Otepää Parish (Estonian: Otepää vald) is a rural municipality in Valga County, southern Estonia.[1] It includes the town of Otepää, which is referred to as the "winter capital" of Estonia.

Otepää Parish
Otepää vald
Otepää Cultural Building
Otepää Cultural Building
Flag of Otepää Parish
Coat of arms of Otepää Parish
Otepää Parish within Valga County.
Otepää Parish within Valga County.
Country Estonia
County Valga County
Administrative centreOtepää
Government
 • MayorJaanus Barkala
Area
 • Total
520 km2 (200 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January 2019)
 • Total
6,456
 • Density12/km2 (32/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeEE-557
Websitewww.otepaa.ee

The parish was formed in 2017 by merging of the former Otepää Parish, Sangaste Parish, 7 villages of Palupera Parish, and 12 villages of Puka Parish.[1]

Riga-Tartu road in Otepää parish

Settlements

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The parish has one town, two small boroughs and 52 villages.

Town

Otepää

Small boroughs

Puka - Sangaste

Villages

Ädu - Arula- Ilmjärve - Kääriku - Kähri - Kassiratta - Kastolatsi - Kaurutootsi - Keeni - Kibena - Koigu - Kolli - Komsi - Kuigatsi - Kurevere - Lauküla - Lossiküla - Lutike - Mäeküla - Mägestiku - Mägiste - Mäha - Märdi - Makita - Meegaste - Miti - Neeruti - Nõuni - Nüpli - Otepää küla - Pedajamäe - Päidla - Pilkuse - Plika - Põru - Prange - Pringi - Pühajärve - Räbi - Raudsepa - Restu - Risttee - Ruuna - Sarapuu - Sihva - Tiidu - Tõutsi -Truuta - Vaalu - Vaardi - Vana-Otepää - Vidrike

Neighboring parishes

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Elva, Nõo, Kambja, Kanepi, Antsla, Valga ja Tõrva vald.

Religion in Otepää Parish (2021) [2]

  Unaffiliated (84.6%)
  Lutheran (9.0%)
  Orthodox (2.0%)
  Others Christians (0.5%)
  Others Religions (1.3%)
  Unknown (2.6%)

See also

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Interesting facts

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  • Otepää is first mentioned in writing in the Novgorod Chronicle in 1116.
  • The name Otepää (Odenpe, Odempe) means bear's head.
  • In 1841, the Pühajärve war took place, where the local peasants started to oppose the landlord.
  • In 1941, the Otepää postage stamp was put into circulation in Otepää.[3]
  • On October 3, 1991, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was in Otepää. He blessed Pühajärve and planted a commemorative oak next to the church.
  • Otepää has only one traffic light.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "X-GIS(3) Portal". xgis.maaamet.ee. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
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58°03′N 26°29′E / 58.050°N 26.483°E / 58.050; 26.483