Võru

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Town in Estonia

title: "Võru" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["võru", "cities-and-towns-in-estonia", "municipalities-of-estonia", "planned-communities", "populated-places-established-in-1784", "18th-century-establishments-in-estonia", "kreis-werro", "populated-places-in-võru-county"] description: "Town in Estonia" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Võru" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in Estonia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Võru
native_name	vro
settlement_type	Town
image_skyline	File:Võru central square.jpg
image_caption	Võru city centre
image_flag	Flag of et-Võru.svg
flag_size	125px
image_shield	Võru vapp.svg
shield_size	75px
blank_emblem_type
pushpin_map	Estonia
pushpin_map_caption	Location in Estonia
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Estonia
subdivision_type1	County
subdivision_name1	[[File:Võrumaa lipp.svg
established_title
established_title1	Founded
established_date1	21 August 1784
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Kalvi Kõva
area_total_km2	14.01
elevation_m	84
population_total	12112
population_as_of	2024
population_density_km2	846.7
population_rank	12th
demographics_type1	Ethnicity
demographics1_title1	Estonians
postal_code_type	Postal code
website
demographics1_info1	93%
demographics1_title2	Russians
demographics1_info2	5%
demographics1_title3	other
demographics1_info3	2%
timezone	EET
utc_offset	+2
timezone_DST	EEST
utc_offset_DST	+3
iso_code	EE-919
::

::callout[type=note] the city ::

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 (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, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country, and -43.4 C, 0.1°C (0.2 °F) short of the coldest temperature ever recorded in the country (in Jõgeva), were recorded here. Precipitation is usually higher in early summer to late autumn, and lower in late winter to early spring. |location= Võru (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1868–present) |metric first=yes |single line=yes |Jan record high C = 9.6 |Feb record high C = 12.9 |Mar record high C = 19.9 |Apr record high C = 27.8 |May record high C = 31.1 |Jun record high C = 33.8 |Jul record high C = 35.2 |Aug record high C = 35.6 |Sep record high C = 29.9 |Oct record high C = 22.2 |Nov record high C = 14.2 |Dec record high C = 11.7 |year record high C = 35.6 |Jan high C = −1.8 |Feb high C = −1.3 |Mar high C = 3.7 |Apr high C = 11.4 |May high C = 17.6 |Jun high C = 21.1 |Jul high C = 23.6 |Aug high C = 22.1 |Sep high C = 16.5 |Oct high C = 9.4 |Nov high C = 3.4 |Dec high C = -0.1 |year high C = 10.5 |Jan mean C = -4.2 |Feb mean C = -4.5 |Mar mean C = -0.4 |Apr mean C = 6.1 |May mean C = 11.9 |Jun mean C = 15.9 |Jul mean C = 18.4 |Aug mean C = 16.9 |Sep mean C = 11.9 |Oct mean C = 6.2 |Nov mean C = 1.3 |Dec mean C = -2.1 |year mean C = 6.5 |Jan low C = -6.7 |Feb low C = −7.6 |Mar low C = −4.2 |Apr low C = 1.2 |May low C = 6.0 |Jun low C = 10.7 |Jul low C = 13.3 |Aug low C = 12.1 |Sep low C = 8.0 |Oct low C = 3.3 |Nov low C = −0.8 |Dec low C = −4.3 |year low C = 2.6 |Jan record low C = −43.4 |Feb record low C = −37.9 |Mar record low C = −30.2 |Apr record low C = −18.8 |May record low C = −9.4 |Jun record low C = -1.0 |Jul record low C = 1.7 |Aug record low C = 1.0 |Sep record low C = −5.0 |Oct record low C = −14.4 |Nov record low C = −21.9 |Dec record low C = −40.5 |year record low C = −43.4 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 45 |Feb precipitation mm = 36 |Mar precipitation mm = 34 |Apr precipitation mm = 35 |May precipitation mm = 53 |Jun precipitation mm = 83 |Jul precipitation mm = 75 |Aug precipitation mm = 79 |Sep precipitation mm = 57 |Oct precipitation mm = 64 |Nov precipitation mm = 51 |Dec precipitation mm = 45 |year precipitation mm = 658 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 12.3 |Feb precipitation days = 9.5 |Mar precipitation days = 8.9 |Apr precipitation days = 8.1 |May precipitation days = 8.7 |Jun precipitation days = 10.8 |Jul precipitation days = 9.6 |Aug precipitation days = 10.8 |Sep precipitation days = 9.6 |Oct precipitation days = 11.4 |Nov precipitation days = 10.7 |Dec precipitation days = 11.6 |year precipitation days = 122.0 |Jan humidity = 88 |Feb humidity = 85 |Mar humidity = 77 |Apr humidity = 69 |May humidity = 67 |Jun humidity = 71 |Jul humidity = 74 |Aug humidity = 77 |Sep humidity = 82 |Oct humidity = 86 |Nov humidity = 89 |Dec humidity = 89 |year humidity = 79 |Jan sun = 29.3 |Feb sun = 60.5 |Mar sun = 136.6 |Apr sun = 194.8 |May sun = 271.8 |Jun sun = 261.1 |Jul sun = 276.1 |Aug sun = 237.4 |Sep sun = 150.8 |Oct sun = 75.2 |Nov sun = 27.3 |Dec sun = 17.3 |year sun = 1738.2 |source 1 = Estonian Weather Service | url = http://www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/kliimanormid/ohutemperatuur/?lang=en | title = Climate normals-Temperature | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | access-date = 7 April 2021}} | url = http://www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/kliimanormid/sademed/?lang=en | title = Climate normals-Precipitation | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | access-date = 7 April 2021}} | url = http://www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/kliimanormid/ohuniiskus/?lang=en | title = Climate normals-Humidity | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | access-date = 7 April 2021}} | url = http://www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/kliimanormid/paikesepaiste-kestus/?lang=en | title = Climate normals-Sunshine | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | access-date = 7 April 2021}} | url = http://www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/rekordid/ohutemperatuur/ | title = Rekordid | language= Estonian | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | access-date = 7 April 2021}} | url = http://www.emhi.ee/index.php?ide=6,299,303 | title = Kliimanormid-Sademed, õhuniiskus | publisher = Estonian Weather Service | language = et | access-date = 7 April 2021 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120222112141/http://www.emhi.ee/index.php?ide=6,299,303 | archive-date = 22 February 2012 | df = dmy-all}}{{cite web | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Estonia/CSV/Voru_26249.csv | title = Voru Climate Normals 1991–2020 | work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 20 October 2024}}

