NHM 2017: How to get there

The Nordic Harp Meeting 2017 takes place at Pärimusmuusika Ait in Viljandi, Estonia.
Address: Tasuja pst 6, 71011 VILJANDI (Click here to see it on a map). To view some Google photos of the venue, click here. The building stands on the ruins of a storage house (“ait”) which is very close to the castle ruins and white Jaani church. The “ait” is the home of the organization “Eesti Pärimusmuusika Keskus” (Estonian Traditional Music Center) and thus the centre for traditional music related events, concerts, courses and festivals.
Viljandi is a nice picturesque town quite in the middle of Estonia. If you come by plane or ferry then probably it is best to come through Tallinn – the capital of Estonia. There is a good connection between Tallinn and Viljandi either by bus or by train. The ride is approximately 2 hours 15 minutes.

Another possibility is to arrive at Riga (the capital of Latvia). Then you need to take a bus from Riga to Pärnu and another bus from Pärnu to Viljandi.

Distances from Viljandi: Tallinn 161 km, Tartu 81 km, Pärnu 97 km, Riga 245 km, St Petersburg 393 km, Helsinki 247 km, Stockholm 580 km.

 More information about
Getting around Viljandi

Getting around the city is easiest on foot, with everything within 15 minutes walking distance, but buses also run regularly (see route schedules). If you happen to get lost and wander too far, here are some taxi numbers (add +372): 1200 / 1700 / 15444 / 1300 / 1242 / 433 3833. The normal fee for a taxi is around 3-5 euros (and with 5€ you should get pretty much anywhere in Viljandi).

If you have questions then ask us or the administrator at Ait or call Viljandi Tourist Information Centre at (+372) 43 30 442.

 

Teachers and workshops 2017

Musicians who have performed or taught workshops at the Nordic Harp Meeting 2017 in Viljandi:

Confirmed workshops:

Note: Before entering a workshop, make sure that your instrument is in tune.
It is an annoying waste of valuable teaching time if the first half of a workshop goes to tuning all your sevenhundred strings.

Lectures:

  • Overview of Estonian Traditional Instruments, with Kaisa Nõges (Estonia)
  • How to take care of your instrument, with Pepe Weissgerber (Germany)
  • Wiczlaw von Rügen – a minnesinger from the Baltic Sea, with Stefan Battige (Germany)
  • Development of small hiiu kannel for children, with Rauno Nieminen (Finland)