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Valga, Estonia

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Valga (German: Walk) is a town in southern Estonia and the capital of Valga County and Valga Parish. Until their separation in 1920, Valga and the town of Valka in northern Latvia were one town. They are now twin-towns. The area of Valga is 16.5 square kilometres (6.4 square miles) and that of Valka is 14.2 km2 (5.5 sq mi). Their populations are respectively 12,261 and 6,164. On 21 December 2007 all border-crossing points were removed and roads and fences opened between the two countries with both countries joining the Schengen Agreement.

Valga
Town
Valga Town Hall, Jaani (St. John´s) Church and Railway Station
Valga Town Hall, Jaani (St. John´s) Church and Railway Station
Motto(s): 
1 linn, 2 riiki (1 city, 2 countries)
Valga is located in Estonia
Valga
Valga
Location in Estonia
Coordinates: 57°47′N 26°02′E / 57.783°N 26.033°E / 57.783; 26.033
CountryEstonia
CountyValga County
MunicipalityValga Parish
First mention1286
Area
 • Total16.54 km2 (6.39 sq mi)
Elevation
65 m (213 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total11,792
 • Rank11th
 • Density710/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2021)
 • Estonians59.2%
 • Russians26.3%
 • Latvians5.65%
 • Ukrainians3.02%
 • other5.83%
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
68230

Location and transport

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The distance to Tartu is 89 km (55 mi), Pärnu 144 km (89 mi), Tallinn 245 km (152 mi), Riga 175 km (109 mi) and Pskov 170 km (106 mi).

Valga is situated at the junction of roads and railways.

The Valga-Võru-Koidula railway runs to the town. Trains stopped running in 2001.[2] Freight trains on the Valga-Võru-Koidula line have been cut back significantly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3]

The Tartu-Valga railway line also serves this station. After closing April 2008 for extensive repair work Edelaraudtee railway services from other parts of Estonia to Valga re-opened in January 2010.[4][5]

With the expansion of the Schengen Agreement and the abolition of systematic border controls between Estonia and Latvia, it was announced that common public bus transport would be launched between Valga and Valka.[6]

During the Cold War, Valga was home to Valga air base.

Districts of Valga

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There are six districts of Valga:

  • Kesklinn
  • Laatsi
  • Pilpaküla
  • Puraküla
  • Kapsamõisa (Raudteetaguse)
  • Tambre.[7]

Activity

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One of the main streets

Since 1944, a local newspaper, Valgamaalane, has been published (3 times a week). Since 2003, there has also been a local newspaper "Walk" (in the Russian language). There also is a local correspondence office of Estonian Television (Eesti Televisioon) and a local radio – "Raadio Ruut".

The former urban municipality of Valga has established partnerships with many towns, mostly in foreign countries, which are listed in a special subsection below.

Valga is developing quickly. Since 1996, the populace's quality of life has improved due to the renovation of several buildings, including the Central Library, Valga Stadium, the Museum, Valga Hospital, and the Culture and Hobby Centre. Step by step, the schools and kindergartens are also being modernized. Since 2003, a new water treatment plant has improved the quality of water in the town.

In the private sector, there have been extensive investments in trade, light industry, and forestry.

Demographics

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Ethnic composition 1922-2021
Ethnicity 1922[8] 1934[9] 1941[10] 1970[11] 1979[12] 1989[12] 2000[13] 2011[14] 2021[15]
amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount %
Estonians 6997 74.0 8919 82.3 7941 88.9 9635 57.4 10052 54.4 9383 52.9 8970 62.6 7886 64.3 7110 59.2
Russians 443 4.69 368 3.39 209 2.34 5241 31.2 6164 33.4 6140 34.6 3913 27.3 3224 26.3 3160 26.3
Ukrainians - - 6 0.06 - - 554 3.30 766 4.15 720 4.06 421 2.94 386 3.15 363 3.02
Belarusians - - - - - - 170 1.01 322 1.74 307 1.73 211 1.47 156 1.27 159 1.32
Finns - - 1 0.01 7 0.08 121 0.72 136 0.74 126 0.71 99 0.69 55 0.45 40 0.33
Jews 393 4.16 262 2.42 0 0.00 73 0.43 31 0.17 24 0.14 13 0.09 7 0.06 3 0.02
Latvians - - 1037 9.56 606 6.79 382 2.27 448 2.43 456 2.57 334 2.33 262 2.14 679 5.65
Germans 182 1.92 143 1.32 - - - - 273 1.48 241 1.36 36 0.25 27 0.22 34 0.28
Tatars - - 0 0.00 - - - - 28 0.15 27 0.15 18 0.13 13 0.11 10 0.08
Poles - - 35 0.32 20 0.22 - - 68 0.37 68 0.38 35 0.24 24 0.20 15 0.12
Lithuanians - - 6 0.06 4 0.04 34 0.20 24 0.13 41 0.23 32 0.22 29 0.24 23 0.19
unknown 13 0.14 18 0.17 4 0.04 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 46 0.32 30 0.24 102 0.85
other 1427 15.1 47 0.43 139 1.56 585 3.48 162 0.88 189 1.07 195 1.36 162 1.32 312 2.60
Total 9455 100 10842 100 8930 100 16795 100 18474 100 17722 100 14323 100 12261 100 12010 100
Year 1881 1897 1922 1934 1959 1970 1979 1989 2000 2011 2017 2021
Population 4,200 10,900 9,500 10,800 13,300 17,000 18,500 17,700 14,323 12,261 12,452 12,010
Population of Valga by first language
Language 2000 census[16] 2011 census[17] 2021 census[18]
Number % Number % Number %
Estonian 8,772 61.24 7,573 61.77 6,818 56.76
Russian 4,744 33.12 4,113 33.55 4,095 34.09
Latvian 259 1.81 191 1.56 531 4.42
Ukrainian 192 1.34 159 1.30 134 1.12
Belarusian 75 0.52 23 0.19 24 0.20
Total 14,323 12,261 12,010

