{
  "place_id": "viliandi#8242_11421",
  "wikidata": "Q44840",
  "country": "EE",
  "local_name": "Viljandi",
  "names": {
    "en": {
      "main": "Viljandi",
      "why": "Estonian official Latin-script name, retained in English in its native spelling.",
      "alternatives": [
        {
          "name": "Fellin",
          "why": "Historical German name widely used in English accounts of Livonia and the medieval castle."
        },
        {
          "name": "Vil’yandi",
          "why": "Russian-mediated English transcription found in older geographical records."
        },
        {
          "name": "Vilyandi",
          "why": "Simplified Russian-based spelling in English indexes."
        }
      ]
    },
    "fr": {
      "main": "Viljandi",
      "why": "Same as in English; retain this spelling in French. No separate French exonym is selected.",
      "alternatives": [
        {
          "name": "Fellin",
          "why": "Historical German name used in French accounts of Livonia and the Teutonic era."
        },
        {
          "name": "Viliandi",
          "why": "Older French transcription, retained in some historical geographical texts."
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "about_en": "Viljandi is a town in southern Estonia above a long lake. Its castle ruins and folk-music traditions make it a major cultural centre of the region.",
  "about_fr": "",
  "certainty": "high",
  "notes": "Input label is Ukrainian or indirect; local_name gives the native spelling.",
  "rank": 576,
  "slug": "viljandi"
}