About travel, orienteering and everything. Latest reviews about Võru Võru: history of foundation and today

The fact that this region is wonderful is not said for the sake of words. Võru, which received city status in 1784, has a picturesque Lake Tamula with a coastal promenade, a stunning Katarijna alley and church, many skiing and hiking trails, cute cafes and wooden houses.

Unlike Tallinn residents, residents of Võru do not travel to school or work across the city. Everything here is within walking distance, so Võrus residents have more time to enjoy nature and communicate with friends. It is safe to live here and much less stressful than in big cities.

As of 2016, the population of Võru was just over 12,000 people. With so many residents, it is not surprising that almost everyone knows each other by sight, and if they do not have long conversations in a cafe, store or on the street, then they certainly say hello.

Katarijna Alley. Photo:

What are the disadvantages?

Võru is located in the extreme southeast of Estonia, three and a half hours from Tallinn, and an hour by bus from Tartu. By Estonian standards this is very far. This location relative to large cities means that there are no large enterprises, shopping or entertainment centers in Võru.

As in any small town, the number of people leaving exceeds the number of people moving here for permanent residence. Vyrus residents leave here to study or earn money. However, the average gross salary in Võru County in the third quarter of last year was 864 euros per month, in contrast to the average salary in Estonia of 800 euros.

What is the price?

A renovated 2–3-room apartment in Võru costs approximately 20,000–30,000 euros. There are few apartments for rent here, but a 2-3-room apartment costs approximately 100-200 euros per month. The price of a medium-sized house, with 4-5 rooms, for example, is 50,000-70,000 euros.

A panel house decorated with a painting by Navitrola. Photo:

Schools?

Võru has three main schools, one upper secondary school and one state secondary school.

And not far from Võru, in Väimela, there is the Võrumaa Vocational Education Center, where you can obtain, for example, specialties related to catering, tourism and hotel management, as well as information technology.

Where to work?

Võru County is home to enterprises in the metal, woodworking and furniture industries, construction and transport companies. Antsla-Inno AS, Arke Lihatööstus AS, Rauameister AS, Semuehitus AS, Barrus AS, Toftan AS, EKSO AS and Nopri Talumeierei OÜ are known throughout Estonia.

Promenade on the shore of Lake Tamula. Photo:

What to do in your free time?

Võru is a real sports city, there are many hiking trails, ski slopes, an active sports center and many small sports centers. The largest sporting events are the Võhandu 100 marathon, the South Estonian Rally and the Võru Roller.

Those who do not play sports can simply walk along the picturesque promenade along the shore of Lake Tamula - famous for its warm water. The Kubia Spa Hotel is also located nearby.

Lovers of history and culture will definitely visit the Katariina Church, the Kreutzwald Museum, the House of Culture, where film shows and theater performances take place, as well as the Võru County Culture Center.

Monument to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. Photo:

A unique landmark of Võru is the ends of panel houses painted by artist Sänk. These are copies of paintings by the famous artist Navitrola.

There are places in Võru to listen to music. Jazz is played in the Spring club, and rock is played in the Õlle 17 club. However, the most popular night club is called... Club.

The Võru Folk Festival and City Days are also widely known.

Katharina Church. Photo:

Where to eat?

There are many nice cafes in Võru. One of the favorites of Võrus residents is Katariina kohvik. They say that they bake wonderful cheesecakes there. The restaurant at the Georg Hotel and the cuisine at the Õlle 17 club are also praised.

What else?

• Born in Võru: gold medalist, winner of the Sydney Olympics Erki Nool, marathon runner Raul Olle, javelin thrower Andrus Värnik, journalist Vahur Kersna, artist Navitrolla.
• Voru is a well-planned city. An urban development plan with straight, wide streets was approved back in 1785. The city's birthday is considered to be August 21, 1784, when the governor general signed a decree that the new city in honor of the nearby Võru Manor would bear the same name.

The original route through the Pskov region and Latgale, somehow unexpectedly for me, was supplemented by border cities of Estonia.
Today’s post is about the small Estonian town of Võru. The city is located near the border with the Russian Federation, but there are practically no Russians in the city, and Võru is a typical town in the Estonian hinterland.