Demographics

::data[format=table title="Ethnic composition 1897-2021"]

Ethnicity	1897	1922	1934	1941	1959	1970	1979	1989	2000	2011	2021	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount	%	amount
Estonians	2675	64.4	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	248	5.97	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	258	6.21	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	118	2.84	-	-	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	824	19.8	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	20	0.48	-	-	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	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	9	0.22	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
::

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:

LVA Alūksne, Latvia
GER Bad Segeberg, Germany
FRA Chambray-lès-Tours, France
SWE Härryda, Sweden
FIN Iisalmi, Finland
LTU Joniškis, Lithuania
UKR Kaniv, Ukraine
FIN Laitila, Finland
SWE Landskrona, Sweden
RUS Pechorsky District, Russia
BUL Smolyan, Bulgaria
POL 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

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 memorial on the central square Võro Instituut 2011 03 17.jpg|Võro Institute Võru Gümnaasium 2018 12.jpg|Võru Gymnasium F R Kreutzwaldi monument Vorus.JPG|Monument to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Võru maavalitsus.JPG|Võru county government building Võru old fire station, 2013.jpg|Old fire station

References

Pullat, R.. (1984). "Võru linna ajalugu".
"Õhutemperatuur {{pipe".
(1905). "ПЕРВАЯ ВСЕОБЩАЯ ПЕРЕПИСЬ НАСЕЛЕНІЯ. РОССІЙСКОЙ ИМПЕРІИ 1897 г. XXІ. ЛИФЛЯНДСКАЯ ГУБЕРНІЯ.". Central Statistical Committee of the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Empire.
(1924). "1922 a. üldrahvalugemise andmed. Vihk I ja II, Rahva demograafiline koosseis ja korteriolud Eestis". Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo.
(1935). "Rahvastiku koostis ja korteriolud. 1.III 1934 rahvaloenduse andmed. Vihk II". Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo.
(1942). "Eesti Statistika : kuukiri 1942-03/04". Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo.
(2003). "Rahvastiku ühtlusarvutatud sündmus- ja loendusstatistika: Võrumaa 1965-1990". Eesti Kõrgkoolidevaheline Demouuringute Keskus.
(1972). "Население районов, городов и поселков городского типа Эстонской ССР : по данным Всесоюзной переписи населения на 15 января 1970 года". Eesti NSV Statistika Keskvalitsus.
(1990). "Eesti Vabariigi maakondade, linnade ja alevite rahvastik. 1. osa, Rahvaarv rahvuse, perekonnaseisu, hariduse ja elatusallikate järgi : 1989. a. rahvaloenduse andmed". Eesti Vabariigi Riiklik Statistikaamet.
"RL222: RAHVASTIK ELUKOHA JA RAHVUSE JÄRGI".
"RL0429: RAHVASTIK RAHVUSE, SOO, VANUSERÜHMA JA ELUKOHA JÄRGI, 31. DETSEMBER 2011".
"RL21429: Rahvastik Rahvuse, Soo, Vanuserühma Ja ELukoha (Haldusüksus) Järgi, 31. DETSEMBER 2021".
"Ajalugu". MTÜ Võru Folkloorifestival.
Ulc, Karol. (January 17, 2017). "Russian Paratroopers Could Totally Mess Up the Baltic States". War is Boring.
"Võru sõpruslinnad". Võru linn.

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