Võru is a town

Populated places in Estonia

Populated places in Estonia are settlements or territorial units within a municipality. Populated places have no administrative functions. A group of populated places form a rural municipality with local administration...

 and a municipality

Municipalities of Estonia

A Municipality is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia. Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover the entire territory of the country....

 in south-eastern Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. It is the capital of Võru County

Võru County

Võrumaa or Võru maakond officially, is a county in Southern Estonia. It is bordered to the north by the Põlva County and the Lake Pihkva; to the west by Valga County; to the south by Latvia; and to the east by the Russian Federation....

 and the centre of Võru Parish

Võru Parish

Võru Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Võru County. It has a population of 4,770 and an area of 202.23 km².-Settlements:Small boroughsKose - Parksepa - VäimelaVillages...

.

History

Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...

, by the order of Riga Governor general count George Browne

George Browne (soldier)

George Browne, Count von Browne in the nobility of the Holy Roman empire was an Irish soldier of fortune who became field-marshal in the Russian service....

, on the site of the former Võru estate.

Geography

The town is situated on the shore of Lake Tamula

Lake Tamula

Lake Tamula is a lake in southern Estonia, located on the southeastern side of the town of Võru. The lake has an area of 2.313 km², average depth is 4.2 m and maximum depth 7.5 m....

.

Culture

The Võru Folk Festival takes place every year in Võru.

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was an Estonian writer, who is considered to be the father of the national literature for the country.-Life:Friedrich's parents were serfs at the Jõepere estate, Virumaa. His father worked as a granary keeper and his mother was a chambermaid...

, the author of the Estonian national epic

National epic

A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks 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 with aspirations to independence or autonomy...

 "Kalevipoeg

Kalevipoeg

Kalevipoeg is an epic poem by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald held to be the Estonian national epic.- Origins : There existed an oral tradition within Ancient Estonia of legends explaining the origin of the world...

", lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877.

Transport

European route E263

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 with Estonian main road ....

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

Põlva

Põlva , is the capital of Põlva County , one of 15 counties of Estonia. The county is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga and Võru counties...

, Räpina

Räpina

Räpina is a town in Põlva County, Estonia. The administrative centre of Räpina Parish, it has a population of 2,867 .-External links:*...

, Antsla

Antsla

Antsla is a town in Võru County, southern Estonia, it's the administrative centre of Antsla Parish. Town has a population of 1,650 ....

 and Valga. Currently inactive Valga–Pechory

Pechory

Pechory : Petseri; ) is a town and the administrative center of Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. Population: The population includes a few hundred ethnic Estonians.The town is famous for the Russian Orthodox Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery....

 railway passes through Võru.

Twin towns

Võru is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with:

Laitila Laitila Laitila is a town and a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is... , Finland Iisalmi Iisalmi Iisalmi is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is... , Finland Landskrona Landskrona Landskrona is a locality and the seat of Landskrona Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 28,670 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Landskrona was founded at the location of Scania's best natural harbour, as a means of King Eric of Pomerania's anti-Hanseatic policy, intended to compete... , Sweden Härryda Härryda Municipality Härryda Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Mölnlycke, with about 15,000 inhabitants.... , Sweden Alūksne Aluksne Alūksne is a town on the shores of Lake Alūksne in northeastern Latvia near the borders with Estonia and Russia. It is the seat of Alūksne municipality.- History :... , Latvia Joniškis Joniškis Joniškis is a city in northern Lithuania with a population of about 11,150. It is located 40 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border... , Lithuania

Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg Bad Segeberg is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck.It is famous for its annual Karl-May-Festival... , Germany Suwałki, Poland Chambray-lès-Tours Chambray-lès-Tours Chambray-lès-Tours is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.-See also:*Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department... , France Smolyan Smolyan Smolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria not far from the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province... , Bulgaria Kaniv Kaniv Kaniv is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper... , Ukraine

External links

• Võru Town Official website
• Võru Folk Festival
• Võro Institute