Otepää | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Otepää Town Hall | |
  Otepää Location in Estonia | |
| Coordinates:58°03′34″N26°29′45″E / 58.05944°N 26.49583°E /58.05944; 26.49583 | |
| Country |  Estonia |
| County |  Valga County |
| Municipality |  Otepää Parish |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 2,155 |
| • Rank | 35th |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Otepää (formerlyNuustaku) is atown inValga County, southernEstonia. It is the administrative centre ofOtepää Parish. Otepää is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia (in contrast to the "summer capital"Pärnu). During the 2005–2006 season it became the site forFIS Cross-Country World Cup events.
The nameOtepää means 'Ott's Head' inSouth Estonian, whereott is a euphemism for 'bear'.[2]
The first settlement in Otepää was in the 6th century BC. It has been inhabited continuously since the 6th-7th centuries. Otepää (or Odenpäh) was historically important as the site of a Viking hill fort and medieval castle.[3]
The fortress was first mentioned inRus' sources in 1116 when the princes ofNovgorod andPskov undertook an expedition againstTartu and Otepää.[4]
The conquest of Estonia during theNorthern Crusades began with an attack on the fortress at Otepää in 1208. The fort was attacked again in 1217, when Christianized southern Estonians stopped theKievan Rus' advances.[5]
The fort at Otepää was finally conquered in 1224 by German crusaders.Hermann of Dorpat, the first Prince-Bishop of the Bishopric of Dorpat (1224–1248) within the Livonian Confederation, built an episcopal castle at Otepää, which was the first stone fortress built in Estonia.[6]
During the 14th century the importance of Otepää waned asTartu, which was the seat of the Bishopric, grew in importance. The castle at Otepää was destroyed, but there is no written evidence of when the castle was abandoned. Archaeologists have argued that the castle was inhabited as late as 1477.[7] It is more commonly believed that the castle was razed by theLivonian Order in 1396 during a conflict with theBishopric of Dorpat.[8]
The earliest survivingfirearm in Europe was found in the castle of Otepää and dates to at least 1396.[9]
In 1862, the settlement was named Nuustaku and granted town privileges. In 1876, the Tartu Estonian Farmers' Society and the Estonian Farmers' Society held the first agricultural fair at Nuustaku church manor. On June 4, 1884, the flag that was to become the nationalflag of Estonia was dedicated in the Nuustaku Church as the flag of theEstonian Students' Society. The name Nuustaku was changed to Otepää in 1922. Otepää officially became a town in 1936.[10]
Otepää St. Mary's Church is located in the town. During the Middle Ages, it is known to have had three sacred buildings. The oldest parts of current church building dates back to 1860s. Major re-building took place 1889–1890 (architect R. Guleke).[11]
Otepää is situated in a region known as theOtepää Upland. Otepää is located the highest of the Estonian cities, up to 171 meters above sea level.The area is hilly and contains numerous lakes, including LakePühajärv.[12]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 2,158 |
| 1970 | 2,424 |
| 1979 | 2,289 |
| 1989 | 2,424 |
| 2000 | 2,219 |
| 2011 | 1,953 |
| 2018 | 2,167 |
Otepää's municipal status was briefly restored in 1989 when the local government re-emerged in Estonia. In 1999, Otepää City was merged with the Pühajärve rural municipality, which became known as the Otepää Rural Municipality.Otepää Parish is the local government administrative unit that governs Otepää City.[13]
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