Simuna
Coordinates: 59 ° 3 ' N , 26 ° 24' E
Simuna (German Sankt Simonis ) is a village ( Estonian alevik ) in the Estonian district of Lääne-Viru . It has belonged to the municipality of Väike-Maarja since 2005 . Simuna has 383 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2011).
Description and history
Simuna is located in the south-eastern part of the Pandivere ridge , near the Kellavere mägi elevation (156 m). The Katku springs, from which the longest Estonian river, the Pedja ( Pedja jõgi ), has its source, are located nearby .
The original name of the place was Katkuküla. The parish of Simuna ( Simuna kihelkond ), founded at the beginning of the 13th century, formed around the local St. Simon and Jude Church .
Simuna Church
The original three-aisled church dates from the 15th century. It was completely rebuilt in 1728/1729 (after being destroyed in the Northern War ) and in 1885/1886. The 53.3 m high church tower is characteristic. The publicly accessible viewing platform offers a wide view of the surrounding area.
The most important works of art include the baroque altar by Christian Ackermann (1684), the baroque pulpit (1724) and the organ by the Estonian master Gustav Normann (1889). The altar painting from the beginning of the 19th century is the work of the Dresden- born painter Carl Sigismund Walther .
The church and the late Classicist pastorate are under monument protection.
Simuna is the home village of numerous scholars such as the mathematician Magnus Georg Paucker (1787–1855), the legal scholar and historian Julius von Paucker (1798–1856), the theologian Hugo Richard Paucker (1807–1872) and the politician and financial expert Leo Sepp (1892 -1941).
The Baltic German painter Carl Timoleon von Neff (1804–1877) is buried in the Simuna cemetery. The Baltic German priest and Protestant martyr Walther Paucker (1878–1919) was also buried here.
Struve monument
About 800 m east of Simuna is a monument to the German astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793–1864), under whose direction the globe was measured. One of the important measuring points was at Simuna.
Web links
- Detailed description of the place (Estonian)
- Sights in Simuna and the surrounding area (Estonian)