Mulgimaa

Mulgimaa is the southern part of Viljandimaa and the adjoining parishes, a region that grew unusually wealthy in the nineteenth century when its farmers bought their holdings early and prospered on flax, which paid for large farmhouses, education and a certain self-regard that produced both pride and the jokes other Estonians make about it. The markers are a distinct South Estonian dialect, now spoken by few and being taught again; the mulgi kuub, a long black woollen coat with braid; and mulgi puder, barley and potato porridge with pork and onion, which has become the region's culinary signature. Farm museums, the Karksi castle ruins and the Halliste and Abja churches are the fixed points.

What you actually see

• Mulgi farmhouses - the large nineteenth-century farm buildings.
• The mulgi kuub - the black braided coat kept in museums and at festivals.
• Mulgi porridge - the barley and potato dish served locally.
• Karksi ruins - the castle remains on the ravine above Karksi-Nuia.

When to go

May to September for the roads, farms and museums; winter opening is limited. Regional festivals and the mulgi cultural events fall mainly in summer. Weekdays are quiet.

Honest expectations

The region has no single centre or headline site; it is a landscape and a set of traditions across several parishes and needs a car. Museums keep short seasonal hours. The dialect is little heard in daily life. Facilities are limited.

Nearby

Viljandi lies north; the Latvian border is south.