Toila is a small borough (') in Ida-Viru County, in northeastern

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, a ...

. It is located about northeast of the town of

Jõhvi Jõhvi is a town in northeastern Estonia, and the administrative centre of the Ida-Viru County. The town is also an administrative centre of Jõhvi Parish. It is situated about 50 km west of the Estonia–Russia international border. ...

, on the coast of

Narva Bay The Narva Bay ( et, Narva laht, russian: Нарвский залив) (also the ''Gulf of Narva'' and the ''Narva Estuary'') is a bay in the southern part of the Gulf of Finland divided between Estonia and Russia. Geography The Kurgalsky Pen ...

(part of the Gulf of Finland). Toila is known as an important sea resort in Estonia, with a spa hotel, beach and a beautiful park (Oru Park). Toila is the administrative centre of Toila Parish. As of the 2011 Census, the settlement's population was 780, of whom the ethnic

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to oth ...

made up 628 (80.5%).

History

The existence of an ancient settlement in Toila is suggested by a

sacred grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...

('' hiis'') on a high coastal cliff, offering springs along the Pühajõgi River, and an offering stone in Oru Park. The oldest tarand grave found in

Virumaa Virumaa ( la, Vironia; Low German: ''Wierland''; Old Norse: ''Virland'') is a former independent county in Ancient Estonia. Now it is divided into Ida-Viru County or Eastern Vironia and Lääne-Viru County or Western Vironia. Vironians built ...

is located beside the current Toila cemetery. The burials there took place in two periods: 2nd–4th and 7th–8th centuries AD. The first written record about the Toila area, in the

Danish Census Book The Danish Census Book or the Danish book of land taxation ( la, Liber Census Daniæ), ( da, Kong Valdemars Jordebog) dates from the 13th century and consists of a number of separate manuscripts. The original manuscripts are now housed in the Da ...

, mentions neighbouring Pühajõe as a tiny hamlet with a size of 6 hides. In 1426, the neighbouring ''Kärilõpe'' village (now Altküla) was first mentioned. In 1547, the site of modern Toila was mentioned as ''Männiku'', where a knightly manor was situated. During the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

, Russian cavalry general

Boris Sheremetev Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (russian: Граф Бори́с Петро́вич Шереме́тев, tr. ; – ) was an Imperial Russian diplomat and general field marshal during the Great Northern War. He became the first Russian count i ...

built

reduit A reduit is a fortified structure such as a citadel or a keep into which the defending troops can retreat when the outer defences are breached. The term is also used to describe an area of a country, which, through a ring of heavy fortifications ...

s around Pühajõgi, to hinder

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

in approaching the Battle of Narva. Toila as a summer resort was discovered in the middle of the 19th century. The first tens of summer cottages were erected in the 1870s. In the second half of the century, a harbour was built in the estuary of the Pühajõgi River. Among locals, it became known as the "King's Jetty" (''Kuninga muul''). In 1914, the number of vacationers exceeded a thousand, while the number of residents was around 500. After World War I, the number of vacationers from Russia drastically decreased and Toila was used by only several hundred vacationers, mostly Estonian intellectuals. At the end of the 19th century, Russian merchant Grigory Yeliseyev (who owned a store on the Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg) bought land for his new summer residence in Toila. A palace in the Italian renaissance style designed by Gavriil Baranovsky and a large park by Georg Kuphaldt were established. After being expropriated from its Russian owner, from 1934 to 1940, the palace, known as Oru Palace, was used as the summer residence of the first Estonian president,

Konstantin Päts Konstantin Päts (; – 18 January 1956) was an Estonian statesman and the country's president in 1938–1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades prior ...

. The palace was destroyed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Notable people

(1874–1956), President of Estonia, summered in the Oru Castle from 1934 to 1940. *

Igor Severyanin Igor Severyanin (russian: И́горь Северя́нин; pen name, real name Igor Vasilyevich Lotaryov: И́горь Васи́льевич Лотарёв; May 16, 1887 – December 20, 1941) was a Russian poet who presided over the circle ...

(1887–1941), Russian poet, summered in Toila from 1910 and lived there from 1918 until 1935. *Notable vacationers in Toila include: **Writers and poets: Valmar Adams,

Artur Adson Artur Adson ( – 5 January 1977) was an Estonian poet, writer and theatre critic.Don Rubin, Peter Nagy, Philippe Rouyer, ''World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Europe'', Taylor & Francis, 1995, , p248 Early years Artur Adson (born Karl ...

, Betti Alver, August Gailit, Jüri Parijõgi, Aleksis Rannit,

Johannes Semper Johannes Semper ( – 21 February 1970) was an Estonian poet, writer, translator and politician. He was born in Pahuvere (now Viljandi Parish), Kreis Fellin, in the Governorate of Livonia. A student and later a prominent scholar at the Univers ...

Friedebert Tuglas Friedebert Tuglas, born Friedebert Mihkelson or Michelson (2 March 1886 – 15 April 1971) was an Estonian writer and critic who introduced Impressionism and Symbolism to Estonian literature.Marie Under Marie Under ( – 25 September 1980) was one of the greatest Estonian poets. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 12 separate years. Early life Under was born in Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia to school teachers ...

Henrik Visnapuu Henrik Visnapuu ( – 3 April 1951) was a well-known Estonian poet and dramatist. Life Henrik Visnapuu was born in Helme Parish, Viljandi County, Livonia. He first attended the village school in Reola (today in Ülenurme Parish) and college in ...

; **Actors: Leo Kalmet, Felix Moor, Netty Pinna, Paul Pinna,

Salme Reek Salme Reek (10 November 1907 – 9 June 1996) was an Estonian stage, film, radio, and television actress and stage director whose career spanned nearly seventy years; sixty-six of which were spent as an actress at the Estonian Drama Theatre. ...

; **Musicians:

Artur Kapp Artur Kapp (28 February 1878 – 14 January 1952) was an Estonian composer. Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, he was the son of Joosep Kapp, who was also a classically trained musician. K ...

, , Eduard Tubin, Aleksander Thomson; **Artists:

Johann Köler Johann Köler (8 March 1826 – 22 April 1899) was a leader of the Estonian national awakening and a painter. He is considered as the first professional painter of the emerging nation. He distinguished himself primarily by his portraiture and to ...

, Ado Vabbe; **Cultural and political figures:

Carl Robert Jakobson Carl Robert Jakobson ( – ) was an Estonian writer, politician and teacher active in the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire. He was one of the most important persons of the Estonian national awakening in the second half of the 19th centur ...

, Jaan Poska.

Gallery

File:Toila Sanatorium, Spa, Hotel.jpg, Toila Spa Hotel File:Estonia Toila plaża.jpg, Toila Beach File:Pühajõe suue.jpg, Mouth of Pühajõgi River in Toila File:Oru loss.png, The Oru Palace before the World War II File:Oru park2, 2008.jpg, The promenade of the palace File:Pühajõgi River Valley in Toila.JPG, Pühajõgi River in the park File:Estonia Toila.jpg, File:Toila-Oru Park 02.jpg, File:Toila kalmistu.jpg, Toila cemetery File:Cemetery of German soldiers in Toila 08.jpg, Cemetery of German soldiers File:Toila 01.jpg, The settlement

References

External links

Toila Parish

Toila Spa Hotel
{{Authority control Boroughs and small boroughs in Estonia Spa towns in Estonia Tourist attractions in Ida-Viru County