Country Estonia First mentioned 1329 Municipality Helme Parish | County Valga County Website www.helme.ee | |
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Helme is a small borough (Estonian: alevik) in Helme Parish, Valga County, in southern Estonia. It's located only 2 km (1 mi) northwest of the town of Tõrva by the Valga–Pärnu road (nr. 6). At the 2011 Census, the settlement's population was 167.
Helme church parish was first mentioned in 1329 during a Lithuanian raid. Most of the neighbouring land was fiefed in the 15th–16th centuries. Livonian Order castle in Helme (Ordensburg Helmet) was probably built in the first half of the 14th century. The site on a steep hill is believed to have been used as a stronghold earlier by Sackalians in the Ancient Estonia. By its ground plan the order castle was 120×60 m oval shaped structure, surrounded by two moats. There was a borough beside the castle in the Middle Ages, it was mentioned until the 17th century. The castle was destroyed by the Swedes during the Russo-Swedish War in 1658. Nowadays only parts of the walls with high window holes have survived.
Helme is the birthplace of poet and dramatist Henrik Visnapuu (1890-1951) and sculptress Erna Viitol (1920–2001).