Viljandi (Estonian Viljandi, until 1919 Fellin (German Fellin))
is a city and municipality in Estonia, the administrative center of
Viljandi County. The seventh largest and most populous city in the
country. Viljandi railway station (Tallinn - Viljandi line) is
located in the city.
Located in the southern part of Estonia,
on the northern shore of Lake Viljandi. Distances: to Tallinn - 161
km (north), to Tartu - 81 km (east), to Pärnu - 97 km (west), to
Riga - 245 km (southwest), to St. Petersburg - 393 km (to the
north-east).
The oldest settlements in this area date back to the
5th century. BC NS. An Estonian settlement on the site of Viljandi
was founded no later than the Viking Age. According to the site
visitestonia.com, the first written mention dates back to 1154, when
the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi first put a consonant toponym on the
world map.
The first permanent settlement appears in the 12th
century. In 1223, these lands were finally conquered by the Order of
the Swordsmen. In 1224, instead of wooden fortifications, the
construction of a stone fortress began, which at times was
considered the most powerful in the Baltic. Over the next 200 years,
it was constantly being completed and modernized.
In 1283 the
Archbishop of Riga granted the town of Velyn to the surrounding
settlement of Fellin.
At the beginning of the 14th century,
Fellin became a member of the Hansa and an important point in trade
with Russia, which led to the city's prosperity. In 1365, the city
participated in the signing of the peace between the Hansa and
Denmark.
During the Livonian War, the city and fortress of
Fellin were taken by Russian troops and partially destroyed. Even
greater destruction occurred during the Polish-Swedish War
(1600-1611). After Fellin was taken by the Poles in 1602, only a few
walls remained from the former power and splendor of the city. In
the 17th century, under Swedish rule, Fellin was stripped of its
city status.
In 1783, Empress Catherine II restored this
status and made Fellin the center of the county. With the growth of
economic and political influence, the population of the city also
increased.
In 1950-1991 Viljandi was the center of the
Viljandi region of the Estonian SSR.
The city is a member of
the Hanseatic League of the New Age and in 2015 hosted the festival
"Hanseatic Days of the New Age".
Fellin Castle -
built in the 13th century; functionally divided into northern,
southern and eastern parts. The castle has a meeting room (chapter),
a two-nave tower, an archive room, a bedroom and living quarters of
the commander, a refectory, a kitchen, a gallery, stables, servants'
dwellings, storage rooms, a well 26 meters deep.
Town Hall -
built in 1820, reconstructed in 1931 by architect Johannes Fuchs and
engineer Erich Oetting in the style of Estonian functionalism.
Church of St. John - Built in the second half of the 17th century.
The oldest wooden residential building in the city, whose
construction dates back to 1790, is located at Laidoneri Plats 3.
The building is recognized as a national cultural heritage.
City
Courthouse - built in 1895 in the neo-Renaissance style.
St.
Paul's Church - Built in 1866 by the architect Matthias von Holst in
the neo-Gothic style. The church has an organ and a memorial stone
dedicated to the victims of the shipwreck of the ferry "Estonia".
Viljandi Water Tower - built in 1911 in the center of the city, its
height reaches 30 meters. It is currently used as a museum with an
exhibition on the history of the city.
Viljandi Manor - the
former estate of the von Ungern Sternberg barons, built in 1880 by
the architect Robert Pflug. The building currently houses the
Estonian Traditional Music Cultural Center.
Viljandi hosts the world-renowned annual Viljandi Folk Music
Festival.
The Ugala Theatre in Viljandi has been operating since
1920. The city also features a children's puppet theatre, a cinema, a
bowling alley, a sports school with a rowing club, a music school, and
an outdoor recreation school.
The University of Tartu maintains a
higher education presence in Viljandi through the University of Tartu
Viljandi Culture Academy and a branch of the Estonian Entrepreneurship
University of Applied Sciences.
The Tulevik Viljandi club currently
plays in the Esiliiga—Estonia's second-tier football league—though it
has also competed in the top flight in the past. The club plays its home
matches at the Viljandi Linnastaadion (City Stadium).
Transport
There is a rail connection between Viljandi and Tallinn. Additionally,
the bus station (Viljandi Bussijaam) offers connections to all cities
and towns across Estonia, with around 50 bus routes departing multiple
times a day. A local bus network comprising eight lines serves the city
of Viljandi and its suburbs. Sons and daughters of the city
Franz
Burchard Dörbeck (1799–1835), Baltic German caricaturist and artist
Bernhard Heinrich Michelson (1812–1887), Russian agronomist and
university lecturer
Leopold von Pezold (1832–1907), journalist,
educator, and writer
Johann Matthias von Holst (1839–1905), Baltic
German architect
Gangolf von Kieseritzky (1847–1904), Baltic German
archaeologist
Hans Schmidt (1854–1923), German musician (composer and
pianist) and poet
Elisabeth Schiemann (1881–1972), German geneticist
and researcher of cultivated plants
August Oswald Westrén-Doll
(1882–1961), Baltic German Lutheran theologian and pastor
Georg Otto
Lellep (1884–1975), inventor and metallurgist. Joakim Puhk (1888–1942),
entrepreneur and sports official
Lyubov Alexandrovna Golanchikova
(1888–1959), test pilot
August Alle (1890–1952), writer
Harry
Paris (1891–1941), actor
Evi Liivak (1924–1996), violinist
Uno
Naissoo (1928–1980), composer and music educator
Henn-Kaarel Hellat
(1932–2017), writer
Endel Mallene (1933–2002), translator and
literary critic
Sten Olaf Welding (1936–2019), philosopher
Jaak
Kangilaski (1939–2022), art historian
Raivo Mändmaa (b. 1950),
architect
Sirje Tamul (b. 1951), historian
Mart Laar (b. 1960),
politician and historian
Helmen Kütt (b. 1961), politician
Helir-Valdor Seeder (b. 1964), politician
Jaan Tätte (b. 1964),
playwright, actor, and singer
Kaido Kreen (b. 1965), beach volleyball
player
Meelis Atonen (b. 1966), politician
Urmas Kirs (b. 1966),
footballer
Annely Peebo (b. 1971), opera singer (mezzo-soprano)
Riina Solman (b. 1972), politician
Kristi Viiding (b. 1972),
classical philologist and translator
Argo Arbeiter (b. 1973),
footballer
Mati Pari (b. 1974), footballer
Epp Petrone (b. 1974),
journalist, publisher, and writer
Rauno Sirk (b. 1975), Air Force
officer
Aare Pilv (b. 1976), literary scholar and writer
Sander
Post (b. 1984), footballer
Ragnar Klavan (b. 1985), footballer
Triinu Kivilaan (b. 1989), former bassist of the band Vanilla Ninja, now
a solo artist
Stefan Airapetian (b. 1997), singer of Armenian descent