Paide is a town in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and the capital of

Järva County Järva County ( et, Järva maakond or ''Järvamaa''; german: Jerwen; la, Jervia) 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, ...

, 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, 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 Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...

, 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 The siege of Weissenstein took place between 31 May and 30 September 1602, during the Polish–Swedish War (1600–11). Two weeks after the capture of Fellin, Grand Crown Hetman Jan Zamoyski led the Polish-Lithuanian army of 2,000 troops t ...

. 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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

museum.

Paide Church

Paide Church Paide Holy Cross Church ( et, Paide Püha Risti kirik, german: Kirche zum Heiligen Kreuz ) is a Lutheran church in Paide, Estonia. Church existed in Paide in medieval times, but was destroyed in 1573 during the siege of Weissenstein (old name ...

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 Paide linnastaadion ( en, Paide City Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Paide, Estonia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Meistriliiga team Paide Linnameeskond. The stadium has a seating capacity Seati ...

, the home ground of

Meistriliiga Meistriliiga (, known as the A. Le Coq Premium Liiga for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded in 1992, and was initially semi-professional with ...

football team

Paide Linnameeskond Paide Linnameeskond is a professional football club based in Paide, Estonia that competes in the Meistriliiga, the top flight of Estonian football. The club's home ground is Paide linnastaadion. Founded in 2004, the club has played in the Meist ...

Notable residents

Ita Ever Ita Ever (born Ilse Ever; 1 April 1931, Paide, Järva County) is an Estonian film, radio, theater and television actress. She is widely regarded as a Grand Old Lady of Estonian theatre. Biography She began her career in 1953 as a stage actress ...

, stage and film actress *

Helle-Reet Helenurm Helle-Reet Helenurm (26 January 1944 – 23 February 2003) was an Estonian actress whose career began in 1968 in theatre. She also performed as a radio, television, and film actress until her death, aged 59, of cancer. Early life and education ...

, actress *Johannes Hesse, father of author

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

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 Ekaterina Kalinina (russian: Екатерина Ивановна Калинина; Lorberg; 2 July 1882 – 22 December 1960) was the wife of Soviet politician Mikhail Kalinin, the chair of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and formally the he ...

, Bolshevik revolutionary and civil servant, wife of the Soviet head of state

Mikhail Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин ; 3 June 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych", was a Soviet politician and Old Bolshevik revolutionary. He served as head of st ...

Carmen Kass Carmen Kass (born 14 September 1978) is an Estonian model and former political candidate. She has worked as the face of brands such as Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Givenchy, ...

, model *

Kalle Kiik Kalle Kiik (born 10 February 1963) is an Estonian chess player, who won the Estonian Chess Championship. He was awarded the International Master title in 1993. Biography Kiik was born in Paide, the son of Estonian chess coach Jakob Kiik (12.05. ...

, 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 Andres Noormets (born 1 October 1963 in Paide) is an Estonian theatre actor, director and theatre pedagogue. 1988 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') beg ...

, 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 Toomas Raudam (born 21 July 1947) is an Estonian writer. Career Raudam was born in Paide. He won the Friedebert Tuglas Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and criti ...

, writer *

Mati Sirkel Mati Sirkel (born 12 October 1949) is an Estonian translator and writer. Career He was born in Paide. In 1972 he graduated from Tartu State University with a degrees in literary theory and German philology. From 1972 until 1975, he worked as a ...

, translator and writer *

Karin Tammaru Karin Tammaru (born 27 January 1971) is an Estonian stage, television and film actress. Early life and education Karin Tammaru was born in Paide, in Järva County to Leonhard-Heinrich Tammaru and Linda Tammaru (''née'' Dröner). She has one sis ...

, 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