Võru Võro (Võro) |
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Town and municipality | |||
Võru city centre at night.
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Location in Estonia | |||
Coordinates: 57°50′55″N 26°59′34″E / 57.848611111111°N 26.992777777778°ECoordinates: 57°50′55″N 26°59′34″E / 57.848611111111°N 26.992777777778°E | |||
Country | Estonia | ||
County | Võru County | ||
Founded | 21 August 1784 | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Anti Allas | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 13.24 km2 (5.11 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 20 m (70 ft) | ||
Population (2016) | |||
• Total | 12,430 | ||
• Density | 1,099.2/km2 (2,847/sq mi) | ||
Ethnicity | |||
• Estonians | 92% | ||
• Russians | 6% | ||
• other | 2% | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Website | www |
Võru (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈʋɤru]) (Võro: Võro; German: Werro; Russian: Выру (Vyru); 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.
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.
The town is situated on the shore of Lake Tamula. Võru has a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters.
The Võru Folklore Festival is 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.
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.