Võru

Võru Võro (Võro)
Town
Võru city centre
Flag Coat of arms
Võru Location in Estonia
Coordinates: 57°50′55″N 26°59′34″E / 57.848611111111°N 26.992777777778°E / 57.848611111111; 26.992777777778
Country	Estonia
County	Võru County
Founded	21 August 1784
Government
• Mayor	Kalvi Kõva
Area
• Total	14.01 km² (5.41 sq mi)
Elevation	84 m (276 ft)
Population (2021)
• Total	11,865
• Rank	12th
• Density	8,467/km² (21,930/sq mi)
Ethnicity
• Estonians	93%
• Russians	5%
• other	2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 code	EE-919
Website	www.voru.ee

Võru (Estonian: [ˈʋɤru]; Võro: Võro; German: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish.

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History

Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, at the request of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, 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 "Kalevipoeg" 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 and St. Petersburg. 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.^[1]

Geography and climate

The town is situated on the shore of Lake Tamula.

Võru has a humid continental climate (Dfb according to the Köppen climate classification) with warm summers and cold winters. Võru has one of the most continental climates in Estonia: both the temperatures of 35.6 °C (96.1 °F), which is the highest temperature ever recorded in the country and −43.4 °C (−46.1 °F), which is very close to the coldest temperature ever recorded in the country (after Jõgeva) are recorded here. ^[2] Precipitation is usually higher in early summer to late autumn, and lower in late winter to early spring.

Climate data for Võru (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1868–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9.6 (49.3)	12.9 (55.2)	18.2 (64.8)	26.9 (80.4)	31.1 (88.0)	33.8 (92.8)	35.2 (95.4)	35.6 (96.1)	29.9 (85.8)	22.2 (72.0)	14.2 (57.6)	11.7 (53.1)	35.6 (96.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−1.8 (28.8)	−1.3 (29.7)	3.7 (38.7)	11.4 (52.5)	17.6 (63.7)	21.1 (70.0)	23.6 (74.5)	22.1 (71.8)	16.5 (61.7)	9.4 (48.9)	3.4 (38.1)	−0.1 (31.8)	10.5 (50.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−4.2 (24.4)	−4.5 (23.9)	−0.4 (31.3)	6.1 (43.0)	11.9 (53.4)	15.9 (60.6)	18.4 (65.1)	16.9 (62.4)	11.9 (53.4)	6.2 (43.2)	1.3 (34.3)	−2.1 (28.2)	6.5 (43.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−6.7 (19.9)	−7.6 (18.3)	−4.2 (24.4)	1.2 (34.2)	6.0 (42.8)	10.7 (51.3)	13.3 (55.9)	12.1 (53.8)	8.0 (46.4)	3.3 (37.9)	−0.8 (30.6)	−4.3 (24.3)	2.6 (36.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−43.4 (−46.1)	−37.9 (−36.2)	−30.2 (−22.4)	−18.8 (−1.8)	−9.4 (15.1)	−1.0 (30.2)	1.7 (35.1)	1.0 (33.8)	−5 (23)	−14.4 (6.1)	−21.9 (−7.4)	−40.5 (−40.9)	−43.4 (−46.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	45 (1.8)	36 (1.4)	34 (1.3)	35 (1.4)	53 (2.1)	83 (3.3)	75 (3.0)	79 (3.1)	57 (2.2)	64 (2.5)	51 (2.0)	45 (1.8)	658 (25.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	11	9	9	7	8	10	10	11	11	11	12	12	119
Average relative humidity (%)	88	85	77	69	67	71	74	77	82	86	89	89	79
Mean monthly sunshine hours	29.3	60.5	136.6	194.8	271.8	261.1	276.1	237.4	150.8	75.2	27.3	17.3	1,738.2
Source: Estonian Weather Service (precipitation days 1971–2000)^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Demographics

