Riidaja

58.09555625.895833Koordinaten: 58 ° 6 ' N, 25 ° 54 ' E

Riidaja ( German Morsel - Podrigel ) is a village (Estonian küla ) in the Estonian rural community Põdrala in Valga County. It is located 35 kilometers south-east of Viljandi.

Location and History

Riidaja is the capital of the rural community Põdrala ( Põdrala vald ). The village has 235 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011).

1833 founded the German Baltic nobleman Georg Constantin von Stryk ( 1797-1886 ), the school of the village. In 1967 the current school building in the form of a functional building.

The most famous son of the town is the Estonian ethnographer Ferdinand Limnos ( 1895-1942 ). He was born on the farm Kalme belonging to Riidaja.

Good Riidaja

From 1562 to the Estonian land reform after the First World War, the Good Riidaja the Baltic German family von Stryk belonged.

1762 was the simple wooden mansion. The one-story building was designed in the Baroque style. Of particular art historical interest is the baroque main door of the mansion, which is still preserved. Today in the manor house of the village, the library is housed. Get also some outbuildings of the estate.

Behind the mansion extends still nearly six -acre park of the estate. He was also created in the second half of the 18th century as a baroque garden, but remodeled in the 19th century landscape garden.

In Riidaja is also the neo-gothic grave chapel of the noble family von Stryk. It dates from the second half of the 19th century. The building was restored in 2000. Since 2001, the chapel serves as a church.

The Estonian name of good and village, " Riidaja " emerged after the Baltic German nobility Freytag von Loringhoven to which the estate was mortgaged 1697-1725.