Kunda i Estland

The area of town: 9,8 m²

The number of inhabitants: 4142 (1.06.1998)

Kunda is situated on the northern shore of Virumaa, on a picturesque limestone bank. Kunda village (Gundas) was first mentioned in the year 1241. Kunda town mainly associates with cement which, thanks to the local raw materjal, has been produced here for over a hundred years. In fact the fame of Kunda started with the foundation of the port at the beginning of the 19th century. The port was the gate for communicating with the rest of the world and the increase in trading helped the town of Kunda to develop.

For several kilometres one of the longest rivers of North Estonia - Kunda River, which is in a deep limestone canyon, is winding its way through the town. The western sandstone terrace is called Maageranna, the eastern bears the name of Lontova Mountain. The Lontova part of town used to be closely connected with the port - this was the place where the dockers lived, and the hotel, hospital and customs building were located.

It would be interesting to mention that already in 1879 there was telephone communication between the customs building, the factory, the estate and the port. Besides the cement factory, which was the third one in the Czarist Russia at those times, the first hydroelectric power station in the Baltics is also historically important. Besides Lontova the other parts of Kunda are Vanalinn and the most populated Uuslinn. In 1897 there were 769 inhabitants in the borough. Kunda borough became a town in 1938.