Initially, I didn’t plan to go to Estonia, but a trip to Pytalovo was not possible for me, I didn’t want to go to Pushgory, I planned to do Sebezh last, and the other cities of the Pskov region were somehow not attractive.
And the thought came to mind, why not go to Estonia.
I quickly took a bus to Pechory, where it cost 70 rubles by taxi to the Russian-Estonian border.
At the Russian checkpoint Kunichina Gora there were no people, no cars, I passed it in a minute. From the Estonian side it’s the same, there are no people, no questions for me either, just another minute at most to talk about everything. Once upon a time I crossed the border in Narva, and there everything was completely different.
I crossed the border, 20 minutes later there was a minibus to Võru, everything seemed fine. The minibus pulls up, there are at most 4 passengers. But the Estonian driver and a couple of Pskov aunts found each other. A long and tedious nonsense began about their difficult life.
- My salary is 400 euros, why did they make these euros, how good it was when there were crowns, but now everything has become more expensive, I don’t even know how to live, and all this with a specific Estonian accent on top of that.
- But in Pskov there is no work at all, and if there is, the salary is small, and in general the earth will soon fly onto the celestial axis.
And so, without beginning and without end, they did not turn off their idiotic drone.
And that was not all, it turned out that the minibus would now arrive at a certain school, from where it was necessary to pick up the students and take them to the surrounding villages. An hour and a half journey began along broken roads and half-abandoned farmsteads. The farmsteads themselves, like the country roads, were not much different from the Pskov outback.
Finally, we got onto a normal road and soon arrived in Võra.

The hotel is good, 35 euros in total, there is a cafe on the ground floor of the hotel, that is, everything is good and inexpensive.

The central street of the city of Voru. There are not many people, not many cars, but the roads are not bad, the sidewalks are normal, the houses are more or less neat. Estonia is such Estonia.

The street leads to the city lake.

A standard picture for any Baltic city. Unchanging Maxima and five-story Lithuanian buildings

Shopping mall

So I didn’t understand what was in this brick tower

There are plenty of churches here too

Interwar bank building. built 1938

Monument to the residents of Võru who died in the Estonia ferry disaster.

City administration and the Estonian flag above the building

City Lake

Houses on the shore of the lake

2 tallest buildings in Võru

And this house is nearby

My knowledge of Estonian was enough to understand that there was a kitchen in this house.

There is a lot of interesting wooden architecture in the city.

An example of old industrial architecture

Võru has a well-developed service sector, with plenty of cafes and shops. But here they clearly opened something on the first floor, and it obviously didn’t work out.

And this house is for sale

Such landscapes also occur.

Abandoned goods are also available in the city, and not so little. The crisis has by no means passed Estonia.

And people also live in this house with a chimney.

This is where I ended my walk around Võru. In principle, there is nothing particularly noteworthy in the city. But the city is not bad at all, nevertheless. And he has retained his provincial Estonian authenticity and, I think, will retain it for a long time.
If we compare Võru, which has a population of ten thousand, with similar regional centers of the Pskov region, for example, Porkhov or Pechory, then Võru is definitely a more comfortable and lively city.
Despite the fact that in provincial Estonia there is no special wealth, the people live poorly and the crisis is not over yet.
But it’s still better to live here than in the Pskov regional centers. However, this trend did not start yesterday and will not end tomorrow.
Well, I say goodbye to the city of Võru (I’m unlikely to come here on purpose again) and leave by bus to Tartu

A small Estonian city with 95 thousand population. I compared it with other Russian cities with a similar number of inhabitants, and came to the conclusion that Tartu is still an unattainable standard for them - in terms of the level of amenities, development, number of services, lifestyle, and population. Today I will talk about an even smaller Estonian city - rather, even a village - Võru, located even closer to the Russian border - just half an hour away by car.

In truth, this is already the second post about Võru - then we came here. The weather was damn unlucky - it was snowing and nothing was visible, so it was definitely worth going back again.

For reference: approximately 13 thousand people live in Võru. A small village, to be honest. Small, but very beautiful, cozy, with all the benefits of civilization, strikingly contrasting with Russian Pechory - approximately identical in number of inhabitants, but much more depressing-looking. As if between these two cities there is half the world, and not some forty kilometers.

1. There are many beautiful lakes in Võru. With soft green banks, covered from time to time by reeds.

2. There are houses built along the shores of the lakes - but not too close to each other, at a distance. In most cases, the lake has a beach and a pier.

3. Regardless of the weather, a lifeguard is on duty. Do you see the silver booth in the photo and something orange inside? So, this is the lifeguard in his form. We were in Võru on June 12 - Sunday morning, in windy, rainy and cold weather, so there was not a soul on the beach. And the whole city will be deserted.

4. As soon as you cross the Russian-Estonian border, it seems that nature immediately changes dramatically. I can’t understand: this is just an illusion because of the cozy narrow roads-alleys, neatly trimmed lawns, which is emphasized by the beauty of the terrain - or this is actually the case.

