Introduction
Town in Estonia
Town in Hiiu County, EstoniaKärdlaTownTown square
FlagCoat of armsKärdlaLocation of Kärdla by the Baltic SeaShow map of Baltic SeaKärdlaLocation in EstoniaShow map of EstoniaKärdlaLocation in EuropeShow map of EuropeCoordinates: 58°59′53″N 22°44′48″E / 58.99806°N 22.74667°E / 58.99806; 22.74667CountryEstoniaCountyHiiu CountyMunicipalityHiiumaa ParishTown status1938Government • Chairman of the District CouncilTõnis PaljasmaArea • Total4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi)Population (2024) • Total2,921 • Rank28th • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)Ethnicity • Estonians98.2% • others1.8%Time zoneUTC+2 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)Postal code92401 to 92420
Kärdla (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈkærˑ'dlɑ]; Swedish: Kärrdalⓘ; German: Kertel) is the only town on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia. It is the capital of Hiiu County and the administrative center of Hiiumaa Parish. The Chairman of the District Council of Kärdla is Tõnis Paljasma.
Geography
[edit]
Kärdla is located on the northeastern coast of Hiiumaa, by the Tareste Bay; to the southeast of the town lies the 455 million year old Kärdla meteorite crater. Several small rivers flow through the town. There are also artesian wells in Kärdla. The Swedish name Kärrdal means "marsh valley"; the town is located in a lowlands valley.
History
[edit]
Kärdla was first mentioned in 1564 as a village inhabited by Swedes. Its growth was greatly influenced by the cloth factory founded in 1830. A port was built in 1849. Both the port and the factory were destroyed in World War II.
Kärdla officially became a borough in 1920, and a town in 1938. In 2013 the town was merged with Kõrgessaare Parish to establish Hiiumaa Parish, therefore Kärdla lost its municipality status.
Demographics
[edit]
Ethnic composition 1922-2021
Ethnicity
1922
1934
1941
1959
1970
1979
1989
2000
2011
2021
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
amount
%
Estonians
1503
95.1
1390
95.6
1172
98.5
2156
80.2
6766
96.7
3167
92.4
3866
93.4
3684
97.6
2994
98.2
2988
98.1
Russians
10
0.63
27
1.86
13
1.09
-
-
172
2.46
187
5.46
184
4.45
53
1.40
27
0.89
24
0.79
Ukrainians
-
-
1
0.07
-
-
-
-
25
0.36
27
0.79
30
0.72
7
0.19
6
0.20
6
0.20
Belarusians
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
11
0.16
14
0.41
16
0.39
5
0.13
6
0.20
3
0.10
Finns
-
-
0
0.00
1
0.08
-
-
6
0.09
2
0.06
3
0.07
4
0.11
4
0.13
7
0.23
Jews
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
-
-
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
Latvians
-
-
1
0.07
1
0.08
-
-
3
0.04
11
0.32
5
0.12
5
0.13
5
0.16
4
0.13
Germans
29
1.84
24
1.65
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
0.03
4
0.10
2
0.05
2
0.07
0
0.00
Tatars
-
-
0
0.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
0.15
5
0.12
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
Poles
-
-
1
0.07
0
0.00
-
-
-
-
2
0.06
3
0.07
2
0.05
1
0.03
0
0.00
Lithuanians
-
-
0
0.00
0
0.00
-
-
2
0.03
0
0.00
2
0.05
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
unknown
1
0.06
1
0.07
1
0.08
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
7
0.19
1
0.03
6
0.20
other
37
2.34
9
0.62
2
0.17
532
19.8
13
0.19
10
0.29
21
0.51
4
0.11
4
0.13
8
0.26
Total
1580
100
1454
100
1190
100
2688
100
6998
100
3426
100
4139
100
3773
100
3050
100
3046
100
Kärdla harbor
Kärdla Airport
