Abja-Paluoja is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Mulgi Parish Mulgi Parish () is a rural municipality in southern Estonia. It is a part of Viljandi County. As of 2021, the municipality has a population of 7,372, and covers . Geography The administrative centre of the Mulgi municipality is the town of A ...

Viljandi County Viljandi County ( or ''Viljandimaa''; ) 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 ''Krei ...

, in southern

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 ...

. Abja-Paluoja got the town status and became a separate urban municipality in 1993.

History

First documented records of the Abja manor and village date from 1457 (''Abbalis et Meitzekull''). From 1897 to 1973, the railway line passed through Abja-Paluoja, and there was a railway station in the town. In 1913, a flax factory was established near Abja-Paluoja because

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

cultivation had developed in the area. The Abja Gymnasium (secondary school) was opened in 1940. Abja-Paluoja was the centre of Abja

raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...

from 1950 to 1962. Abja-Paluoja gained town rights and became a separate urban municipality in 1993. In 1998, it was merged into surrounding rural municipality (

Abja Parish Abja Parish () was a rural municipality of Estonia, in Viljandi County. In 2009, it had a population of 2,719 (as of 1 January 2009) and an area of . After the municipal elections held on 15 October 2017, Abja Parish was merged with Halliste a ...

) and was its administrative centre until 2017.

Notable people

Karl August Hindrey Karl August Hindrey (15 August 1875 Abja Manor, Kreis Pernau – 9 January 1947) was an Estonian writer, journalist and cartoonist. He is mostly known through his psychological short stories and historical novels. He is also considered to be the ...

(1875–1947), writer, journalist, and cartoonist * Aino Jõgi (1922–2013), linguist and translator * Kaimo Kuusk (born 1975), diplomat and foreign intelligence officer *

Mati Laur Mati Laur (born 17 June 1955, in Abja-Paluoja) is an Estonian historian. He has written and coauthored textbooks about early modern Estonia. He has published scholarly articles about eighteenth-century Estonia, which also was the subject of his ...

(born 1955), historian * Tarmo Pihlap (1952–1999), singer and guitarist *

Riho Västrik Riho Västrik (born August 4, 1965) is an Estonian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, journalist, and historian. Biography Between 1988 and 2000, Västrik studied at the University of Tartu, where he received his bachelor's degree in history and ...

(born 1965), filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, journalist, and historian

Gallery

Park kesklinnas.jpg, Park in central Abja-Paluoja Abja postkontor 2010.JPG, Abja Museum in the historic bank and post office building Abjas dzelzceļa stacija 1.jpg, Former railway station (now the building is used by a Pentecostal congregation) Abja-Paluoja päästekomando depoo.jpg, Fire depot Abja-Paluoja.jpg, Bus station Abja Spordikeskus.jpg, Sports and Health Centre

References

External links

Abja Gymnasium
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Former municipalities of Estonia 1993 establishments in Estonia Kreis Pernau