Early history It is speculated that during the antiquity a winter road passed through the area of Aegviidu that connected
Kehra and
Jäneda. The ancient is located just a few kilometers southeast of current Aegviidu, on the coast of
Kalijärv. The
hillfort was likely in use between the 11th and 13th centuries. Kosenõmme (
Cosgenomne), which is located in the northern part of modern Aegviidu, was given to in 1379. In 1467, the Kosenõmme mill had been referred to as
Kossgen-Nomme. By 1510, the mill had seemingly disappeared, when
Kossenem only referred to a regular farm. In 1511, the farm had been referred to as
Kaszenum. Aegviidu was first mentioned in the will of
Baron Johan von Bremen of
Lehtse in 1522 as
Agevidt farm. The section of Piibe road, that passes through current Aegviidu was likely first built sometime during the 17th century. At the beginning of the 18th century there are reports of an inn operating in the vicinity of Aegviidu. In 1714, there are records of
Aigwido Mart from
Koseneme, while in 1755 there are records of
Aegwidi Jaan from
Aegwiid, suggesting that what would eventually become Aegviidu was initially part of Kosenõmme. The hunting lodge is currently used as a community center.On December 6, 1896, the Alexandra chapel of Aegviidu was solemnly consecrated, being later renamed to Alexander chapel of Aegviidu. The current tower of the chapel was built in 1940. The chapel was badly damaged in the
March bombings of 1944. The insides of the chapel were thoroughly renovated in the 1970s. Lehtse manor, along its subsidiaries, was nationalized in 1919. The station's two-story
historistic wooden building features an asymmetric facade and a low, multisectional
gable roof, similar to buildings in
Keila and
Paldiski. The railway, along with the construction of a
water tower and a
locomotive depot, greatly accelerated the growth of Aegviidu, which was previously sparsely populated. Just before the
Estonian War of Independence,
Konstantin Päts assigned Eduard Piibemann to organize the Aegviidu self-defense force. On the night of February 24, 1918, the force detained a Russian detachment near the railroad in Aegviidu and confiscated their weapons. Although the Soviets briefly captured Aegviidu on January 1, 1919, the Estonians recaptured it by railway on January 5, 1919, a day after the decisive
Battle of Kehra. The Tallinn-Aegviidu railway line saw further development, with the first electrified train between
Kehra and Aegviidu running on August 3, 1978, and the second pair of rails from Aegviidu to Kehra and
Lehtse laid in 1987 and 1991, respectively. The electrified part of the Tallinn-Tapa railway terminates roughly halfway between Aegviidu and Nelijärve railway stations. The new
Stadler FLIRT trains began servicing the Tallinn-Aegviidu line on July 1, 2013. The was opened in the early 1940s to provide convenient access to the recreation center, which was built in 1938 on the shore of
Purgatsi lake. The development of Aegviidu slowed down after the
second world war. File:Aegviidu raudteejaam.jpg|Aegviidu railway station File:Tallinn-Tapa railway, Aegviidu, Sept 2010.jpg|End of electrified railway in Aegviidu File:Aegviidu jaama peahoone3.jpg|Aegviidu railway station building before renovation File:Elroni reisirong läbisõidul Aegviidu jaamast.jpg|Railway near Aegviidu
Politics Aegviidu gained the rights of a summering borough in 1926 and the rights of a borough in 1945. Aegviidu has been a part of , , and regions since 1950, 1962, and 1962, respectively. The borough became self-governing on June 20, 1991, and became a
borough-
parish on August 25, 1993. File:EST Aegviidu flag.png|Former flag of Aegviidu parish File:EST Aegviidu COA.png|Former coat of arms of Aegviidu parish == Geography ==