Valga is a town in southern

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

and the capital of Valga County and Valga Parish. Until their separation in 1920, Valga and the town of Valka in northern

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

were one town. They are now twin-towns. The area of Valga is and that of Valka is . Their populations are respectively 12,261 and 6,164. On 21 December 2007 all border-crossing points were removed and roads and fences opened between the two countries with both countries joining the Schengen Agreement.

Location and transport

The distance to

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

is , Pärnu , Tallinn , Riga and

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

. Valga is situated at the junction of roads and railways. The Valga- Võru- Koidula railway runs to the town. Trains stopped running in 2001. Freight trains on the Valga- Võru- Koidula line have been cut back significantly after the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. The Tartu-Valga railway line also serves this station. After closing April 2008 for extensive repair work Edelaraudtee railway services from other parts of

to Valga re-opened in January 2010. With the expansion of the Schengen Agreement and the abolition of systematic border controls between Estonia and Latvia, it was announced that common public bus transport would be launched between Valga and Valka. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, Valga was home to Valga air base.

Districts of Valga

There are six districts of Valga: *Kesklinn *Laatsi *Pilpaküla *Puraküla *Kapsamõisa (Raudteetaguse) *Tambre.

Activity

Since 1944, a local newspaper, ''Valgamaalane'', has been published (3 times a week). Since 2003, there has also been a local newspaper
Walk
(in the

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

). There also is a local correspondence office of Estonian Television (''Eesti Televisioon'') and a local radio – "Raadio Ruut". The former urban municipality of Valga (until 2017) maintained partnerships with many towns, mostly in foreign countries, which are listed in a special subsection below. Valga is developing quickly. Since 1996, the populace's quality of life has improved due to the renovation of several buildings, including the Central Library, Valga Stadium, the Museum, Valga Hospital, and the Culture and Hobby Centre. Step by step, the schools and kindergartens are also being modernized. Since 2003, a new water treatment plant has improved the quality of water in the town. In the private sector, there have been extensive investments in trade, light industry, and forestry.

Demographics

Sports

Valga is home to several notable Estonian sports teams. Warrior Valga is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club that currently plays in the III liiga. Warrior Valga played in the Meistriliiga from 2003 to 2006. Valga is a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

club that currently plays in the Estonian top-tier Korvpalli Meistriliiga and the Baltic Basketball League.

Climate

Valga lies within the temperate humid continental climate zone.

History

* 1286: Valga (under German name '' Walk'') appears for the first time in the credit register of the city of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. * 1298, 1329, 1345: Walk suffers from looting raids made by

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

who are led by Grand Duke

Gediminas Gediminas ( – December 1341) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death in 1341. He is considered the founder of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (see: Iron Wolf legend). During his reign, he brought under his rule lands from t ...

and

Algirdas Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...

on the second and third occasions. * 1419: Walk becomes the seat of the

Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...

of the Livonian Confederation. * 1481: A raid by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

ns; the settlement burns down for the fourth time. * 1500: Walk, a settlement in the heart of Old Livonia that is not fortified, is chosen as the location for town assembly days 36 times up to 1500. * 1501: During another raid by

ns the settlement gets burnt down for the fifth time. * 1558: During the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Terra Mariana, Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom ...

the medieval settlement of Walk is completely destroyed. * 1584 11 June: Valga is granted the same charter and byelaws as

by Stefan Batory, the King of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. * 1590 17 April: The

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

, ratifies the charter for the second time. Valga is granted its city arms. * 1600: The first town map, showing 42 house properties. The town is long and between wide. * 1626: After the Polish-Swedish War Valga becomes the subject of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. On 6 March, King

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

confirms the existing privileges. * 1657: On 9 July, a Swedish army under Friedrich von Löwen defeats a Russian army under Scheremetchev in the Battle of Walk. * 1721: As the result of the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, Valga is subjected to

n rule together with the rest of

. * 1764 5 October: Empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

confirms the town's privileges. * 1783: During the Regency of

the Valga County (''Kreis Walk'') is formed. * 1780: The first stone buildings are erected: a church, a school and county offices. * 1789: Land surveyor O.S. Engell drafts the map of Valga showing 76 plots with houses. * 1816: The building of St. John's Church is finished. * 1819: 451 inhabitants lived in the town (79.6% of them Germans, 10.0% Latvians, 7.5% Russians and 2.9% Estonians) * 1876: ''Walkscher Anzeiger'', the first newspaper in Valga, in German, is issued. * 1889: Valga Railway Station is opened. On 22 July the

-Valga railway line is officially opened. * 1890 16 December: The Valga Temperance Society is founded. * 1896: The Pärnu-Valga

narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter cur ...

is opened. * 1901 7 December: Together with

Latvians Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...

