.R.. The city was severely touched during the Second world war and the several years of its rebuilding, the Soviet authorities to prohibit the return as of its inhabitants of Estonian origin upsetting its ethnic composition then. The Russian fortress of Ivangorod is drawn up close to the Narva; founded by the large duke Ivan III of Russia in 1492, it will form during a time only one and even city with Narva but Ivangorod belongs now to the Russia. The famous player of failures Paul Keres was born in Narva.

History

Founded by the Danish at the 13th century, the fortress and the neighborhoods of the city became the possession of the order livonien after 1347. Conquered temporarily by the Russians in 1555, Narva was controlled by the Swedish of 1581 until in 1704. Then, the city was integrated into the Russian Empire in spite of the victory of Sweden in 1700 at the time of the Bataille of Narva. The city belongs since 1918 to the Estonia.

In 1944, the city was also the theater of the confrontation between troops Nazi are (50 000 men) and Soviet troops (250 000). The countryside, which is held June in July 1944, will see the victory of Soviet. Following this defeat, Hitler ordered the retirement of its troops of Estonia releasing the capital Tallinn but leaving several battalions encircled in the pocket of Courlande.

Mayors

The current mayor is Tarmo Tammiste. One of the former mayors, in 1999-2000, was Eldar Efendijev, of Azeri origin, current deputy of the Parti the center and former minister for the population and the ethnic businesses.

Sources

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