Väike-Maarja
Väike-Maarja | |
|---|---|
Väike-Maarja's central square with the Georg Lurich monument | |
Väike-Maarja Location in Estonia | |
| Coordinates: 59°07′41″N 26°15′05″E / 59.12806°N 26.25139°E | |
| Country | Estonia |
| County | Lääne-Viru County |
| Municipality | Väike-Maarja Parish |
| Population (01.01.2008) | |
• Total | 2,005 |
Väike-Maarja (German: Klein-Marien) is a small borough (Estonian: alevik) in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Väike-Maarja Parish. The population of Väike-Maarja in January 2023 was 2,155 people.
Name
Väike-Maarja was attested in historical sources as Weike-Maarja in 1826 and Wäikse-Maarja in 1883. It was known as Klein-Marien in German and as Nienkerken in Low German. The Estonian name Väike-Maarja and the German name Klein-Marien literally mean 'little Mary', and the Low German name Nienkerken means 'new church'. When the area of what is now Väike-Maarja was transferred from ancient Järva County to Virumaa County in the early 15th century, a new parish was established, referred to as the 'new church' (thus the Low German name Nienkerken). The new church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and, because there was already a church dedicated to Mary in nearby Ambla in Järva County, the parish was referred to as Väike-Maarja 'little Mary' to distinguish it from the former. A similar differentiation was applied to the settlements of Suure-Jaani (lit. 'big John') and Väike-Jaani (lit. 'little John', now Kolga-Jaani) in Viljandi County.[1]
Church
Väike-Maarja Church was initially built as a fortress church.[2]
Climate
| Climate data for Väike- Maarja (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1962–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
33.7 (92.7) |
34.5 (94.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
34.5 (94.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
1.8 (35.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
16.2 (61.2) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.7 (23.5) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.8 (60.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
5.2 (41.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.5 (18.5) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
0.0 (32.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.8 (53.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−5 (23) |
1.5 (34.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −33.7 (−28.7) |
−34.8 (−30.6) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
2.4 (36.3) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−13.6 (7.5) |
−23.7 (−10.7) |
−36.2 (−33.2) |
−36.2 (−33.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46 (1.8) |
35 (1.4) |
34 (1.3) |
34 (1.3) |
44 (1.7) |
76 (3.0) |
75 (3.0) |
87 (3.4) |
63 (2.5) |
76 (3.0) |
57 (2.2) |
50 (2.0) |
684 (26.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 131 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 90 | 88 | 81 | 71 | 67 | 73 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 91 | 82 |
| Source: Estonian Weather Service (precipitation days 1971–2000)[3][4][5][6][7] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Aile Asszonyi (born 1975), opera singer
- Eda-Ines Etti (born 1981), singer
- Vello Jürna (1959–2007), opera singer
- Madde Kalda (1903–1984), writer
- Alar Kotli (1904–1963), architect
- Jakob Liiv (1859–1938), poet and writer
- Georg Lurich (1876–1920), wrestler and strongman
- Kersti Merilaas (1913–1986), poet and translator
- Kuno Pajula (1924-2012), cleric
- Maie Kalda (1929–2013), literary scholar and critic
- Priit Raik (1948–2008), composer, conductor and pedagogue
- A. H. Tammsaare (1878–1940), writer, studied at Väike-Maarja parish school
- Kaido Höövelson (born 1984), sumo wrestler known as Baruto Kaito
Gallery
-
Väike-Maarja society house
-
Väike-Maarja, main street
-
Monument to the poet Jakob Liiv
-
Monument to the strongman and wrestler Georg Lurich
References
- ^ "Väike-Maarja". Dictionary of Estonian Place Names. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Instituut. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Väike-Maarja Church, Estonia". Visitestonia.com. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ "Climate normals-Temperature". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Climate normals-Precipitation". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Climate normals-Humidity". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Rekordid" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Kliimanormid-Sademed, õhuniiskus" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
External links
- Väike-Maarja Parish (in Estonian)