Võru

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

Võru

Võro (in Võro)
Town
Võru city centre at night.
Flag
Coat of arms
Võru
Location in Estonia
Coordinates: 57°50′55″N 26°59′34″E
Country Estonia
County Võru County
Founded21 August 1784
Government
 • MayorAnti Allas[1]
Area
 • Total13.24 km2 (5.11 sq mi)
Elevation
84 m (276 ft)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total12,367
 • Rank12th
 • Density1,099.2/km2 (2,847/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 • Estonians92%
 • Russians6%
 • other2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeEE-919
Websitewww.voru.ee

History
Soviet tank in Võru. In Soviet times, near the memorial depicting wedding photos.

Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish 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.

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.

Climate data for Võru (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)		 12.4
(54.3)		 18.0
(64.4)		 26.9
(80.4)		 30.7
(87.3)		 33.5
(92.3)		 35.2
(95.4)		 35.6
(96.1)		 29.9
(85.8)		 22.2
(72.0)		 13.3
(55.9)		 11.2
(52.2)		 35.6
(96.1)
Average high °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 3.3
(37.9)		 11.1
(52.0)		 17.7
(63.9)		 20.7
(69.3)		 23.2
(73.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 15.7
(60.3)		 9.5
(49.1)		 2.8
(37.0)		 −0.9
(30.4)		 10.1
(50.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.6
(23.7)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 5.9
(42.6)		 11.9
(53.4)		 15.5
(59.9)		 18.0
(64.4)		 16.6
(61.9)		 11.3
(52.3)		 6.3
(43.3)		 0.5
(32.9)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 6.1
(43.0)
Average low °C (°F) −7.2
(19.0)		 −8.4
(16.9)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 1.1
(34.0)		 6.1
(43.0)		 10.5
(50.9)		 13.0
(55.4)		 11.9
(53.4)		 7.5
(45.5)		 3.5
(38.3)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 −5.8
(21.6)		 2.2
(36.0)
Record low °C (°F) −35.8
(−32.4)		 −35.6
(−32.1)		 −26.7
(−16.1)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −5.4
(22.3)		 0.2
(32.4)		 1.7
(35.1)		 3.5
(38.3)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 −14.4
(6.1)		 −21.9
(−7.4)		 −34.6
(−30.3)		 −35.8
(−32.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 46
(1.8)		 34
(1.3)		 36
(1.4)		 30
(1.2)		 52
(2.0)		 84
(3.3)		 80
(3.1)		 86
(3.4)		 62
(2.4)		 64
(2.5)		 51
(2.0)		 47
(1.9)		 665
(26.2)
Average relative humidity (%) 87 85 79 70 67 73 74 78 82 86 88 89 80
Mean monthly sunshine hours 25.9 57.5 121.9 184.8 261.0 246.6 271.5 228.2 137.2 78.1 29.4 16.7 1,659
Source: Estonian Weather Service[2][3][4][5]

Culture

The Võru Folklore Festival is held annually in Võru in July since 1995.[6]

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, the author of the Estonian national epic "Kalevipoeg", lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877.

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.[7]

Sports

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

Twin towns
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Estonia

Võru is twinned with:[8]

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 (1803–1822), 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Kullar Viimne (born 1980), Estonian fillmaker, was born in Võru.

See also

References
  1. "Valitsus". Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  2. "Climate normals-Temperature". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. "Climate normals-Precipitation". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. "Climate normals-Humidity". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. "Climate normals-Sunshine". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. "Ajalugu". MTÜ Võru Folkloorifestival. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  7. 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.
  8. "Võru sõpruslinnad" (in Estonian). Võru. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
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