Võru (; ; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in south-eastern

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 ...

. It is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

Võru County Võru County ( or ''Võrumaa''; ) is a county in southern Estonia. It is bordered by Valga and Põlva counties, Latvia's Alūksne and Ape municipalities, and Russia's Pskov Oblast (making it the only Estonian county to border two countries) ...

and the centre of

Võru Parish Võru Parish (; ) is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Võru County Võru County ( or ''Võrumaa''; ) is a county in southern Estonia. It is bordered by Valga and Põlva counties, Latvia's Alūksne and Ape municipalities, and Russia's ...

History

Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress

Catherine II of Russia 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 I ...

, by the order of Riga Governor general count George Browne, on the site of the former Võru estate as the center of the new county. From 1797 until today, Võru has been the administrative center of the surrounding region. In 1827, the Võru Town Hospital was opened and Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, who lived and worked as a doctor in Võru from 1833 to 1877, also wrote the Estonian

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group wi ...

Kalevipoeg ''Kalevipoeg'' (, ''Kalev's Son'') is a 19th-century epic poem by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald which has since been considered the Estonian national epic. Origins In pre-Christian ancient Estonia there existed an oral tradition, known as ...

" in Võru. The development of the town was facilitated by the Pskov-Riga railway completed in 1889, which enabled Võru to have a direct connection with

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 ...

and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. As a result, trade was developed, a flour mill, a sawmill and a distillery were built. Võru became the center of the surrounding rural area.

Geography and climate

The town is situated on the shore of Lake Tamula. Võru has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb'' according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

) with warm summers and cold winters. Võru has one of the most continental climates in Estonia: both the temperatures of , which is the highest temperature ever recorded in the country and , which is very close to the coldest temperature ever recorded in the country (after

Jõgeva Jõgeva is a small town in Estonia with a population of around 5000 people. It is the capital of Jõgeva Parish and Jõgeva County. History Jõgeva was first mentioned in 1599 as ''Jagiwa'' manor, being established only recently on the lands ...

) are recorded here. Precipitation is usually higher in early summer to late autumn, and lower in late winter to early spring.

Demographics

Culture

The Võru Folklore Festival is held annually in Võru in July since 1995.

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...

, the author of the Estonian national epic "Kalevipoeg", lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877. Fr.R.Kreutzwald Memorial Museum and the

Võro Institute Võro Institute (, ) is an Estonian state research and development institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Võro language and culture. History Võro ( , ) is a language belonging to the Finnic branch of the Uralic lan ...

are also located in Võru.

Sports

Võru is home to Võru Stadium, the home ground of

II liiga II liiga is the fourth level of football league competition in Estonia arranged by the Estonian Football Association. It consists of 28 teams, divided geographically into two divisions with 14 teams each in group North/East and South/West. Until ...

football team Võru JK.

Transport

European route E263 European route E 263 is a Class B road part of the International E-road network. It runs only through Estonia, begins in Tallinn and ends in Luhamaa, Võru County, and shares exactly the same route as Estonian national road 2. Route: T ...

is the main connection with the rest of Estonia. Other roads connect Võru with

Põlva Põlva (; ) is a town in southeastern Estonia, the county seat of Põlva County, and the centre of Põlva Parish. Põlva is home for the Intsikurmu Music Festival Grounds, which regularly hosts concerts and summer activities, situated in a sm ...

Räpina Räpina (, ) is a town in Põlva County, Estonia. Räpina was administrative centre of Räpina raion from 1950 until 1961, currently it is the administrative centre of Räpina Parish. The oldest commercial enterprise in Räpina is a paper fac ...

Antsla Antsla () is a Populated places in Estonia, town in Võru County, southern Estonia, it is the administrative seat of Antsla Parish. The Populated places in Estonia, borough of Antsla was reclassified as a third-rank town by Konstantin Päts on ...

and Valga. The Valga–

Pechory Pechory (; Estonian and Seto: ') is a town and the administrative centre of Pechorsky District in the Pskov Oblast, Russia. Its population in the 2010 Census was 11,195, having fallen from 13,056 recorded in the 2002 Census and& ...

railway, which passes through Võru, is currently inactive. The Võru train station is unused as of 2001.

Military

Võru is home to Taara Army Base, headquarters of the

Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion The Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion () is a battalion of the Estonian Land Forces. It is a part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade (Estonia), 2nd Infantry Brigade. Battalion headquarters is at Taara Army Base, Võru. History Estonian War of Independence ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Võru is twinned with: *

Alūksne Alūksne () is a town on the shores of Lake Alūksne in the Vidzeme region of Latvia near the borders with Estonia and Russia. It is the seat of the Alūksne municipality. Alūksne is the highest elevated Latvian city, located in East Vidzem ...

, Latvia *

Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg (; ) is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district (Kreis) Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck. It is famous for its annual ...

