Fire, flood or disaster · 1700
Kuressaare learns to build in stone
In the 17th and 18th centuries Kuressaare was struck again and again by great fires. Each time only a handful of houses were left standing. The town then began to demand that new houses be built of stone. They were simple one-storey plastered homes on a long rectangular plan, and they became a trademark of Kuressaare. By the 1820s Kuressaare had the highest share of stone houses of any town in Estonia: almost half of its houses were stone, while in Tallinn, in second place, it was under a third. The year given is approximate.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
17. ja 18. sajandil langes Kuressaare korduvalt suurte tulekahjude ohvriks. Iga kord jäi püsti vaid loetud arv maju. Seetõttu hakati nõudma kivist majade ehitamist. Need olid lihtsad ühekorruselised väljavenitatud ristkülikukujulise põhiplaaniga krohvitud elamud, millest sai Kuressaare kaubamärk. 1820. aastateks oli Kuressaare kivimajade osakaalult Eesti linnade seas esikohal: peaaegu pooled majad olid kivist, teisel kohal olnud Tallinnas aga alla kolmandiku. Paljud neist madalatest kivimajadest ääristavad tänini raekoja ümbruse vanu tänavaid. Aastaarv on ligikaudne.