Viljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe. 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. The once influential Estonian newspaper Sakala was founded in Viljandi in 1878.
Suure-Jaani is a town in the northern part of the county of Viljandimaa in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality, 25 kilometres north of the town of Viljandi. Until 2017, Suure-Jaani was the administrative centre of Suure-Jaani rural municipality.
Counties are the state administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. County governments were abolished at the end of 2017, with their duties split between state authorities and local governments, and nowadays counties have no noteworthy independent competences. Counties are composed of municipalities of two types: urban municipalities and rural municipalities, which are by law required to cooperate in development of their county.
Järva County is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the central part of the country and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Jõgeva County to the south-east, Viljandi County to the south, Pärnu County to the south-west, Rapla County to the west, and Harju County to the north. In January 2009, Järva County had a population of 29,940 – constituting 2.7% of the total population in Estonia.
Carl Robert Jakobson was an Estonian writer, politician and teacher active in the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire. He was one of the most important persons of the Estonian national awakening in the second half of the 19th century.
Sakala County was an ancient Estonian county that was first mentioned in print by Henry of Latvia in the early 13th century.
Eduard Magnus Jakobson was an Estonian wood engraver and a Baptist missionary. He illustrated many books and designed the masthead logo for Sakala, a newspaper founded by his older brother, Carl Robert Jakobson.
Estonian nationalism refers to the ideological movement for attaining and maintaining identity, unity, freedom and independence on behalf of a population deemed by many, or most, of its members to be the Estonian people, having one Estonian homeland – Estonia, sharing the common Estonian culture, as well as ancestral myths and memories, a common economy and common legal rights and duties for all members.
Võhma is a town in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County, central Estonia.
Olustvere is a small borough in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County in central Estonia. It has a population of 465.
Johann Köler was a leader of the Estonian national awakening and a painter. He is considered as the first professional painter of the emerging nation. He distinguished himself primarily by his portraiture and to a lesser extent by his landscape paintings. Some of his most notable pictures depict the Estonian rural life in the second half of the 19th century.
Navesti is a village in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County in central Estonia. It is located on the road between the towns of Võhma and Suure-Jaani, about 6 km from each, where the road crosses the Navesti River. Navesti village has a population of 98 and an area of 12.54 km².
Sandra is a village in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia. It has a population of 28. Sandra is located in the Soomaa National Park. Due to large wetland areas being included in its boundaries, Sandra is the largest village by area in Estonia with 173 km².
Sürgavere is a village in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County in central Estonia. It has a population of 398.
University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy is an Estonian institution of higher education, situated in the provincial town of Viljandi, central Estonia. The UT Viljandi Culture Academy merged with the University of Tartu in 2005. The UT VCA has been teaching professional higher education and performing applied research within information science, culture education and creative arts since 1952. The academy has about 1000 students, half of whom are open university students. The teaching and instruction are based on the continuity and sustainability of Estonian native culture enriched by new impulses which widen the notion of traditional culture. As of 2021, the Director of the institution is Juko-Mart Kõlar.
Pilistvere is a village in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County, in central Estonia. It's located about 11 km (7 mi) east of the town of Võhma and about 13 km (8 mi) west of the town of Põltsamaa. Pilistvere lies on the left bank of the Navesti River. As of 2011 census, the settlement's population was 90.
Väluste is a village in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia. Until the 2017 administrative reform of Estonian municipalities the village was located in Tarvastu Parish. Väluste is located on the western shore of Lake Võrtsjärv, 8.1 km south of the small borough of Mustla and 18 km southeast of the town of Viljandi. As of 2011, Väluste had a population of 70 residents, a decrease from 102 in the 2000 census.
Mulgi Parish is a rural municipality in southern Estonia. It is a part of Viljandi County. As of 2021, the municipality has a population of 7,372, and covers 881 km2 (340 sq mi). It is one of the southernmost municipalities of both Vilandji and Estonia, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the Latvian border.
Mats Nõges was an Estonian physician, editor and politician.