Ethnic composition 1922-2021
Ethnicity	1922^[9]		1934^[10]		1941^[11]		1959^[12]		1970^[13]		1979^[14]		1989^[14]		2000^[15]		2011^[16]		2021^[17]
Ethnicity	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%
Estonians	4480	88.3	4855	91.1	5250	97.1	8604	80.4	12307	79.9	13783	82.2	14985	85.6	13414	90.2	11651	92.0	11042	93.1
Russians	163	3.21	171	3.21	87	1.61	-	-	2277	14.8	2378	14.2	1934	11.1	1112	7.47	804	6.35	599	5.05
Ukrainians	-	-	0	0.00	-	-	-	-	312	2.03	261	1.56	249	1.42	99	0.67	64	0.51	51	0.43
Belarusians	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	112	0.73	96	0.57	90	0.51	44	0.30	30	0.24	22	0.19
Finns	-	-	3	0.06	1	0.02	-	-	91	0.59	77	0.46	81	0.46	61	0.41	40	0.32	27	0.23
Jews	118	2.33	96	1.80	0	0.00	-	-	20	0.13	10	0.06	12	0.07	6	0.04	4	0.03	4	0.03
Latvians	-	-	37	0.69	21	0.39	-	-	30	0.19	30	0.18	35	0.20	23	0.15	14	0.11	23	0.19
Germans	188	3.71	145	2.72	-	-	-	-	-	-	33	0.20	17	0.10	7	0.05	5	0.04	8	0.07
Tatars	-	-	0	0.00	-	-	-	-	-	-	19	0.11	12	0.07	6	0.04	1	0.01	0	0.00
Poles	-	-	11	0.21	9	0.17	-	-	-	-	18	0.11	22	0.13	8	0.05	6	0.05	3	0.03
Lithuanians	-	-	0	0.00	0	0.00	-	-	30	0.19	4	0.02	4	0.02	3	0.02	3	0.02	0	0.00
unknown	0	0.00	1	0.02	6	0.11	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	44	0.30	9	0.07	40	0.34
other	122	2.41	13	0.24	33	0.61	2096	19.6	219	1.42	58	0.35	55	0.31	52	0.35	36	0.28	43	0.36
Total	5071	100	5332	100	5407	100	10700	100	15398	100	16767	100	17496	100	14879	100	12667	100	11865	99.9

Religion in Võru (2021) [1]

Unaffiliated (73.7%)

Lutheran (16.2%)

Orthodox (7.2%)

Others Christians (1.7%)

Others Religions or Unknown (1.2%)

Culture

The Võru Folklore Festival is held annually in Võru in July since 1995.^[18]

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, the author of the Estonian national epic "Kalevipoeg", lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877. Fr.R.Kreutzwald Memorial Museum and the Võro Institute are also located in Võru.

Sports

Võru is home to Võru Stadium, the home ground of II liiga football team Võru JK.

Transport

European route E263 is the main connection with the rest of Estonia. Other roads connect Võru with Põlva, Räpina, Antsla and Valga. The Valga–Pechory railway, which passes through Võru, is currently inactive. The Võru train station is unused as of 2014.

Military

Võru is home to Taara Army Base, headquarters of the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion.^[19]

Twin towns – sister cities

Võru is twinned with:^[20]

Alūksne, Latvia
Bad Segeberg, Germany
Chambray-lès-Tours, France
Härryda, Sweden
Iisalmi, Finland
Joniškis, Lithuania
Kaniv, Ukraine
Laitila, Finland
Landskrona, Sweden
Pechorsky District, Russia
Smolyan, Bulgaria
Suwałki, Poland

Notable people

Priit Aimla (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 (1905–1964), Estonian-Jewish chemist, lived in Võru as a child.
Sulev Iva (born 1969), Võro identity advocate, founder of Võro Institute.
Meelis Kanep (born 1983), Estonian chess grandmaster, was born in Võru.
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803–1882), Estonian writer and folklorist, the author of Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg, lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877.
Ain Mäeots (born 1971), Estonian actor and director, was born in Võru.
Innar Mäesalu (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 (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 (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

