| Lääne County | |
| Native Name: | Estonian: Läänemaa |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Flag Size: | 125px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Estonia |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Haapsalu |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Innar Mäesalu |
| Area Total Km2: | 2383 |
| Population Total: | 20227 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Rank: | 14th |
| Population Density Km2: | 10.3 |
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnicity |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Estonians |
| Iso Code: | EE-56 |
| Registration Plate: | S |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 89.3% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Russians |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 7.4% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | other |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 3.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | €320 million (2022) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | €15,658 (2022) |
Lääne County (et|Lääne maakond or Läänemaa, literally "Western land"; de|Wiek; la|Rotalia) is one of the 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders the Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, and the island counties of Saare and Hiiu to the west. In January 2009 Lääne County had a population of 23,810 – constituting 2.0% of the total population in Estonia.[2]
The County Government (et|Maavalitsus) is led by a governor (et|maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 15 December 2011, the governorship has been held by Innar Mäesalu.
The county is subdivided into municipalities. There is one urban municipality, Haapsalu (et|linn – town) and 2 rural municipalities (et|vallad – parishes) in Lääne County.
| Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018)[5] | Area km2 | Density | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban | 13,516 | 264 | 51.2 | ||
| 2 | Rural | 7,239 | 1,451 | 5.0 | ||
| 3 | Rural | 419 | 93 | 4.5 |
| Religion | 2000 | 2011 | 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | ||
| 5,109 | 22,3 | 4,418 | 21.3 | 4,050 | 23.6 | ||
| —Orthodox Christians | 921 | 4.0 | 1,052 | 5.0 | 1,290 | 7.4 | |
| —Lutherans | 3,580 | 15.6 | 2,773 | 13.4 | 1,960 | 11.4 | |
| —Catholics | 46 | 0.2 | 32 | 0.1 | 40 | 0.2 | |
| —Baptists | 358 | 1.5 | 234 | 1.1 | 450 | 2.6 | |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 74 | 0.3 | 93 | 0.4 | 90 | 0.5 | |
| —Pentecostals | 70 | 0.3 | 46 | 0.2 | 80 | 0.4 | |
| —Old Believers | - | 3 | 0.01 | - | |||
| —Methodists | 73 | 0.3 | 36 | 0.1 | 20 | 0.1 | |
| —Adventists | 61 | 0.2 | 46 | 0.2 | 50 | 0.3 | |
| —Other Christians | - | 103 | 0.5 | 70 | 0.3 | ||
| 12 | 0.05 | 8 | 0.02 | - | |||
| Buddhism | - | - | 14 | 0.04 | - | ||
| Other religions** | 98 | 0.4 | 210 | 1.0 | 200 | 1.1 | |
| No religion | 8,632 | 37.8 | 13,126 | 64.5 | 10,920 | 63.6 | |
| Not stated*** | 8,914 | 39.0 | 2,798 | 13.5 | 1,940 | 11.3 | |
| Total population* | 22,840 | 20,673 | 17,170 | ||||
| |||||||
| Native Name: | Läänemaa |
| Conventional Long Name: | Rotalia |
| Common Name: | Läänemaa |
| Year Start: | Viking Age |
| Year End: | 1224 |
| S1: | Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights |
| Flag S1: | Teuton flag.svg |
| S2: | Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek |
| Flag S2: | Haapsalu coat of arms.svg |
| Image Map Caption: | Ancient Estonia in 1214. |
| Religion: | Estonian paganism, Thor cult |
| Capital: | Lihula |
| Government Type: | Council of Elders |
| Title Leader: | Elder |
| Common Languages: | Proto Estonian |
In the first centuries AD political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (et|kihelkond) and the county (et|maakond). A parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. A county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century the following major districts had developed in Estonia: Saaremaa (Osilia), Läänemaa (Rotalia or Maritima), Harjumaa (Harria), Rävala (Revalia), Virumaa (Vironia), Järvamaa (Jervia), Sakala (Saccala), and Ugandi (Ugaunia).
Läänemaa (la|Rotalia, Maritima,[7] Low German: Wiek) was an independent country on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Revala, Harjumaa, Alempois, and Sakala. Läänemaa had an area of approximately 1900 hides. Early in 1220 troops from Sweden, initially led by King John I, had invaded Läänemaa. The Swedish army took the Lihula stronghold and set up a small garrison. Swedish Jarl Karl Döve and Bishop Karl Magnusson of Linköping, both from the powerful House of Bjälbo, also remained in the castle. On August 8, 1220, the united Œselian and Rotalian armies encircled the castle at dawn. It was set ablaze in the course of the fierce battle that ensued. The Swedish troops tried to make their way out, but were killed on site apart from a few who succeeded in escaping to Tallinn, held by Denmark. The Jarl, the Bishop, and almost 500 other Swedes were killed, leaving no Swedish presence in Estonia at all. The short-lived Swedish attempt to gain foothold in Estonia was motivated by the quickly advancing Danish and Low German crusaders who had been able to conquer most of the area in the early 13th century. Defeat in the Battle of Lihula discouraged the Swedish expansion to Estonia for more than 300 years, and the country was left for the Teutonic Knights, Low German Bishops and Denmark to divide. In the meantime, Sweden focused on Finland and the Swedish-Novgorodian Wars. After the Livonian Crusade Läänemaa became the main territory of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, an independent Bishopric. Parts of the Bishop's castle are still preserved in Haapsalu.
After the German conquest in 1227, Lääne County became the center of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, an independent principality within the Livonian Confederation. Parts of Bishop's castle are still preserved in Haapsalu.