Võru
Võru is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish.
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.
Geography and climate
The town is situated on the shore of Lake Tamula.Võru has a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Võru has one of the most continental climates in Estonia: both the temperatures of, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country, and, 0.1°C short of the coldest temperature ever recorded in the country, were recorded here. Precipitation is usually higher in early summer to late autumn, and lower in late winter to early spring.
Culture
The Võru Folklore Festival has been held annually in Võru in July since 1995.Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, the author of the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg, lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877. The 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 2001.Military
Võru is home to Taara Army Base, headquarters of the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion.Twin towns – sister cities
Võru is twinned with:- 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 writer, poet, humorist and politician was born in Võru.
- Helmut Ajango, Estonian-American architect, was born in Võru.
- Moses Wolf Goldberg, Estonian-Jewish chemist, lived in Võru as a child.
- Sulev Iva, Võro identity advocate, founder of Võro Institute.
- Meelis Kanep, Estonian chess grandmaster, was born in Võru.
- Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Estonian writer and folklorist, the author of Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg, lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877.
- Ain Mäeots, Estonian actor and director, was born in Võru.
- Innar Mäesalu, Estonian politician
- Marianne Mikko, Estonian politician.
- Hilje Murel, Estonian actress, was born in Võru.
- Priit Narusk, Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru.
- Erki Nool, Estonian decathlete and politician, was born in Võru.
- Erki Pehk, Estonian conductor, was born in Võru.
- Priidu Puusepp, Estonian educator and linguist, was born in Võru.
- Anti Saarepuu, Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru.
- Leon Sibul, American electrical engineer, was born in Võru.
- Uku Suviste, Estonian singer, was born in Võru.
- Kaija Udras, Estonian cross-country skier, was born in Võru.
- Debora Vaarandi, Estonian poet, was born in Võru.
- Katrin Välbe, Estonian actress, was born in Võru.
- Kullar Viimne, Estonian fillmaker, was born in Võru.