Sports

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Valga is home to several notable Estonian sports teams.

Warrior Valga is a football club that currently plays in the III liiga. Warrior Valga played in the Meistriliiga from 2003 to 2006.

Valga is a basketball club that currently plays in the Estonian top-tier Korvpalli Meistriliiga and the Baltic Basketball League.

Climate

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Valga lies within the temperate humid continental climate zone.

Climate data for Valga (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1925–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.1
(50.2) 		10.9
(51.6) 		21.3
(70.3) 		27.4
(81.3) 		30.7
(87.3) 		33.2
(91.8) 		34.4
(93.9) 		34.3
(93.7) 		29.5
(85.1) 		21.7
(71.1) 		15.2
(59.4) 		11.9
(53.4) 		34.4
(93.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		3.8
(38.8) 		11.6
(52.9) 		17.7
(63.9) 		21.2
(70.2) 		23.6
(74.5) 		22.2
(72.0) 		16.6
(61.9) 		9.5
(49.1) 		3.5
(38.3) 		0.1
(32.2) 		10.6
(51.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.0
(24.8) 		−4.3
(24.3) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		6.0
(42.8) 		11.6
(52.9) 		15.6
(60.1) 		18.0
(64.4) 		16.5
(61.7) 		11.6
(52.9) 		5.9
(42.6) 		1.3
(34.3) 		−2.0
(28.4) 		6.3
(43.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −6.6
(20.1) 		−7.4
(18.7) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		0.9
(33.6) 		5.5
(41.9) 		10.0
(50.0) 		12.6
(54.7) 		11.5
(52.7) 		7.3
(45.1) 		2.8
(37.0) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		2.3
(36.1)
Record low °C (°F) −38.5
(−37.3) 		−38.2
(−36.8) 		−30.1
(−22.2) 		−17.8
(0.0) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		−1.6
(29.1) 		2.5
(36.5) 		1.5
(34.7) 		−6.5
(20.3) 		−14.4
(6.1) 		−21.9
(−7.4) 		−40.5
(−40.9) 		−40.5
(−40.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 52
(2.0) 		42
(1.7) 		38
(1.5) 		37
(1.5) 		52
(2.0) 		82
(3.2) 		67
(2.6) 		78
(3.1) 		53
(2.1) 		71
(2.8) 		56
(2.2) 		50
(2.0) 		675
(26.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11.6 9.8 9.2 8.0 9.0 10.4 9.8 10.4 9.2 12.0 11.4 12.4 123.2
Average relative humidity (%) 89 86 78 70 68 73 76 79 84 87 90 90 81
Source: Estonian Weather Service[19][20][21][22][23][24]

