Trepimägi was built at the end of the 19th century to improve the connection between the historic old town and Lake Viljandi. The staircase has five flights of stairs and a total of 158 steps, the Visit Viljandi website says: "It is not just a pedestrian path, but a place where history, architecture, and nature intertwine."

Steps were sold to fund the renovation work, with each one now bearing the name of its new owner.

On Saturday, Mayor of Viljandi Johan-Kristjan Konovalov said that although there were initially doubts about whether the staircase could be restored with the help of donors, the sale of the steps went better than expected.

"Once we managed to sell those €500 steps within a week, it became clear that this was important to the people of Viljandi, and we had, so to speak, hit the bullseye," said Konovalov.

In total, there were over 200 donors. Of those, 140 purchased €500 steps, and an additional 14 major supporters contributed €5,000 each. Among them was the company Cleveron, whose employees have a strong connection to Viljandi.

"For me, it's certainly very important because I am from this lakeside area. For me, it is a monumental Viljandi structure. I have done a lot of sports here, and it is one of Viljandi's landmarks," said donor Karl Henry Thomson.

Lii Susi said Trepimägi reminds her of physical education classes. "And always heading to the lake, and [Viljandi] Folk [Festival], and Hanseatic Days. Every summer, you just have to come to Trepimägi at least once, even if there's no real reason to," she added.

The restoration of Trepimägi was also supported by the Le Hussar family, who purchased a step in the names of their two children. Hussar also helped ensure that a step would bear the name of legendary Viljandi runner Benno Viirandi.

"Benno Viirandi managed to go around the lake 61 times—walking and running, depending on his age and health condition. And the 61st step now bears the name Benno Viirandi," Hussar said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!