Võru (Estonian: [ˈvɤru]; Võro: Võro; German: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the center of both the Võru County and the Võru Parish although the town itself is not part of the Võru Parish but forms a separate urban municipality.
Võru has a population of 11,813 (as of 2026).
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 the past, the county was larger than the current one and covered the entire area of Võrumaa.
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, in the low and wide Võru-Hargla valley.
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 (96.1 °F), the highest temperature ever recorded in the country, and −43.4 °C (−46.1 °F), 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.
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 railway 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
- Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803–1882), Estonian writer and folklorist, the author of Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg, lived in Võru from 1833 to 1877.
- Walter Beick (1883–1933), a Russian ornithologist of Baltic German descent
- Priidu Puusepp (1887–1972), Estonian educator and linguist
- Katrin Välbe (1904–1981), Estonian film, radio and TV actress
- Moses Wolf Goldberg (1905–1964), Estonian-Jewish chemist, lived in Võru as a child.
- Debora Vaarandi (1916–2007), Estonian writer and poet
- Helmut Ajango (1931–2013), Estonian-American architect
- Leon Sibul (1932–2007), American electrical engineer and professor of acoustics
- Priit Aimla (born 1941) writer, poet, humorist and politician
- Peeter Saan (born 1959), conductor, clarinet and saxophone player and military reserve officer
- Marianne Mikko (born 1961), Estonian politician & MEP
- Erki Pehk (born 1968), Estonian conductor and artistic director
- Sulev Iva (born 1969), Võro identity advocate, founder of Võro Institute
- Ain Mäeots (born 1971), Estonian actor and director
- Hilje Murel (born 1975), Estonian stage, film and television actress
- Kullar Viimne (born 1980), Estonian director, scriptwriter, editor and cinematographer.
- Igor Taro (born 1981), an Estonian journalist and politician
- Uku Suviste (born 1982), Estonian singer-songwriter and music producer
Sport