Viljandi

Viljandi town hall

Viljandi (German: Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 19,150 (2011). It is the capital of Viljandi County. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe.

 St. John's church

In 1211 the hill-fort of the Estonians in Viljandi was besieged by a joint army of Germans, Latvians, and Livs. The Livonian Sword Brethren captured the hill-fort in August 1223 from a contingent of the people of Rus, who joined forces with the insurgent Estonians. The following year the Grand Master Volquin led the construction of the castle at the site of the former hill-fort. The Viljandi (Fellin) castle was one of the largest in the Baltic region. It was a major fortification of the Livonian Order and was appointed a commander from 1248. The fortress was continually rebuilt and modernized over the next two-hundred years.

 St. Paul's church

In 1283, the town received a charter from Wilhelm von Endorpe, the master of the Order. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League at the beginning of the 14th century, and is one of five Estonian towns and cities in the league.

In 1470, Johann Wolthus von Herse, then master of the order, took up residence in the castle. In 1481, Ivan III of Russia laid siege to the castle but could not take it. However, during the Livonian War, Muscovite Russia succeeded in seizing it in 1560. During the Polish–Swedish War at the beginning of the 17th century the castle changed hands several times and fell into ruins. The same goes for the town, which was deprived of its privileges.

After the Great Northern War the Russians revoked local autonomy until 1783, when in the course of the regency reforms of the Empress Catherine the Great Viljandi became a district town. This involved the re-establishment of town bylaws. The economic and political importance of Viljandi started to increase. The population, after decreasing in population and wealth, started to rise again, as handicraft, trading, and cultural life were revived.

The popular Estonian newspaper Sakala was founded in Viljandi in 1878.

Symbols

The flag of Viljandi is bi-coloured, its upper part light blue and lower part white. The city's shield-shaped coat of arms is light blue, with a white rose in the middle. Viljandi is the white rose city – in midsummer there are 720 white roses flowering in front of the city hall, planted for the town's anniversary in 2003. In summer, the White Rose Day is celebrated in Viljandi.

Culture

Viljandi is sometimes called the cultural capital of Estonia, partly due to the Viljandi Culture Academy being located there.

In Viljandi, several international festivals and other cultural events take place: Viljandi Folk Music Festival, The Early Music Festival, Hansa Days, Young Dance Festival, Winter Folk Dance Festival, the "Theatre in Suitcase" puppet theatre festival, and others.

Since 1920, Viljandi has had the Ugala drama theatre. The tradition of open-air performances dates back to the same year. The Viljandi Puppet Theatre also works there.

In 2002, a new library was built, which is also a venue for exhibitions, meetings with famous people, culture seminars, etc. There are several exhibition halls and galleries in Viljandi. A meeting place for artistic people is the Kondas Centre, dedicated to Estonian naïve artist Paul Kondas.

Viljandi is famous for Viljandi Folk Music Festival – a music festival with a focus on European folk music. It is traditionally held in the end of July. In the year 2006, over 24,000 people attended the concerts. As such, it is the largest annual music festival in Estonia. Due to this, Viljandi is sometimes called the Estonian Capital of Folk Music. A manor house on Kirsimägi in the Castle ruins was restored and holds the Estonian Traditional Music Center (or Traditional Music Storehouse). The mission of the Center is to promote and teach traditional music.

Posted in: Estonia