Selja, Hiiumaa Parish

Selja is a village in Hiiumaa Parish, Hiiu County in northwestern Estonia.

Name

Selja was attested in historical sources as Selja Tönniß in 1665 (i.e., 'Tõnis [Anthony] from Selja', referring to a resident of the village) and Sellia by (i.e., 'Selja village') in 1709. The toponym is relatively frequent in Estonia and is derived from the common noun (genitive: ) 'back, crest, ridge (of a hill)'.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Selja include the following:

• Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918), first Estonian professional composer, born and spent his early childhood in Selja. In 1973, Tobias's birthplace was converted into a museum.
• Johannes Tobias (1847–1909), parish clerk and father of Rudolf Tobias

References