Viljandi

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Viljandi
Town
Clockwise from top: Viljandi town hall; Old water tower; downtown; Ugala theatre; University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, St. John's church; Sakala Centre
Flag Coat of arms
Viljandi Location within Europe Show map of Europe Viljandi Location within Baltic Sea region Show map of Baltic Sea Viljandi Location within Estonia Show map of Estonia
Coordinates: 58°22′N 25°36′E / 58.367°N 25.600°E / 58.367; 25.600
Country	Estonia
County	Viljandi
Founded	1283
Government
• Mayor	Madis Timpson
Area
• Total	14.62 km2 (5.64 sq mi)
Elevation	83 m (272 ft)
Population  (2019)
• Total	17,407[1]
• Rank	6th
Ethnicity
• Estonians	94%
• Russians	3%
• other	2.1%
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	71020
ISO 3166 code	EE-897
Website	www.viljandi.ee

Viljandi (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈvilʲːjɑnʲːdi], German: Fellin, Latvian: Vīlande, Polish: Felin, Swedish: Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019.^[1] It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League at the beginning of the 14th century, and is one of five Estonian towns and cities in the league. The once influential Estonian newspaper Sakala was founded in Viljandi in 1878.