5. The most important and largest lake in Võru is called Tamula. The city center is located just near the shore, where a steep promenade and beach have been built.

6. Assess the degree of improvement provided not only by the authorities, but also by residents of neighboring houses! The lawn is ideal not only next to the walking path, but also behind the fence, next to a private house on the left.

7. It seems like there is something similar to Russia, but it seems like there isn’t.

8. Cheese locker rooms:)

9. Beauty!

10. Hammocks on a public beach. Anyone can lie down.

11. We couldn’t resist either:)

12. The weather is harsh. The lake with her was restless.

13. There is a recreation center on the shore near the beach.

14. A number of streets adjacent to the lake are pedestrian.

15. On the shore there is a small park with a square and a monument in the middle. The granite depicts Friedrich Kretzwald, an Estonian poet, writer, folklorist, educator, doctor and public figure who lived in the 19th century. He is considered the founder of Estonian literature. Friedrich lived in Võru for 44 years, working as a city doctor.

16. The park on the shore of the lake is very beautiful, quiet, cozy and is also named after Kretzwald.

17. Pedestrian promenade leading to the main street.

18. It cannot be said that Voru is a polished city, scrubbed to a shine, and has undergone “European-quality renovation”. And this is its advantage - being neat and well-groomed, it looks like a real city, a city with history, and not a fresh new building.

19. Narrow long flags are very popular in Estonia, which can often be seen on high flagpoles in the households of local residents. In Estonia, it seems to me, there is healthy patriotism - people love their country, without going to extremes and starting to hate others. The attitude towards Russians is good, although quite wary (some of our fellow citizens are trying hard to harm the image of Russia and the way Russians are presented abroad - I must say, they are doing a good job of it). But if you are a normal person, then no one will say a word to you. I didn’t feel any increased attention to myself and my car with Moscow license plates.

20. A very colorful street with a small church in an ordinary house. To me, this view was damnably unlike the classic provincial American species. There is nostalgia and love in the heart :)

21. Several colorful houses on the road leading to the lake.

22. What charming courtyards! By the way, there are almost no fences in Estonia. And if there is, then they are low, transparent, made of chain-link mesh, or wooden. The locals have very good taste in terms of decor - most of the houses are just like in the picture.

23. I know, I’m repeating myself, but I really liked this courtyard!

24. Opposite in general - real America with a spacious house and a truck in the backyard :)

25. These guys were lucky with their location. From the windows there is a stunning view of the lake.

26. Nice dirt path for walking.

27. There are a lot of walking routes in Võru. Here is one of the paths leading along the shore of the lake to a pedestrian bridge, along which you can get to the neighboring shore.

28. Nature is inspiring!

29. We return back to the embankment.

30. The coolest benches on which you can either lie or climb up with your feet and sit like that, admiring the lake.

Voru is a wonderful place. However, like many other towns in Estonia. In this small, charming country, it is difficult to be disappointed in the city, no matter where you come. In any case, now, after a dozen trips there, I got exactly that impression.

I’m posting another episode from my April trip to Estonia - a short review of the town of Võru. We could have gotten acquainted with this city back in 2005, when we were driving from Tartu towards Vastseliina, but road works on the highway prevented this. And here's take two, six years later - we're going from there to there again. This time too it was not without incident. But still, a general idea of ​​Võru was obtained.

Now in the summer it’s hard to believe that at the beginning of April there was still snow... The main goal of this part of our trip was the medieval castle in Vastseliina, and Võru was only a transit point. Nevertheless, upon entering the center, we photographed several local attractions for good measure. :-)

For example, this coat of arms of Võru County on a building opposite the church in the city center:

But first, about the city plan:

If we talk about the history of Võru, it is a small city with seventeen thousand inhabitants, which was founded in 1784 by order of the Russian Empress Catherine II as a county center. And the empress personally approved the city plan. The grid of city streets has been preserved since Catherine's times, and in the old part you will find straight streets intersecting at right angles. By the way, Catherine II personally signed the regular plan of the city of Rezhitsa (that is, modern Rezekne), granting it the rights of a county town. Only, unlike Võru, 80 percent of the plan remained on paper.
http://rezeknenka.livejournal.com/7275.html

An old plan from 1784 and aerial photography from the 1st half of the 20th century:

As usual, there is very little information in Russian. From what we found:

Archaeological finds at the sites of Roosisaare, Villaküla and Kääpa suggest that the first early settlements in the area date back thousands of years. The most ancient archaeological find in the current territory of the city of Võru is a 6,000-year-old female skull found by chance, dating back to the Middle Stone Age (c. 4th century BC). In 1943, the oldest treasure was discovered in the Tamula settlement, which contained interesting amber pendants and bone objects.