History

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  • 1286: Valga (under German name Walk) appears for the first time in the credit register of the city of Riga.
  • 1298, 1329, 1345: Walk suffers from looting raids made by Lithuanians who are led by Grand Duke Gediminas and Algirdas on the second and third occasions.
  • 1419: Walk becomes the seat of the Landtag of the Livonian Confederation.
  • 1481: A raid by Russians; the settlement burns down for the fourth time.
  • 1500: Walk, a settlement in the heart of Old Livonia that is not fortified, is chosen as the location for town assembly days 36 times up to 1500.
  • 1501: During another raid by Russians the settlement gets burnt down for the fifth time.
  • 1558: During the Livonian War the medieval settlement of Walk is completely destroyed.
  • 1584 11 June: Valga is granted the same charter and byelaws as Riga by Stefan Batory, the King of Poland.
  • 1590 17 April: The King of Poland, Sigismund III Vasa, ratifies the charter for the second time. Valga is granted its city arms.
  • 1600: The first town map, showing 42 house properties. The town is 7 km (4 mi) long and between 0.25 to 0.5 km (0.2 to 0.3 mi) wide.
  • 1626: After the Polish-Swedish War Valga becomes the subject of Sweden. On 6 March, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden confirms the existing privileges.
  • 1657: On 9 July, a Swedish army under Friedrich von Löwen defeats a Russian army under Scheremetchev in the Battle of Walk.
  • 1721: As the result of the Great Northern War, Valga is subjected to Russian rule together with the rest of Estonia.
  • 1764 5 October: Empress Catherine II confirms the town's privileges.
  • 1783: During the Regency of Catherine II the Valga County (Kreis Walk) is formed.
  • 1780: The first stone buildings are erected: a church, a school and county offices.
  • 1789: Land surveyor O.S. Engell drafts the map of Valga showing 76 plots with houses.
  • 1816: The building of St. John's Church is finished.
  • 1819: 451 inhabitants lived in the town (79.6% of them Germans, 10.0% Latvians, 7.5% Russians and 2.9% Estonians)[25]
  • 1876: Walkscher Anzeiger, the first newspaper in Valga, in German, is issued.
  • 1889: Valga Railway Station is opened. On 22 July the Tartu-Valga railway line is officially opened.
  • 1890 16 December: The Valga Temperance Society is founded.
  • 1896: The Pärnu-Valga narrow-gauge railway is opened.
  • 1901 7 December: Together with Latvians, Estonians succeed in winning the elections over Baltic Germans in Valga – the first occasion on Estonian territory. The chemist Johannes Märtson is elected mayor.
  • 1902: In the building of the Temperance Society the social society Säde is founded; Andres Alver, the county medical officer, is elected chairman. The Valga-Marienburg narrow-gauge railway is opened.
  • 1908 24 June: Estonian military commander Alfons Rebane is born in Valga.
  • 1908: The Girls' Progymnasium is changed into the Gymnasium with Marta Pärna as principal.
  • 1909: The construction of the Säde building is begun (architect Georg Hellat).
  • 1913: 16194 inhabitants lived in the town (51% of them Estonians, 25.1% Latvians, 15.5% Russians, 4.0% Germans, 2.1% Jewish).
  • 1917: A German zeppelin flies over the town and drops forty high-explosive bombs without hitting the main target, the railway station.
  • 1918 11 January: The Council of Delegates of Valga County Workers, Soldiers and Landless Men gains power in the town. On 12 February the German Army occupies Valga.
  • 1919 11 January: The Valga Estonian Gymnasium is opened at 22 Kesk Street. For the first time in the history of secondary education in Valga the teaching language is Estonian instead of German. At the end of January, 107 victims of Bolshevik acts of terror are found in five mass graves around Valga; 67 people are taken away as hostages. On 31 January the Battle of Paju takes place and consequently Valga is freed from the Bolsheviks.
 
Border crossing between Valga, Estonia and Valka, Latvia in the 1920s
  • 1920 1 July: The British envoy Colonel S. G. Tallents conclusively establishes the border between Estonia and Latvia, putting an end to their disputes and the city of Valga is divided into Estonian and Latvian areas based on ethnicity. Valga proper, as far as Konnaoja and Luke graveyard, remains intact under Estonian rule.
  • 1921 11 February: The decree of the Estonian government establishes the territory of Valga county. Valga becomes a county centre.
  • 1940 17 June: The Soviet occupation begins and with it the political repressions against Estonians and Latvians in Valga/Valka, including the mass deportations in June 1941.
  • 1941 9 July: Valga is occupied by German troops.
  • 1944
    • Dulag 110 transit prisoner-of-war camp relocated from Tapa to Valga, and then further relocated to Chełm in German-occupied Poland after a few months.[26]
    • 19 September: In the course of heavy fighting Valga is liberated from the German occupation of Estonia. It is immediately replaced by the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
  • 1988. The Valga Society for the Protection of Antiquities is founded. On 27 November, on the initiative of the Society, the beginning of the War of Liberation is commemorated at the memorial for those killed in the war.
  • 1989 24 February: The first Estonian flag of the re-established independence period is hoisted on the flagpole of 12 Aia Street.
  • 1992 24 May: The Russian army base in Valga is taken over, and later on becomes the border guard's post.
  • 1993 17 October: The first free elections of the municipal council after the restoration of independence take place.
  • 1994 31 January: On the 75th anniversary of the battle of Paju a memorial to it is opened. On 21–25 June, worldwide days of Valga county people take place.

