Paide is a town in Estonia and the capital of Järva County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.

Etymology

Paide's German name ''Weißenstein'' (originally ''Wittenstein'' or ''Wittensten'' in

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

) means "white stone". This name was derived from the limestone used for the construction of Paide Castle. A Latin translation, ''Albus Lapis'', has also been used.Ühendus Weissenstein
''Paide Linna Nimed'' (accessed 1 January 2013)
/ref> The Estonian name ''Paide'' was first recorded in 1564 as ''Paida'', and is thought to derive from the word ''paas'', ''pae'', meaning "limestone".

Sights

Paide Vallitorn

A castle was built in Paide by order of

Konrad von Mandern Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname *Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name o ...

, master of the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...

, sometime in 1265 or 1266. It was from the beginning constructed around the central tower or

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, locally known as ''Tall Hermann tower'' or ''Vallitorn''. With its six storeys, the tower has always been the core of the castle complex. The fortress was strengthened during the 14th and 15th centuries, when the surrounding walls were enlarged and towers added. It was also modernised to be able to meet the new threat of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s. During the 16th century, the castle was again modified through the addition of outer

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

s. During the Livonian War, the castle was repeatedly besieged by Russian troops, and in 1573 it was occupied by troops loyal to

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

. After that, the castle changed hands several times. It was also involved in the fighting during the 1600-1611 Polish-Swedish War, in the so-called Siege of Weissenstein. In 1895-1897 restoration work was carried out on the central tower and some other parts of the castle. However, in 1941, during World War II, retreating Soviet troops blew up the central tower and it was not repaired until after Estonia regained its independence, in 1990-1993. Today the restored central tower houses a part of Järva County museum.

Paide Church

Paide Church originally dates from the 16th century; however, it has been very badly damaged in both war and fire on several occasions, and the present-day building dates mainly from a reconstruction which took place in 1909-1910 under the supervision of architect J. C. Mühlhausen.

Sports

Paide is home to Paide linnastaadion, the home ground of Meistriliiga football team Paide Linnameeskond.

Notable residents

* Ita Ever, stage and film actress * Helle-Reet Helenurm, actress *Johannes Hesse, father of author Hermann Hesse *

Tullio Ilomets Tullio Ilomets (13 July 1921 – 22 August 2018) was an Estonian chemist, science historian and a volunteer in heritage protection. Education Born in Paide, Ilomets graduated from Paide Secondary School in 1941. He continued to study chemistr ...

, chemist * Ekaterina Kalinina, Bolshevik revolutionary and civil servant, wife of the Soviet head of state Mikhail Kalinin * Carmen Kass, model * Kalle Kiik, chess

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

* Andres Noormets, actor and stage director *

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

, classical music composer * Toomas Raudam, writer * Mati Sirkel, translator and writer * Karin Tammaru, actress

Gallery

File:HulsiusPaide.jpg, View of Paide, made sometime before 1632 File:Paide keskväljak.jpg, Town square File:Paide Castle in winter.jpg, Paide castle in winter File:Paide kohtuhoone. No 15061 Paide.JPG, Courthouse File:Paide Saksa Tütarlaste Eragümnaasiumi hoone 02.JPG, Hospital clinic (former German Girls' Private Gymnasium) File:Paide raehoone.JPG, Paide Town Hall File:Järvamaa Muuseum.JPG, Järvamaa Museum File:Paide Muusika- ja Teatrimaja 1.01.2021.jpg, Music and Theatre House

References

External links

Ühendus Weissenstein

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Castles of the Livonian Order Populated places established in the 13th century 1291 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Estonia Kreis Jerwen Populated places in Järva County