Under the Polish authorities around 1590, the first mentions of the Verreaux (Veremoise) estate are known. After the Northern War, when the lands were annexed to Russia, Tsarina Elizaveta Petrovna donated part of the possessions to Count Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The lands were bought and sold, then they belonged to the Müller family; one of the Müller daughters received the Verro estate as her property. The Müllers sold the estate to Baron von Mengden.

In 1783, by order of Empress Catherine II, a new district was created from the southern and southeastern part of the Dorpat district, the center was to become the state estate of Vana-Koyola (Kirrumpyah-Koykul).

The official founding date of the city of Võru on the shores of the picturesque Lake Tamula is considered to be August 21, 1784, when the Governor-General of Livonia, Count Georg von Braun, signed a decree on the formation of a new city. Catherine II gave permission to the Governor General to purchase the private estate of Verro from the von Mengdens for the construction of the city. For this purpose, 57,000 rubles were received. As you understand, in those days there was different money and its value than now. The decree of the Governor General announced that the city would bear the name of the estate on whose territory it would be located. The main building of the estate has survived to this day in its rebuilt form.

As mentioned above, the peculiarity of the city is its simple rectangular street network. Võru was founded by order. In 1785, a city plan was approved, which provided for an orderly, full-angle network of intersecting streets. The historical network of streets has been preserved; the old buildings are dominated by one-story wooden houses, which are of architectural interest. Currently, about 13 thousand people live in the city (according to 2010 data). In Soviet times there were 15 thousand inhabitants.

The Lutheran (1793) and Orthodox (1804) churches recall the early years of the city, both of them dedicated to Empress Catherine II.

Plan and facade of a Lutheran church from the late 18th century:

And her photo. The monument in front of the church will be described below

By the way, compare it with the church of the same architect in Aluksne, Latvia:

Closer view of the Võru Church clock. There is a window cut right into the dial (above the minute hand, see?)

Back view:

Now about the monument near the church: it was erected in honor of the residents of the city of Võru who died in the shipwreck of the ferry Estonia on the stormy night of September 28, 1994. The monument by sculptor Mati Karmina was erected in 1996. It's clear why it's tilted now...

Across the road from the Lutheran there is another church with the same name, the Church of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church of the Great Martyr Catherine, named after Catherine II. For some reason, information on the Internet about this church is more contradictory. Although it was built in 1804, the dates of construction are mentioned as 1793 and even 1730 (which certainly could not be.) The style of early classicism is also for some reason sometimes replaced by baroque. Architect Matthias Schons (M. Schons), chief architect of the Livonian province (maybe still the Livonia province?). The master carpenter was Johann Karl Otto, a resident of Võru. The building has a simple rectangular plan, a tall western spire, onion-shaped domes and arched windows with false niches. Inside there are many icons and a beautiful iconostasis from the early 19th century.

About the church on the website of the restorers - it is indicated in what years the work was carried out. It's just strange that the construction date is wrong:

Catherine's Orthodox Church in Võru
(Architectural monument 14140, built in 1730)
Projects 2001, 2002, 2003
Construction 2001, 2003
http://www.kurmik.ee/ru_in7b_restauerimine.html

But in general, I must say that it was impossible to drive past this town, because it was Karma:

This is a poster of the KARMA antiques, also a local landmark of sorts. It is located in one of the city's oldest brick buildings, dating back to the 19th century. In the pre-war period (until 1941), the building housed "Võru Pank", the smallest bank in Estonia. Then there was a branch of the USSR Savings Bank here. Since 1996, the building has become one of the largest antique stores in Estonia (you couldn't tell by looking at it!)

Cart in front of "Karma":

Another attraction of the city that we did not see, but which is worth mentioning is the monument to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald (1803-1882) - an Estonian poet, writer, folklorist, educator, doctor and public figure, the founder of Estonian literature. Kreutzwald's greatest historical achievement is the collection of Estonian folk tales into one whole, their artistic processing, giving poetic form and the publication of the Estonian national epic "Kalevipoeg" ("Son of Kalev"). Photo, alas, not ours:

We wanted to drive through Vyra in a straight line, but that was not the case - a “brick” blocked the way. The problem is that in order to get onto road number 2 leading to Vastseliina, there is no direct passage along the main street, you have to turn off. And then, at the exit from the city, there is no sign for the right road. :-(You need to turn onto the road opposite to the direction towards Valga and after driving along it a little, you only get to the desired path. So the simplicity of the city layout can be very deceptive:

The city of Võru is located several tens of kilometers from the borders with Latvia and Russia. Through Vyra, moving south, you can reach the intersection with the arrow-straight Riga-Pskov highway, and from there further towards Latvia. Or Russia. Not very far from Võru on the Russian side there is the famous Pechora Monastery, a good place to start from Võru. I wrote about Pechory in 2008 here, if anyone is interested.

