Võru County
Võrumaa or Võru maakond (English: Võru County, Võro: Võro maakund, German: Kreis Werro) officially, is a county in Southern Estonia. It is the only county bordering two different states - Latvia (in the South) and Russian Federation (in the East).
The territory of Võrumaa covers 2,305 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. In January 2013 Võru County had a population of 32,806 – constituting 2.5% of the total population in Estonia. The county is subdivided into 12 rural municipalities and 1 urban municipality - Võru town.
Ethnic Division and Culture
In Võru County, there are 93,5% Estonians, 3,4% Russians and 3,1% other nationalities.
Two indigenous ethnic groups live in Võru County – the Võro people and the Setos. Both ethnic groups have their own dialect and cultural heritage in traditions.
Võro People
The Võro Institute is established for the preservation and promotion of the Võro language and culture, which are tightly connected with its historic centre, the rural and mostly agricultural South-Eastern Estonian county of Võromaa.
Võru
Võru (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈʋɤru]) (Võro: Võro; German: Werro; Russian: Выру (Viru); Latvian: Veru) 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, 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.
Culture
The Võru Folk Festival takes place every year in Võru.
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. Currently inactive Valga–Pechory railway passes through Võru.
Twin towns
Võru is twinned with:
Notable people
Moses Wolf Goldberg, chemist, lived in Võru as a child.
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