The capital of Järva County, Paide celebrated its 710th anniversary in 2001. The Teutonic Order built a citadel here in the 1260s. The town that rose around it was originally made from Estonia’s primeval building material, limestone, from which it earned its name - Paelinn (“limestone town”) and thence Paide.
The rampart tower of Paide was first restored in the 1890s, but the Red Army blew it up in 1941. The earthen ramparts, in classic citadel shape, remain. The most impressive edifice is the limestone community centre.
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