Which carefully protects its originality. Even residents of the capital, when they get here, feel like foreigners. You can often hear Vyrussian speech here; a special local dialect is taught in rural schools; Vyrussian newspapers are published in the region and television programs are broadcast in the Vyrussian language. Residents of Võru also highly value their cultural heritage and love to have fun; traditional festivals, concerts and fairs are often held in the city.

Voru - description

The town is considered relatively young; in 2014 it celebrated its 230th anniversary. However, people have settled in this picturesque lake region from time immemorial. The oldest archaeological finds on the site of the modern city of Võru date back to the 4th century BC. Among the famous settlements in this place are the settlements of Kirumpäe and Tamula. Unlike most other cities in Estonia, Võru was not built spontaneously, gradually gaining new residents and expanding its borders. It was formed by order, by order of Catherine II. This explains the strictly ordered network of streets that intersect perpendicular to each other. The city's boundaries have remained unchanged since its founding.

But, despite such a regulated order in terms of development, Võru does not give the impression of a city that lives according to patterns and regimes. Incredibly good-natured and sympathetic people live here. Arriving here, you will immediately feel warm hospitality and cordiality.

Voru - attractions

There are two significant historical figures in the city who are sacredly revered by the residents of Võru. These are Empress Catherine II and Friedrich Kreutzwald - a famous Estonian public figure, writer, poet - author of the great national epic "Kalevipoeg". Therefore, Võru is a place in Estonia where the main attractions associated with these people are collected:

Other attractions in Võru include:

In addition to taking pictures near churches and monuments, you can take other memorable photos in Võru – against the backdrop of unusually picturesque nature. It’s not for nothing that Võru is called the center of lakes and parks. The total in the county is approx. 200 natural lakes, three of them are located within the city. There are also many park-like green areas with beautiful flower beds and alleys.

Hotels in Voru

The city is often visited by tourists. The originality and authenticity of Võru attracts not only foreigners, but also Estonians themselves. Therefore, there are many places where you will be offered accommodation for the night.

For those who are used to choosing hotels when traveling around Estonia, there are the following options in Võru:

If you are vacationing with a large group, you can stay in one of the guest houses in Võru:

There are also several apartments for rent in the city, there is one hostel ( "Kagu" on the Räpina highway 7a) and a campsite in a pine forest near Lake Kubija.

In each hotel and guest house you will be offered a set meal or ordering dishes from the menu. In the city itself there are also many places where you can have a delicious lunch and dinner:

• Pub Grill Mill(Tallinn highway 36);
• cafe Taevas(Katarina Alley 6b);
• bar "Yle 17"(Juri St. 17);
• pizzeria Peetrei Pizza(Yuri St. 85);
• cafe Katarina(Katarina Alley 4);
• cafe Spring(Petseri str. 20);
• cafe Võru(Yuri street 22).

The city also has two catering center where you can have an inexpensive meal.

The main summer vacation spot for tourists in Võru is the shore of Lake Tamula. There is:

The wild lakeside in Võru offers some of the most picturesque photos in Estonia.

In winter, vacationers are invited to have fun in the fresh air, skiing. Just 4 km from the city center there are two ski slopes with a length of 2.5 and 5 km.

Fans of an active lifestyle can visit at any time of the year sports Complex, located on Räpina highway 3a. There is a large stadium with stands and many halls for practicing various sports.

If you come to Võru with children, go to the children's Kratikeskus center. Both children and adults will receive a lot of vivid impressions.

Weather in Voru

The climate in Võru can be classified as cold-temperate. There is quite a lot of rainfall, so if you are going to visit this town, take an umbrella. The rainiest month is usually August, and the driest month is February. Temperatures reach their peak in July. The thermometer can rise to +21-22°C. The coldest time in Võru is in January. Average temperature -7.4°C.

How to get there?

Motorists should take route No. 2. Most often, buses from Tartu and Tallinn pass through Võru, less often from Valga and.

There is also a bus service to Russia. Twice a week there are buses from Võru to Pskov and Pechory.

There is a railway station in the city, but it does not serve passenger trains, only freight ones. Therefore, if you are traveling by train, you need to get off at the station in Põlva and from there get to Võru by bus.