Võru County (Estonian:Võru maakond orVõrumaa;Võro:Võro maakund) is acounty in southernEstonia. It is bordered byValga andPõlva counties, Latvia'sAlūksne andApe municipalities, and Russia'sPskov Oblast (making it the only Estonian county to border two countries).
The territory of Võrumaa covers 2,305 km2 (890 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. In 2022, Võru County had a population of 34,182, 2.6% of the total population in Estonia. The county is subdivided into 12 rural municipalities and one urban municipality, the county capital,Võru.
In Võru County, there are 95.3% Estonians, 3.3% Russians, and 1.4% other nationalities. Two indigenous ethnic groups live in Võru County – theVõro people and theSetos. Both ethnic groups have their own language (Võro,Seto) and cultural heritage in traditions.
TheVõro Institute is established for the preservation and promotion of theVõro language and culture, which are tightly connected with its historic centre, the rural and mostly agricultural South-Eastern Estonian county of Võromaa.
The Võro Institute was founded by theEstonian government in 1995. The institute is engaged in a wide range of activities, including establishing school programs, conducting linguistic and regional research, preserving place-names and their corresponding stories, publishing Võro-language scholarship and school textbooks, and organizing annual language conferences etc. The aim of these activities is to encourage the Võro people to speak their own language and to preserve their characteristic life-style.
In 2014, the smoke sauna tradition in Võrumaa was added to theUNESCO list ofintangible cultural heritage. Smoke saunas along with sauna rituals are a part of traditional life and cultural heritage of the Võro people. A smoke sauna is an old-fashioned rural sauna, which has no chimney.
The purpose of the Seto Institute is to coordinate and promote research in the field of theSeto region and the Seto culture and to introduce the results of the research to the public. The Seto Institute publishes papers, organizes events and organizes education in the field of Seto culture in cooperation with other organizations in the Seto region. In 2009, the Setos’ polyphonic style of folk singing, called leelo, was added to theUNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Believed to be at least 1,000 years old, leelo is considered a special local variant of the Baltic-Finnic runo song tradition.
The Lutheran congregations in the county are under the Võru Deanery of the South Estonian Diocese of theEstonian Evangelical Lutheran Church: in Võru, Pindi, Roosa, Rõuge, Urvaste and Vastseliina.[3]
Eastern Orthodox congregations in the county are under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.[4]
Several congregations of Baptists, and other Christian churches operate in the county.
Religious affiliations in Võru County census 2000–2021*[5]
The county's main economic sectors are forestry andwood processing, furniture and food industry and also tourism. According to statistics of 2011, there are 1852 SMEs in Võru County. 47% of enterprises in the county belong to primary sector (agriculture, forestry), 38% of enterprises work in tertiary sector (trade, services) and 15% of enterprises are involved in secondary sector (processing industry). The biggest foreign owned companies based in Võru County are AS Toftan (wood processing), AS Barrus (wood processing), AS Antsla Inno (furniture production), AS Rauameister (metal processing), AS Võru Juust (food processing) and Danpower GmbH (energy production).
The county enjoys an advantageous location due to its relative proximity to Pskov in Russia (100 km) and Riga in Latvia (220 km). Accessibility is provided by several transport corridors running through the county. One of the most important transit routes in Estonia, Tallinn-Tartu-Pskov, passes the county. The South-East corner of the county is crossed by the Riga-Pskov-St Petersburg major road. The county is strategically placed on trade routes between the East and West.
The county has 23 schools with approximately 1500 pupils. One vocational school, Võru County Vocational Training Center, offers 33 different practical curriculums in various levels for 600 students.
There are many traditional and non-traditional cultural and sport events taking place in the county, which are organized by different associations and non-profit organizations. The cultural landscape is shaped by events such as Võru Folk Festival, song festivalUma Pido,Ostrova Festival of traditional Seto and modern pop music, food fair UMA MEKK, unique Lindora fair,Võhandu International Canoeing Marathon,Haanja Ski Marathon,Rõuge Boar Race, and many more.
Võru County Government (Maavalitsus) is a regional government agency, directed by theCounty Governor (maavanem), who represents the national interests in the county and is responsible for the balanced and comprehensive development of the county. The County Governor is appointed to the office by theGovernment of Estonia for a 5-year term, on the proposal of the Minister of Regional Affairs. Since 2010 the Governor position is taken by Andres Kõiv.
Today Võru County consists 5municipalities that work together to facilitate the county's balanced and sustainable development. 5 municipalities are divided for one urban -Võru - and 4 rural municipalities (vallad - parishes) -Antsla,Rõuge,Setomaa,Võru. In Võru County there are two towns (linnad -Võru and Antsla) and approximately 570 villages.
Municipalities of Võru county after the 2017 reform.