International relations

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

Twin towns – Sister cities

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The former municipality of Valga, Estonia was twinned with:[27]

City Twins Association

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The former municipality of Valga was a founding member of City Twins Association that was founded in Imatra, Finland on 13 December 2006. In addition to sister towns, Valga had a cooperation through the association with following cities:[28]

Cooperation without any formal agreement

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Notable residents

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  •  
    Valga main library
  •  
    Church of the Holy Spirit
  •  
    Valga railway station
  •  
    Valga Linnapark
  •  
    Vabaduse street
  •  
    Valga gymnasium
  •  
    Sepa Street / Semināra Street. The border and checkpoint between Valga, Estonia and Valka in Latvia from the Estonian side
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    Estonian and Latvian train at Valga

References

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Notes
  1. ^ Population by sex, age and place of residence after the 2017 administrative reform, 1 January. Statistics Estonia.
  2. ^ "Edelareisija album "diiselrongide sõiduplaan aastal 2001." - Nagi". 21 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  3. ^ "[Lost Video] Operail / Eesti Raudtee GE C36-7 1545 at Antsla". YouTube.
  4. ^ "Taasavatud Tartu-Valga rongiliini esimene sõit osutus ülipopulaarseks" (in Estonian). tartupostimees.ee. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  5. ^ Tere, Juhan (15 December 2009). "Tartu-Valga train connection to get relaunched from January". The Baltic Course. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Establishment of common public bus transport (Presentation)" (PDF). euregio-heltal.org. Retrieved 17 April 2018.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "LINNAOSADE JA -JAGUDE LÜHENDID". www.eki.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. ^ 1922 a. üldrahvalugemise andmed. Vihk X. Tartu ja Valga maakonnad (tabelid). Eesti riikline statistika (in Estonian and French). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1924. p. 22. hdl:10062/4445.
  9. ^ Rahvastiku koostis ja korteriolud. 1.III 1934 rahvaloenduse andmed. Vihk II (in Estonian and French). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1935. pp. 47–53. hdl:10062/4439.
  10. ^ Eesti Statistika : kuukiri 1942-03/04 (in German and Estonian). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1942. pp. 66–67.
  11. ^ Население районов, городов и поселков городского типа Эстонской ССР : по данным Всесоюзной переписи населения на 15 января 1970 года (in Russian). Tallinn: Eesti NSV Statistika Keskvalitsus. 1972. p. 76.
  12. ^ a b Eesti Vabariigi maakondade, linnade ja alevite rahvastik. 1. osa, Rahvaarv rahvuse, perekonnaseisu, hariduse ja elatusallikate järgi : 1989. a. rahvaloenduse andmed (in Estonian). Tallinn: Eesti Vabariigi Riiklik Statistikaamet. 1990. pp. 31, 35. ISBN 978-9949-7193-2-7 – via Digar.
  13. ^ "RL222: RAHVASTIK ELUKOHA JA RAHVUSE JÄRGI". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
  14. ^ "RL0429: RAHVASTIK RAHVUSE, SOO, VANUSERÜHMA JA ELUKOHA JÄRGI, 31. DETSEMBER 2011". Estonian Statistical Database. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  15. ^ "RL21429: Rahvastik Rahvuse, Soo, Vanuserühma Ja ELukoha (Haldusüksus) Järgi, 31. DETSEMBER 2021". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
  16. ^ "Ethnic nationality. Mother tongue. Command of foreign languages". pub.stat.ee. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Ethnic nationality. Mother tongue and command of foreign languages. Dialects". pub.stat.ee. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Population by ethnic nationality, sex, age group and place of residence (administrative unit)". andmed.stat.ee. 31 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Climate normals-Temperature". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Climate normals-Precipitation". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Climate normals-Humidity". Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Rekordid" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Kliimanormid-Sademed, õhuniiskus" (in Estonian). Estonian Weather Service. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Valga Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  25. ^ T.Rosenberg. Künnivaod. ("Plow furrows"). Research on Estonian agrarian history of the 18th-20th centuries. The town of Valga in the first quarter of the 19th century. Tartu University Press. Learned Estonian Society, Tartu, 2013 (in Estonian), p. 239.
  26. ^ Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-253-06089-1.
  27. ^ "Valga". Valga. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  28. ^ "Valga". Valga. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  29. ^ "Кардынал Казімір Свёнтэк (пам. 2011 г.) (Cardinal Kazimierz Cardinal Świątek)(died 2011)(in Belarusian)". Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  30. ^ Bourdeaux, Michael (25 July 2011). "Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek obituary". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valga (Estonia).
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Valga.
  • Valga/Valka Illustrations and detailed descriptions of the border, in the period before Schengen
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