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 ' (gov ...
. 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, an ...
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 ...
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 of ...
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
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
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 ...
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 individual ...
located partially within Viljandi County,
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, an ...
. 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 p ...
County government
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
( 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 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
Arussaare (seldom written as Arusaare) is a village in Põhja-Sakala Parish, Viljandi County, in central Estonia. (retrieved 28 July 2021) It is located by the Põltsamaa–Võhma road (nr. 38), about east of Võhma
Võhma (german: Wöchma) ...
orthodox church, built in 1873
File:Suure-Kõpu mõisa peahoone 2012.jpg, Suure-Kõpu manor main building
File:Heimtali mõisa viinaköök1.jpg,
Heimtali
Heimtali is a village in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia. It has a population of 235 (as of 4 January 2010).
Heimtali Manor
Heimtali estate (german: Heimtal, Heimthal) has a history that goes back to at least 1528, when it is mention ...
manor distillery kitchen
File:Suure jaani.jpg, Reservoir in the town of Suure-Jaani
File:Võrtsjärve kallas Valma külas.jpg, Võrtsjärv 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
Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) 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 ...