, Germany *

Chambray-lès-Tours Chambray-lès-Tours (, literally ''Chambray near Tours'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. It is the birthplace of professional footballers Mikaël Silvestre and Adam Ounas. Population Notable people * Nicolas ...

, France * Härryda, Sweden *

Iisalmi Iisalmi (; ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in the regions of Finland, region of Northern Savonia in Finland. It is located north of Kuopio and south of Kajaani. The municipality has a population of (), ...

, Finland *

Joniškis Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis''; ) is a city in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...

, Lithuania *

Kaniv Kaniv (, ) is a city in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper. It is an urban hromada of Ukraine. Population: Kaniv is a historical tow ...

, Ukraine *

Laitila Laitila (; ) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, and it is from Laitila to Turku. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

, Finland *

Landskrona Landskrona is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona to the island of Ven, an ...

, Sweden *

Pechorsky District Pechorsky District () is an administrativeLaw #833-oz and municipalLaw #420-oz district (raion), one of the twenty-four in Pskov Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Pskovsky District in the northwest, Pa ...

, Russia *

Smolyan Smolyan () is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the Smolyan Province. The town is built along the narrow valley of t ...

, Bulgaria *

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

, Poland

Notable people

Priit Aimla Priit Aimla (born 19 April 1941 in Võru) is an Estonian writer, poet, humorist and politician known for several stage plays and books. During 1992 to 1995, he belonged to the VII Riigikogu, having been elected as a member of the Independent Roy ...

(born 1941) writer, poet, humorist and politician was born in Võru. * Helmut Ajango (1931–2013), Estonian-American architect, was born in Võru. *

Moses Wolf Goldberg Moses Wolf Goldberg (June 30, 1905 – February 17, 1964) was an Estonian chemist who, along with Leo Henryk Sternbach, developed a process for the synthesis of biotin (a B vitamin) in 1949. Biography Moses Wolf Goldberg was born in Rūjien ...

(1905–1964), Estonian-Jewish chemist, lived in Võru as a child. *

Sulev Iva Sulev Iva (born 3 October 1969 in Võru), also known under the Võro-styled pen name of Jüvä Sullõv, is a Võro identity advocate, and a founding fellow at the Võro Institute. He has authored numerous subjects on Võro-related topics, and c ...

(born 1969), Võro identity advocate, founder of Võro Institute. * Meelis Kanep (born 1983), Estonian chess grandmaster, was born in Võru. *

(1803–1882), Estonian writer and folklorist, the author of Estonian national epic ''

'', lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877. * Ain Mäeots (born 1971), Estonian actor and director, was born in Võru. *

Innar Mäesalu Innar Mäesalu (born 2 August 1970 in Võru) is an 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 acr ...

(born 1970), Estonian politician * Marianne Mikko (born 1961), Estonian politician. * Hilje Murel (born 1975), Estonian actress, was born in Võru. * Priit Narusk (born 1977), Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru. *

Erki Nool Erki Nool (born 25 June 1970) is an Estonian retired decathlete and former politician. Life and career Nool was born on 25 June 1970 in Võru. He grew up in an impoverished environment in the southern part of Võru. His father was a worker in ...

(born 1970), Estonian decathlete and politician, was born in Võru. * Erki Pehk (born 1968), Estonian conductor, was born in Võru. * Priidu Puusepp (1887–1972), Estonian educator and linguist, was born in Võru. * Anti Saarepuu (born 1983), Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru. * Leon Sibul (1932–2007), American electrical engineer, was born in Võru. *

Uku Suviste Uku Suviste (born 6 June 1982) is an Estonian singer-songwriter, pianist and music producer. He was scheduled to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, befor ...

(born 1982), Estonian singer, was born in Võru. * Kaija Udras (born 1986), Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru. * Debora Vaarandi (1916–2007), Estonian poet, was born in Võru. * Katrin Välbe (1904–1981), Estonian actress, was born in Võru. * Kullar Viimne (born 1980), Estonian fillmaker, was born in Võru.

Gallery

Võru town centre.jpg, Fr.R.Kreutzwald street in Võru Võru town centre near the beach.jpg, Tartu street near the beach Tamula lake in Võru.jpg, Tamula lake in Võru MS Estonia memorial in the central square.jpg,

MS Estonia MS ''Estonia'' was a car-passenger ferry built in 1980 for the Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally by Meyer Werft, in Papenburg, West Germany. She was deployed on ferry routes between Finland and Sweden by various companies (first Vikin ...

memorial on the central square Võro Instituut 2011 03 17.jpg,

Võru Gümnaasium 2018 12.jpg, Võru Gymnasium F R Kreutzwaldi monument Vorus.JPG, Monument to

Võru maavalitsus.JPG, Võru county government building Võru old fire station, 2013.jpg, Old fire station

References

External links

*
Võru Folklore FestivalVõro Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voru Cities and towns in Estonia Municipalities of Estonia Planned communities Populated places established in 1784 18th-century establishments in Estonia Kreis Werro