Where is Johvi located? What is this city? What language do its inhabitants speak? The fact that he is directly related to Estonia will be prompted by a name that is inconvenient for a Russian-speaking person. Bizarre combinations of the consonant " th " with vowels at the beginning of the word are characteristic of the Baltic-Finnish subgroup of languages.
However, linguistics issues are far from the main ones in this article. Today we learn all about the past of a small Estonian town, which for some reason did not appeal to tourists, despite the picturesque landscapes, unusual buildings, old streets, cozy cafes and good hotel service.
Geographical location, population
Where is the city of Johvi located? In Estonia , or rather, its northeastern part. In the list of cities of the Baltic state, he occupies the thirteenth place. There are a total of 47 items in this list. This is not such a small city for Estonia. In approximately twenty settlements, the population is not more than four thousand people. There are quite modest cities - no more than a thousand inhabitants.
1.3 million people are the total population of Estonia. More than twelve thousand staid, phlegmatic and reasonable citizens live in Johvi - these are the ideas about the inhabitants of the North European country located on the Baltic Sea coast.
On some maps of Estonia there is no Johvi. Probably due to insignificance. But we have already determined - the city is located in the north-east of the country. This is the capital of the county, in which, unlike the southern regions, one can more often hear Russian speech than Estonian. It is called Ida-Virumaa . It borders with Russia, and extends to the Gulf of Finland, and to the Narva River, and to Lake Peipsi. Once the settlement referred to in our story was a modest village, today it is a significant industrial town for the country.
Cranberry city
Estonian and Finnish dishes are often complemented by cranberry sauce. Not surprising. In these northern territories, useful berry grows in abundance. The weather in Jõhvi (Estonia) is often sunny in summer. In autumn, foggy and rainy days prevail. In the vicinity of Johvi more swamps and swamps. This creates favorable conditions for the spread of cranberries.
It is no coincidence that we spoke about the shrubs that love the marshland so much. In the thirteenth century, chroniclers first spoke of Johvi (Estonia). Attractions of the Middle Ages are not preserved. Perhaps that is why in the history of the city there are many white spots.
When the first people appeared on the territory of modern Johvi, cranberries grew more actively than today. Residents of nearby settlements over time began to call the village jõhvika, that is, " cranberry " . Over time, the adjective became an official toponym.
But this is just one version. There is no exact evidence that the city is named after the northern berry.
River water and other versions
In the thirties of the last century, H. Kurba , who devoted more than a decade to studying the history of Johvi, suggested that the name of the city refers to the Estonian word, which is translated into Russian as " river water " . This statement is based only on the fact that a spring once flowed in the center of a settlement .
The most reliable, according to modern scholars, is the version that belongs to the linguist Ketunnen . The scientist believed that the name " yihvi " comes from a noun, which can be translated into Russian as " horse hair. "
In order to judge which of the above versions is the most true, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of both the Estonian language and the history of Johvi (Estonia). Tourists are much more interested in hotels and the level of service in the hotels of this Baltic city, rather than similar highly specialized issues.
Is yhvi derived from horsehair or the name of a berry? Perhaps for travelers this does not matter. Hotels, attractions, restaurants, festivals in Johvi in Estonia - all this is of much greater interest. But before telling about the infrastructure of the city, as well as the events that take place in it, we will briefly outline its history.
XIII-XVIII centuries
So, Johvi appeared supposedly in the thirteenth century. Then it was a small village belonging to the Danish king. In the XVI century, the city was already part of Sweden. And in August 1721, between this northern country and the state, which today occupies one sixth of the earth's land, an agreement was concluded, known in history as Nishtadtsky. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, Johvi became Russian. The name also changed - on the map of the Russian Empire it was designated as " Ievwe " . But not for long. One hundred years passed, and Ievwe disappeared from the Russian map. However, in the future, the inhabitants of the city, as a rule, contrary to their wishes, changed citizenship much more rapidly.
Temple construction
In the second half of the 19th century, Ievve turned from a small village into a significant transit and transshipment point. A railway station has already been built here, while the emperor appointed a rather well-known personality in those days - Sergei Shakhovsky. The life of the former Baltic city has changed for the better. At least for the Russian-speaking part of the population. A monastery was built in Ievva and an Orthodox sports society was opened. Around this time, the Church of the Epiphany of the Lord appeared here.
Transformations also affected administrative division. We call Ievve a city, while in the second half of the 19th century it had the status of a posad. The difference between these concepts was then significant. Posad is in many ways different from the city, including in terms of population. According to the 1900 census, 1,300 people lived in Ieva. Moreover, there were no less Russians than Estonians.
World War I
The year 1914 came. The Estonian population of Ievve was anxiously awaiting decisive events. The expectations of the Baltic were justified, but at the end of the war. In 1918, the Germans captured the city and, surprisingly , did not begin to destroy or rob it, as occupiers usually do in such situations. They began to build sidewalks and plant trees.
The Germans, of course, captured not only this small settlement . They occupied all of Estonia (which, however, was not difficult to do), and above all, Tallinn. And it's not that they were attracted to picturesque places, covered in some places with cranberry swamps. The Germans sought to persuade the Bolsheviks to conclude a separate peace treaty, which was achieved on March 3, 1918.
In 1919, the village was returned the original name - Johvi. His status was still the same - posad. Ten years later, there was already a school and a shakhter school. The production of oil shale has begun. Johvi received the status of the city a year before the start of World War I. In the late 30s, approximately 2.5 thousand people lived here.
Second German occupation
In 1940, Soviet power was established in Johvi. And soon the Germans reappeared here, who were no longer as friendly as in the past war. The trees were not planted, the roads were not laid, and when they retreated, they also set up a fire. Yes, the Germans were no longer the same. After several years of their barbaric stay and rapid departure in the village of 350 tasks, only no more than a hundred remained. The life of a small industrial town, meanwhile, continued.
The Germans returned to Johvi in 1945, but now no longer of their own free will. As prisoners of war, they restored buildings destroyed by their own hands. They worked in good faith, and therefore many buildings erected in the late forties, and today have a pretty decent appearance.
Johvi today
In 1991, Estonia gained independence. In the early 2000s, active construction began in the city. Several new buildings have appeared, including one that is not of interest to tourists - Viru Prison. In 2013, a promenade was opened connecting the remote parts of Johvi. A large shopping and entertainment center has appeared, the construction of which took more than 2.5 million euros.
The main industry in the Estonian town is , as before, the extraction of oil shale. Travelers who have visited megalopolises rich in architectural and historical monuments believe that there is nothing to see in Johvi. Nevertheless, they recommend visiting a concert hall, a windmill, the city hall and, of course, the local Orthodox church.
The Church of the Epiphany of the Lord was built at the end of the XIX century. His story does not tell us about any tragic events, because he relates to the Tallinn diocese. While churches began to be massively destroyed in Russia, Germans who had nothing against the Orthodox faith had long settled in Estonia. Even before their flight, in 1944, probably by accident, they did not burn the temple.
Festival in Johvi (Estonia): "Slavic Light"
Artists from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus come to the Estonian city for an annual event. The history of the festival began not so long ago - in 2009. A vivid performance is held on the territory, stretching almost a kilometer in length. Festival days are concerts, master classes, and various entertainment programs. Both professional artists and amateurs take part in the show.
In July 2017, the media published a lot of notes about accidents on the roads of Johvi (Estonia). In total, 14 accidents happened in a day. In accidents that occurred mostly due to drunk drivers, 18 people were injured.