Torgu Parish
Torgu Parish
Torgu vald | |
|---|---|
Farmhouse in Laadla village | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Torgu Parish within Saare County. | |
| Country | Estonia |
| County | Saare County |
| Administrative centre | Iide |
| Area | |
• Total | 126.44 km2 (48.82 sq mi) |
| Population (01.01.2006) | |
• Total | 375 |
| • Density | 2.97/km2 (7.68/sq mi) |
Torgu Parish was a rural municipality at the tip of the Sõrve Peninsula on the island of Saaremaa in western Estonia. It is a part of Saare County.
This parish consisted of 22 villages. The municipality had a population of 375 (as of 1 January 2006) and covered an area of 126.44 km2.
During the administrative-territorial reform in 2017, all 12 municipalities on the island Saaremaa were merged into a single municipality – Saaremaa Parish.[1]
The Parish has achieved when it was claimed by a Micronation known as the Kingdom of Torgu in 1992.
Kingdom of Torgu
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Flag of the Kingdom of Torgu
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Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Torgu
In 1989, during the Soviet period, there was a move to reform the largely arbitrary municipal borders that the Soviets had drawn. This led to the separation of the Torgu Parish from the Salme Parish in 1989, led by the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia.[2]
After Estonian independence, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia decided to clarify the administrative divisions within the borders of Estonia, however Torgu was only mentioned when clarifying that it was not a part of Salme, so Torgu was not officially described as Estonian territory[3]
"To confirm, as an exception, the self-governing status of Salme parish within its current administrative territory, excluding the territory of the former Torgu Parish, and to establish this status as of 30 July 1992."
In response, local leaders in Torgu such as Leevi Häng, Laine Tarvis, Valdek Kaus, and Leo Filippov decided to form their own Kingdom called the “Kingdom of Estonia” on 4 September 1992 later crowning Kirill Teiter (self-styled as Kirill I), member of the 7th Riigikogu and Independent Royalist Party as their first king on 28 November 1992.[4] Later in 1993 the Issue of Torgu was resolved and Torgu officially became a parish of Estonia but the Kingdom maintained operations, including minting its own currency, the Torgu Thaler, and making its own flag, based on the Estonian Flag, and the Nordic Cross.
Teiter died on 20 May 2022[5] and a referendum was held to elect a new king.[6] Kirill Teiter's son, Kristian Teiter won the referendum and was elected as the second king of Torgu, Kristian I on 12 August 2022.
Villages
Hänga - Iide - Jämaja - Kaavi - Kargi - Karuste - Kaunispe - Laadla - Läbara - Lindmetsa - Lõupõllu - Lülle - Maantee - Mäebe - Mässa - Mõisaküla - Mõntu - Ohessaare - Sääre - Soodevahe - Tammuna - Türju
See also
References
- ^ "Kihelkonna valla, Kuressaare linna, Laimjala valla, Leisi valla, Lääne-Saare valla, Mustjala valla, Orissaare valla, Pihtla valla, Pöide valla, Salme valla, Torgu valla ja Valjala valla osas haldusterritoriaalse korralduse ja Vabariigi Valitsuse 3. aprilli 1995. a määruse nr 159 "Eesti territooriumi haldusüksuste nimistu kinnitamine" muutmine". Riigi Teataja (in Estonian). Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ Valner, Sulev (2018). ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM 2017 IN ESTONIA (PDF). Tallinn: Ministry of Finance. p. 360. ISBN 978-9949-549-93-1. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Saare maakonna Salme valla omavalitsusliku staatuse kinnitamise kohta" (in Estonian). Talinn: Riigi Teataja. January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Ajalugu*History" (in Estonian). March 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Tulk, Mehis (20 May 2022). "KUNINGAS ON LAHKUNUD. Suri Torgu kuningas Kirill I." [THE KING HAS DEPARTED. The King of Torgu Kirill I died] (in Estonian). Saarte Hääl. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "REFERENDUM TO FIND A NEW KING/QUEEN FOR THE KINGDOM" (in Estonian). March 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
External links
- Media related to Torgu Parish at Wikimedia Commons