succeed in winning the elections over

Baltic Germans Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their resettlement in 1945 after the end of World War II, Baltic Germans have drastically decli ...

in Valga – the first occasion on Estonian territory. The chemist Johannes Märtson is elected mayor. * 1902: In the building of the Temperance Society the social society Säde is founded; Andres Alver, the county medical officer, is elected chairman. The Valga- Marienburg narrow-gauge railway is opened. * 1908 24 June: Estonian military commander Alfons Rebane is born in Valga. * 1908: The Girls' Progymnasium is changed into the Gymnasium with Marta Pärna as principal. * 1909: The construction of the Säde building is begun (architect Georg Hellat). * 1913: 16194 inhabitants lived in the town (51% of them Estonians, 25.1% Latvians, 15.5% Russians, 4.0% Germans, 2.1% Jewish). * 1917: A German

zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...

flies over the town and drops forty high-explosive bombs without hitting the main target, the railway station. * 1918 11 January: The Council of Delegates of Valga County Workers, Soldiers and Landless Men gains power in the town. On 12 February the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

occupies Valga. * 1919 11 January: The Valga Estonian Gymnasium is opened at 22 Kesk Street. For the first time in the history of secondary education in Valga the teaching language is Estonian instead of German. At the end of January, 107 victims of

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

acts of terror are found in five mass graves around Valga; 67 people are taken away as hostages. On 31 January the Battle of Paju takes place and consequently Valga is freed from the Bolsheviks. Grens Valga

* 1920 1 July: The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

envoy Colonel S. G. Tallents conclusively establishes the border between

and

, putting an end to their

disputes Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

and the city of Valga is divided into Estonian and Latvian areas based on ethnicity. Valga proper, as far as Konnaoja and Luke graveyard, remains intact under

n rule. * 1921 11 February: The decree of the

n government establishes the territory of Valga county. Valga becomes a county centre. * 1940 17 June: The

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation begins and with it the political repressions against Estonians and Latvians in Valga/Valka, including the mass deportations in June 1941. * 1941 9 July: Valga is occupied by German troops. * 1944 ** Dulag 110 transit prisoner-of-war camp relocated from Tapa to Valga, and then further relocated to

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

in German-occupied Poland after a few months. ** 19 September: In the course of heavy fighting Valga is liberated from the German occupation of Estonia. It is immediately replaced by the Soviet occupation of Estonia. * 1988. The Valga Society for the Protection of Antiquities is founded. On 27 November, on the initiative of the Society, the beginning of the War of Liberation is commemorated at the memorial for those killed in the war. * 1989 24 February: The first

n flag of the re-established independence period is hoisted on the flagpole of 12 Aia Street. * 1992 24 May: The

n army base in Valga is taken over, and later on becomes the border guard's post. * 1993 17 October: The first free elections of the municipal council after the restoration of independence take place. * 1994 31 January: On the 75th anniversary of the battle of Paju a memorial to it is opened. On 21–25 June, worldwide days of Valga county people take place.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

The former municipality of Valga (until 2017), Estonia was twinned with:

City Twins Association

The former municipality of Valga (until 2017) was a founding member of City Twins Association that was founded in Imatra,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

on 13 December 2006. In addition to sister towns, Valga had a cooperation through the association with following cities: * Imatra, Finland * Svetogorsk, Russia *

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

, Estonia * Ivangorod, Russia *

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

, Germany *

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

, Germany * Słubice, Poland *

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

, Poland

Cooperation without any formal agreement

* Vejle, Denmark * Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary

Notable residents

* Aleksander Jaakson (1892–1942), military man and politician * Alfred Neuland (1895–1966), weightlifter and the first Olympic gold medalist from Estonia * Alfons Rebane (1908–1976), military commander * Kazimierz Świątek (Belarusian: Казімір Свёнтак, 1914–2011), first cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in independent Belarus * Paul Viiding (1904–1962), poet

Gallery

Valga main library.JPG, Valga main library Valga katoliku kirik 2.jpg, Church of the Holy Spirit Valga railway station, summer 2014, picture 1.JPG, Valga railway station Valga Linnapark (3).JPG, Valga Linnapark Vabaduse street (2), Valga.JPG, Vabaduse street Endine Valga Poeglastegümnaasiumi hoone praegune Valga Põhikool.jpg, Valga gymnasium Valga 02 08 2007.jpg, Sepa Street / Semināra Street. The border and checkpoint between Valga, Estonia and Valka in Latvia from the Estonian side Valgatrainstation.png, Estonian and Latvian train at Valga

References

;Notes

External links

Valga/Valka
Illustrations and detailed descriptions of the border, in the period before Schengen {{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Former municipalities of Estonia Valga Divided cities Estonia–Latvia border crossings Valka county