Vana vigala

The village of Vana-Vigala is located off the Yadivere - Silla highway on both banks of the Vigala River. It is located 40 kilometers southwest of the county town of Rapla and 17 kilometers southwest of the parish center of Märjamaa . Height above sea level - 28 meters ^[4] .

In the village there are Vana-Vigala Elementary School ^[5] , Vana-Vigala School of Engineering and Service ^[6] , a school health center ^[7] , a pharmacy ^[7] , People’s House ^[8] , a library ^[9] and several shops.

The first information about the settlement on the site of the current village of Vana-Vigala dates back to 1426 . The village at that time was called Sikenkos, later the German-speaking Alt-Fickel ( German: Alt-Fickel ), which means Old Fikkel ( est. Vana-Vigala ). According to written sources, in the 16th century there was the Zikenkos manor - the future famous Van-Vigala manor ^[10] .

Already in the Middle Ages, the lands of Vigal belonged to the Ikskuls - one of the most powerful vassal families of Old Livonia - and were in their possession until the October Revolution . The strongholds of their power were the Vana-Vigala manor, the church of St. Mary and the settlement .

In 1841, the first Girls' School in the county was opened in Vana-Vigala ^[11] . A professional educational institution has been operating in the village since 1920, and a primary school since 1975. ^{[6] [12]}

In 1869, a large crop failure occurred in the region due to drought, which threatened the population with hunger. The owners of the Vana-Vigala Manor decided to give residents work on the construction of the fence of the manor park. Since no suitable stones were found in the loamy soil of the Vigal environs, they were brought through the Awaste swamp 20 kilometers from the village of Koonga . As a payment for labor, the manor gave the builders food grain. Since that time, the preserved fence of the manor park is called the Wall of Hunger. ^[13]

In 1905, the manor fell into the center of popular unrest . The peasants burned the manor. After that, it was restored in a slightly modified form.

In 1931 - 1968, the Rapla – Virtsu narrow gauge railway passed through the southern part of the village. A railway station was built within the borders of the village, around which a settlement with dense buildings arose.

In Soviet times, the village was the center of the collective farm “Vabaduz” (“ Freedom ”) ^[14] . Many apartment buildings were built here.

In 1978, the total land fund of the Vabaduz collective farm amounted to 9.2 thousand hectares, including agricultural land - 5 thousand hectares, of which 4 thousand hectares of cultivated land. The average number of collective farm workers in 1978 was 307 people. ^[14]

In 1989, Vana-Vigala was the largest village in the Rapla district of Estonia with a population of 1013 inhabitants ^[3] . The legal successor of the collective farm - the agricultural cooperative “Vabaduz” ( Est. Põllumajandusühistu „Vabadus” ) - broke up in 1994 . With the liquidation of the largest employer, the population of the village began to decline rapidly.

Since 1988, a summer seminar of school choir leaders has been held in the village, which ends with concerts ^[15] .

In Vigal’s People’s House, various circles work year-round.

The Vigala Library is located in the former train station building.

Since 2002, a folklore summer camp has been organized for children ^[16] .

Since 2004, guest days have been held as part of the Estonian tourist game .

The Estonian Music Festival "Hard Rock Camp" is held annually in the village.

, which has a long tradition, is arranged every fall (literally translated from Estonian, the Pottery Fair) ^[17] .

• Vana-Vigala Manor and Manor Park;
• ;
• the ancient , located across the river opposite the manor park, and the “Sacred” oak ;
• The former complex of the Vigal railway station : the railway station building, a water tower, a trading warehouse, a hydrant and residential buildings for railway workers.

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  Van Vigal Library

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  Vana Vigala Folk House

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  Vana Vigala School of Technology and Services

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  Shop in Vana Vigala

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  Railway tower water tower

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  The “sacred” oak of Van Vigal