# Viljandi County

Viljandi County (Estonian: Viljandi maakond or Viljandimaa; German: Kreis Fellin) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties as well as Latvia.

## 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 is a national park located partially within Viljandi County, Estonia. Soomaa ("land of bogs") protects 390 km$^2$, and is a Ramsar site of protected wetlands. The park was created in 1993.

## County government

The Viljandi County government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) had been led by the Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who used to be appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Jüri Ratas's first cabinet decided to abolish the institution, which went into effect in 2018. Lembit Kruuse was the final Governor to serve the role.

## Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There is one urban municipality (Estonian: linnad – towns) and three rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Viljandi County.
| Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018) | Area km$^2$ | Density |
| 1 | Mulgi Parish | Rural | 7,652 | 881 | 8.7 |
| 2 | Põhja-Sakala Parish | Rural | 8,203 | 1,153 | 7.1 |
| 3 | Viljandi Parish | Rural | 13,950 | 1,374 | 10.2 |
| 4 | Viljandi | Urban | 17,758 | 15 | 1,183.9 |

## Religion

The largest number of congregations in the county are of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Orthodox congregations in the county are predominantly under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Several congregations of Baptists and other Christian churches operate in the county.
Religious affiliations in Viljandi County, census 2000–2021* :
| Religion | 2000 | 2000 | 2011 | 2011 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Religion | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| Christianity | 8,859 | 19.1 | 5,823 | 14.3 | 5,040 | 13.0 |
| —Orthodox Christians | 1,121 | 2.4 | 964 | 2.3 | 930 | 2.4 |
| —Lutherans | 7,178 | 15.5 | 4,373 | 10.7 | 3,390 | 8.8 |
| —Catholics | 104 | 0.2 | 37 | 0.09 | 60 | 0.1 |
| —Baptists | 130 | 0.2 | 95 | 0.2 | 210 | 0.5 |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 119 | 0.2 | 134 | 0.3 | 110 | 0.2 |
| —Pentecostals | 88 | 0.1 | 60 | 0.1 | 110 | 0.2 |
| —Old Believers | 1 | 0.002 | 5 | 0.01 | - | - |
| —Methodists | 117 | 0.2 | 2 | 0.004 | - | - |
| —Adventists | 1 | 0.002 | 69 | 0.1 | 60 | 0.1 |
| —Other Christians | - | - | 84 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.4 |
| Islam | 8 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 | 130 | 0.3 |
| Buddhism | - | - | 45 | 0.1 | 20 | 0.05 |
| Other religions** | 216 | 0.4 | 346 | 0.9 | 410 | 1.0 |
| No religion | 21,757 | 47.0 | 29,733 | 73.2 | 28,980 | 74.4 |
| Not stated*** | 8,105 | 17.5 | 4,623 | 11.4 | 3,930 | 10.2 |
| Total population* | 46,243 | 46,243 | 40,579 | 40,579 | 38,530 | 38,530 |
| *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age. ". |||||||

## Gallery

* Arussaare orthodox church, built in 1873
* Suure-Kõpu manor main building
* Heimtali manor distillery kitchen
* Reservoir in the town of Suure-Jaani
* Võrtsjärv lake; view from the village of Valma
* Ruins of Viljandi castle
* Õisu manor watermill
* St. John's Church in Viljandi