Viljandi County ( et, Viljandi maakond or ''Viljandimaa''; german: Kreis Fellin) is one of 15

counties of Estonia Counties ( et, maakond, plural ') are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. The government (') of each county is led by a ' (gove ...

. It is located in southern

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, and t ...

bordering

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet o ...

, Järva, Jõgeva,

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast o ...

and Valga counties.

History

Viljandimaa, under the German name of ''Kreis Fellin'', was an important centre of commerce and power in the Middle Ages. Today, there are numerous castle ruins there dating from that time.

Soomaa National Park Soomaa National Park ( et, Soomaa rahvuspark) is a national park in south-western Estonia. Soomaa ("land of bogs") protects 390 km², the park was created in 1993. Soomaa is Important Bird Area since 1989 and a Ramsar site of protected w ...

is a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

located partially within Viljandi County,

. Soomaa ("land of

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s") protects 390 km², and is a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) ** wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free ( anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. The park was created in 1993.RMK: Soomaa National Park.
Retrieved 25 January 2016.

County government

The County government ( et, Maavalitsus) is led by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

( et, maavanem), who is appointed by the

Government of Estonia , image = , date = 24 February 1918 , state = Republic of Estonia , address = Rahukohtu 3, 15161 Tallinn, Estonia , appointed = President of Estonia , leader_title = Prime Minister of Estonia , ...

for a term of five years. Currently the Governor position is held by Kalle Küttis.

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

. There is one urban municipality ( et, linnad – towns) and three rural municipalities ( et, vallad – parishes) in Viljandi County.

Gallery

File:Arussaare õigeusu kirik.jpg, Arussaare orthodox church, built in 1873 File:Suure-Kõpu mõisa peahoone 2012.jpg, Suure-Kõpu manor main building File:Heimtali mõisa viinaköök1.jpg, Heimtali manor distillery kitchen File:Suure jaani.jpg, Reservoir in the town of Suure-Jaani File:Võrtsjärve kallas Valma külas.jpg,

Võrtsjärv Lake Võrtsjärv (; german: Wirzsee) is a lake in southern Estonia with an area of 270 km² (104 mi²). It is the second largest lake in Estonia (behind Lake Peipus), and the largest lake situated entirely within Estonia. The shall ...

lake; view from the village of Valma File:Viljandi ordulinnuse varemed.jpg, Ruins of Viljandi castle File:Õisu mõisa vesiveski.jpg, Õisu manor watermill File:Viljandi Jaani kirik 15 saj.jpg, St. John's Church in Viljandi

References

External links

Viljandimaa
– Official website
Viljandi County Government
{{Coord, 58, 20, N, 25, 35, E, type:adm1st_region:EE, display=title Counties of Estonia