Obinitsa (also known as Obiniste, Abinitsa, Kirikmäe) is a
village in Setomaa Parish, Viru County, Southeast Estonia. The
population is 187 people (as of January 1, 2009).
Meremäe-Obinitsa Primary School was closed in 2009, after which the
building is used as a nursing home.
Obinitsa-Finno-Ugric
Cultural Capital 2015.
Obinit Church School is the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
It is located in Obinitsa, about 280 kilometers from Tallinn.
Construction of the church began in 1896 and its official
inauguration began in 1897. On December 16, 1894, the land was
allocated for the church and school by the village of Obinitsa. The
church was closed in 1950. The bell tower was dismantled and the
building turned into a school.
People's museum hut
Home of
Seto Societies, where you can socialize and taste Seto folk dishes,
Atelier-Gallery Halas Kunn ("Green Frog"), where Finno-Ugric
exhibitions, folk theatrical performances are held, folk art lessons
on making silver folk jewelry and penography are organized,
Monument to Hilan Taarka - Setu Singing mother and memorial stones
to other singing mothers.
Obinitsa is located on the slopes of the Piuza River valley, 19 km from the administrative center of the parish — the village of Vyarska — and 280 km from Tallinn.
According to the 2011 census, 135 people lived in Obinitsa, 128 of
them (94.8%) were Estonians (Setu were not identified in the list of
nationalities). There are also several Russians living in the village,
Khanty and Udmurt. Basically, they are all Christians.
According
to the 2021 census, 147 people (64 men and 83 women) lived in the
village, 127 of them (86.4%) were Estonians; the number of children
under the age of 17 was 20, the number of people of retirement age (65
years and older) was 44.
The population of the village of
Obinitsa according to the population censuses of the USSR and the
Department of Statistics of Estonia.
The first written mentions date back to 1652, although archaeologists
discovered a 1600-year-old dwelling here. Existing studies of traces of
human habitation on the mountain also date back to the V—XVII centuries,
archaeological objects related to the Baltic-Finnish tribes have been
found. A millennium and a half ago, the main occupation of the local
population was beaver hunting, animal husbandry, and agriculture. Then
the residents took up field farming, flax cultivation, and beekeeping.
Written sources in 1652 mention Avinchishche, 1686 — Ovinchishche,
about 1790 — Avinchishche, 1849 — Obynitsa, 1874 — Obinitsa, 1897 —
Podovinchishche (wasteland), 1904 — Obinitsa, Avinchishche, about 1920 —
Abinitsa, 1928 — Obiniste. On military topographic maps of the Russian
Empire (1866-1867), which included the Livonia province, the village is
designated as Ovinchishche.
Today, the population is engaged in
agriculture, raises sheep, sells timber, is engaged in tourism and
entrepreneurship. Folk art is also actively supported here: they make
silverware, embroider, weave and preserve the traditions of national
cuisine.
In 2015, Obinitsa, along with two other settlements (the
Udmurt village of Starye Bygi and the Karelian village of Veshkelitsa),
was a candidate for the title of cultural capital of the Finno-Ugric
world and long-term attraction of attention from the Finno-Ugric,
European and Russian public. Nevertheless, Obinitsa is already one of
the business cards of Estonia. Every 8 years, the Days of the Kingdom of
Setu ("Peko Helü") are celebrated here. On average, about 10,000
tourists visit Obinitsa per year.