Vändra () is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

() in

Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish () is a rural municipality in Pärnu County Pärnu County ( or ''Pärnumaa''; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lä� ...

Pärnu County Pärnu County ( or ''Pärnumaa''; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to ...

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

. It has a population of 2,191 (in 2016) and an area of 3.28 km² (1.27 sq mi).

Sights

On Old Church Hill there is an underground cemetery called Kabelias, which was used from the 15th to the 18th century, which today is under heritage protection. Vändra church, dedicated to St. Martin, belongs to the EELK Vändra Martin parish, located in

Kirikumäe Kirikumäe is a settlement in Võru Parish, Võru County in southeastern Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west ...

in the village in 1787. The church built in 1841 is single-aisled, the tower was added in 1841. A memorial stone has been erected over the former wooden church and manor. The Vana-Vändra manor house is a ruin, the town's stage stands in the park. The Uue-Vändra manor house was located on the banks of the

Käru river Käru is a small borough () in Türi Parish, Järva County, Estonia. Before the administrative reform in 2017, Käru was the administrative centre of Käru Parish. Käru has a railway station on the Tallinn - Viljandi railway line operated by ...

, which was burned down during the 1905 revolution and was destroyed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

after the Paide road rolled. The former location of the manor is surrounded by the old and species-rich Rõusa Park, which also houses the central building of the Vändra Forestry. In front of the school building is a statue of the Vändra bear, which was donated to the school by the

alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

of the Vändra Gümnaasium (Vändra Gymnasium). The school garden was built in 1924. It has fruit trees, rock garden, sample beds of summer and perennial flowers and a heated

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

. In 2004, a fountain was built in the school garden for its 80th anniversary. Composer

Mihkel Lüdig Mihkel Lüdig ( – 7 May 1958) was an Estonian composer, organist and choir conductor. As a composer, he particularly worked on a cappella choral songs. Lüdig is considered one of the major organisers of large-scale musical events in 20th c ...

, who spent the last years of his life in Vändra and was buried in the Vändra cemetery, is commemorated by a memorial plaque standing on the wall of the house opposite the buildings of the former school for the deaf.

History

Vändra was first mentioned as a village in 1515 in ''Wenderskull''. Vändra manor was built in the second half of the 16th century. Since the year 1884, local landowners Ditmars divided the manor into Vana-Vändra manor and Uue-Vändra manor. Southeast of Vändra, Suurejõi, there was a small industrial center by the Pärnu River, where there was a water mill and earlier, a copper factory. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Vändra glass factory was established in the current

Võidula Võidula () is a village in Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish, Pärnu County in western-central Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland ...

manor, which ended its work only in the days of the

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

. Vändra became the economic and cultural center of Pärnumaa. The railway reached Vändra in 1928. With nearly 1,000 inhabitants, it was one of the largest church settlements in Estonia. On September 13, 1945, Vändra received the status of a town. From 1950 to 1962, Vändra was the district center. Vändra received the status of a municipality in 1993.

Notable people

Karl von Ditmar Karl Bernhard Woldemar Ferdinand von Ditmar (sometimes ''Carl von Ditmar'') ( in Vändra – in Tartu) was a Baltic German geologist and explorer, who travelled in and contributed to the scientific understanding of Kamchatka. Life and work Karl ...

(1822–1892), Baltic-German geologist and explore *

Tanel Kangert Tanel Kangert (born 11 March 1987) is an Estonian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2008 to 2022. Early life Kangert was born in Vändra, Estonia. He attended kindergarten alongside fellow Estonian cyclist Rein Taara ...

(born 1987), professional cyclist *

Alar Laneman Alar Laneman (born 6 May 1962) is an Estonian politician. Alar Laneman stood as a candidate on the list of the Estonian Conservative People's Party in the 2019 Riigikogu elections in the 12th constituency and was elected with 673 votes. He s ...

(born 1962), politician *

Artur Lind Artur Lind (6 April 1927, Vändra – 30 November 1989, Tartu) was an Estonian biologist and is considered to be the founder of molecular biology in Estonia. Lind studied to be a surgeon at the University of Tartu. Due to an allergic reaction to ...

(1927–1989), biologist *

(1880–1958), composer *

Ain-Ervin Mere Ain Mere (from birth to Estification Ervin Martson; 22 February 1903 – 5 April 1969) was an Estonian military officer in World War II. During the German occupation of Estonia, he served in the German-controlled Estonian Security Police and SD. ...

(1905–1969), military officer implicated in the

Holocaust trials in Soviet Estonia A number of war crimes trials were held during the Soviet occupation of Estonia (1944–1991). The best-known trial was brought in 1961, by the Soviet authorities against local collaborators who had participated in the Holocaust during the Ger ...

Estonian reference
*

Andres Metsoja Andres Metsoja (born 25 November 1978 in Vändra, Pärnu County) is an Estonian politician. He has been a member of the XIII and XIV Riigikogu. Biography He is graduated from International University Audentes in business management. He has al ...

(born 1978), politician *

Agnes Oaks Age Oks (born 29 May 1970) known professionally as Agnes Oaks, is an Estonian former ballet dancer, who was a principal dancer with English National Ballet. Early life Age Oks was born in Vändra to an Estonian father, Juhan Oks, and a Russian ...

(born 1970), ballet dancer *

Anton Õunapuu Anton Õunapuu VR II/3 (7 November 1887 – 2 April 1919) was an Estonian PE teacher, soldier, and the founder of the scouting movement (Estonian: ''Eesti skaudiliikumine'') in Estonia. Early life and work as a PE teacher Anton Õunapuu was bo ...

(1887–1919), teacher, soldier and founder of the Boy Scouts movement in Estonia *

Tarvo Seeman Tarvo Seeman (born 17 September 1969) is an Estonian chess player who twice won the Estonian Chess Championship. He received the FIDE title of International Master (IM) in 1998. He was born in Vändra. Chess career The first big success – 2nd ...

(born 1969), chess player *

Ants Vaino Ants Vaino (15 February 1940 – 15 June 1971) was an Estonian racing driver. He was born in Vändra, Pärnu County. He began his motorsport career in 1965, coached by Arkadi Nõmmeste. In 1969 and 1970 he won silver medal at Soviet Union champi ...

(1940–1971), racing driver *

Johann Voldemar Jannsen Johann Voldemar Jannsen ( – ) was an Estonian journalist. He was one of the earliest figures of the Estonian national awakening, which he promoted through his newspaper, the ''Eesti Postimees'', and two Estonian Song Festivals. He wrote the nat ...

(1819–1890), journalist and poet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandra Former municipalities of Estonia Boroughs and small boroughs in Estonia Populated places in Pärnu County Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish Kreis Pernau