Fr.R.Kreutzwald street in Võru
Tartu street near the beach
Tamula lake in Võru
MS Estonia memorial on the central square
Võro Institute
Võru Gymnasium
Monument to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald
Võru county government building
Old fire station

References

^ Pullat, R. (1984). Võru linna ajalugu.
^ "Õhutemperatuur |".
^ "Climate normals-Temperature". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "Climate normals-Precipitation". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "Climate normals-Humidity". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "Climate normals-Sunshine". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "Rekordid" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ "Kliimanormid-Sademed, õhuniiskus" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ 1922 a. üldrahvalugemise andmed. Vihk I ja II, Rahva demograafiline koosseis ja korteriolud Eestis (in Estonian and French). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1924. p. 33. ISBN 9789916103067.
^ Rahvastiku koostis ja korteriolud. 1.III 1934 rahvaloenduse andmed. Vihk II (in Estonian and French). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1935. pp. 47–53. hdl:10062/4439.
^ Eesti Statistika : kuukiri 1942-03/04 (in German and Estonian). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1942. pp. 66–67.
^ Katus, Kalev; Puur, Allan; Põldma, Asta (2003). Rahvastiku ühtlusarvutatud sündmus- ja loendusstatistika: Võrumaa 1965-1990. Sari C (in Estonian and English). Tallinn: Eesti Kõrgkoolidevaheline Demouuringute Keskus. pp. 31–32. ISBN 9985-820-76-2.
^ Население районов, городов и поселков городского типа Эстонской ССР : по данным Всесоюзной переписи населения на 15 января 1970 года (in Russian). Tallinn: Eesti NSV Statistika Keskvalitsus. 1972. p. 76.
^ ^a ^b Eesti Vabariigi maakondade, linnade ja alevite rahvastik. 1. osa, Rahvaarv rahvuse, perekonnaseisu, hariduse ja elatusallikate järgi : 1989. a. rahvaloenduse andmed (in Estonian). Tallinn: Eesti Vabariigi Riiklik Statistikaamet. 1990. pp. 31, 36. ISBN 978-9949-7193-2-7 – via Digar.
^ "RL222: RAHVASTIK ELUKOHA JA RAHVUSE JÄRGI". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
^ "RL0429: RAHVASTIK RAHVUSE, SOO, VANUSERÜHMA JA ELUKOHA JÄRGI, 31. DETSEMBER 2011". Estonian Statistical Database. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
^ "RL21429: Rahvastik Rahvuse, Soo, Vanuserühma Ja ELukoha (Haldusüksus) Järgi, 31. DETSEMBER 2021". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
^ "Ajalugu". MTÜ Võru Folkloorifestival. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
^ Ulc, Karol (January 17, 2017). "Russian Paratroopers Could Totally Mess Up the Baltic States". War is Boring. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. To give one example, the garrison of the Estonian Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion located in Võru is just 50 miles away from the Russian base in Pskov. The range of 9M528 rockets fired from the BM-30 Smerch is 55 miles.
^ "Võru sõpruslinnad". voru.ee (in Estonian). Võru linn. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Võru.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Võru.

v t e Cities and towns of Estonia
Abja-Paluoja Antsla Elva Haapsalu Jõgeva Jõhvi Kallaste Kärdla Karksi-Nuia Kehra Keila Kilingi-Nõmme Kiviõli Kohtla-Järve Kunda Kuressaare Lihula Loksa Maardu Mõisaküla Mustvee Narva Narva-Jõesuu Otepää Paide Paldiski Pärnu Põltsamaa Põlva Püssi Rakvere Räpina Rapla Saue Sillamäe Sindi Suure-Jaani Tallinn Tamsalu Tapa Tartu Tõrva Türi Valga Viljandi Võhma Võru
Jaanilinn (Ivangorod) and Petseri (Pechory) were annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945 and are currently part of Russia.