Valga, Estonia

Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, an Estonian Orthodox church in Valga
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jumalaema_Vladimiri_pühakuju_kirik_(1).JPG
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Valga is a town in southern Estonia, on the border with Latvia. It covers 16.54 sq km (6.4 sq mi) and has a population of 14,000 people (2011 estimate). The town is across the border from Valka in Latvia. With the Schengen Agreement dismantling the borders of the two countries, Valga and Valka have developed into a single municipality.

The history of Valga goes back to 1286, when it was first mentioned in a document. The town received German-speaking settlers and merchants which called it Walk. The town was attacked and captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century, which later placed it within the Livonian Confederation.

From the 16th until the 18th century, Valga suffered repeated attacks by Russia. During this period it was part of Livonia, then Poland, and then Sweden. It became part of the Russian Empire following the Great Northen War of 1710. With the First World War came shortlived independence, which last until the arrival of the Soviets. Valga, with the rest of Estonia, was absorbed into the Soviet Union. Except for a period during the Second World War, when it was occupied by the Nazis, Valga was to remain part of the Soviet Union under Estonia regained its independence in 1989.

Today Valga is an important railway junction, with the railway lines from Tallinn to Riga passing through it, as does the Tallinn to Saint Petersburg line.

Valga Railway Station
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valga_raudteejaam_(632).JPG
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Visiting Valga

There are many trains to Valga from Tallinn and Riga. You can also get there by bus.

Places of Interest in Valga

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