Käsmu (German Kasperwiek, Swedish: Kaspervik) is a village in Haljala
parish (Vihula until 2017) in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. At the end of
2011 there were 105 inhabitants living there (according to 131
inhabitants as of 2006).
The village is located on the western
shore of the Käsmu Peninsula on the Baltic Sea bay of the same name. It
was first mentioned in a document in 1453 as Kesamo. The name after the
word kesä (summer) suggests a fishing port used only in the warm season.
The first permanent settlement is documented for the 16th century.
In the 19th century, Käsmu was known for the spirited smuggling of
alcohol across the Baltic Sea. The maritime school dates from 1884 and
was in operation until 1931. Many of the Estonian captains of the 19th
and 20th centuries came from Käsmu. Käsmu is still known today as the
"captain's village". A lighthouse was built in 1891.
Since the
middle of the 19th century, Käsmu has been a destination for Baltic
German and Russian summer holidaymakers, painters, writers and
intellectuals. During the period of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, a
pioneer camp and a recreation center were built. Today Käsmu is again a
neat village, which attracts numerous domestic and foreign tourists in
the summer.
Since 2008, the Viru Folk Festival has been held in
Käsmu (with interruptions) on an August weekend.
Kyasmu was first mentioned in 1453 as the coast (strand tho Kesemo)
belonging to the Kattentak manor (Aasper, German. Kattentack, est.
Aaspere mõis).
The first information about the village dates back
to the beginning of the 16th century (1524 - Kazmekul), subsequent data
— to the beginning of the 18th century. In 1726, there were 9 peasant
families and 6 families of free people in the village; in 1871 there
were 19 farms. In 1782, 153 people lived in the village, in 1858 — 195.
Kyasmu has been known since ancient times as a port village and a
shipbuilding site. The first vessel in Kyasmu was built in 1697.
In the middle of the 19th century, the owners of the Aaspere manor built
the first cottages in Kyasmu.
In 1884-1931, there was the Käsmu
Maritime School (est. Käsmu merekool), in which 1,664 cadets studied
over the years, of whom more than 500 became captains and navigators, 64
— captains of long-distance navigation. The wooden one-storey school
building with an attic has now been restored based on old photographs
and is listed in the State Register of Cultural Monuments of Estonia.
In 1892, a wooden lighthouse and the ship "Salme" (est. Salme) were
built in Kyasmu, crossing the ocean. The lighthouse is listed in the
State Register of Cultural Monuments of Estonia. It is one of the two
surviving wooden lighthouses in Estonia. The lighthouse was intended to
enter the Bay of Kyasmu, and was built on the initiative of the Kyasmu
Maritime School so that in autumn, when the ships returned home, it
would be easier for them to find their home port.
At one time,
the Lungin family, Anastasia Tsvetaeva, Moscow conceptualists and many
others vacationed in Kyasmu.
In 1926, the Society of Shipowners
of Kyasmu (est. OY Käsmu Laevaomanikud) was founded in Kyasmu. Nowadays,
many villagers are members of this society, and its flag can be seen on
the facades of houses.
Kyasmu is home to the Kyasmu Maritime
Museum (est. Käsmu Meremuuseum), located in the building of the border
outpost of the Russian Empire.
In Soviet times, there was also a
border outpost in the village, from which several buildings have been
preserved to this day, as well as a restored 15-meter watchtower. In
addition, there is a vegetable cellar near the tower, which was also
used as a civil defense headquarters, and a metal tank was dug into the
ground, which was intended to shelter officers.
Since 2008, the
Viru Folk music Festival has been held in Kyasmu.
It is located on the Kyasmu Peninsula, on the shore of the Gulf of
Finland. The height above sea level is 33 meters.
The climate is
temperate. The official language is Estonian. The postal code is 45601.
According to the 2011 census, 105 people lived in the village, 102 of
them (97.1%) were Estonians.
According to the 2021 census, the
number of inhabitants of the village was 129, of whom 110 (85.3%) were
Estonians.
Captain Kaspar is considered to be the legendary founding father of the village. He steered his ship across the sea along the shore. Near the territory of modern Kyasmu, the ship was caught in a severe storm and crashed. Of the whole team, only Kaspar reached the shore, he offered a prayer for salvation and vowed to build a chapel on this very spot.