Valga
Valga is a county town in southern Estonia on the Estonian-Latvian border, serving as the administrative center of Valga County and Valga Municipality.
Valga is the southernmost town in Estonia. The town forms a unified whole with its twin town, Valka, with both divided by the Pedeli River. The shared railway station is located on the Estonian side. The combined population is nearly 20,000.
Valga was first mentioned in 1266 under the name Walk in documents of the Livonian Order concerning the organization of regional assemblies.
On June 11, 1584, Polish King Stefan Batory granted Valga its founding charter and Riga city rights. This date is considered the town’s birthday.
On July 3, 1783, a new administrative system was established in the Baltic provinces by decree of Catherine II. The northeastern parts of Riga and Võnnu (Cēsis) counties were merged to form Valga County within the Livonian Governorate, making Valga a county seat.
The last mayor of Valga was Kalev Härk.
Valga was first mentioned in 1266 under the name Walk in Livonian Order documents related to regional assemblies. In the 15th century, Valga was one of two meeting places for the Old Livonian Diet, the other being Volmar (Valmiera) in Latvia.
Records from 1286 in the Riga debt book mention Johannes Clericus de Walcot and Johannes Stedinc de Walkot. In 1296, Thidericus de Walcot is mentioned, likely indicating people from Valga. It is assumed that the original name of Valga was Walco, Walko, or Walk. Another theory suggests the name derives from the old Estonian word “valketa”, meaning “white.” Valga also had another name related to the Pedeli River flowing through it: Podel, Põdeli, etc. Eventually, the name Walk (Valga in Estonian, Valka in Latvian) prevailed.
In 1536, Valga was described as a small settlement, half belonging to the Livonian Order and half to the Bishopric of Tartu.
On June 11, 1584, Polish King Stefan Batory granted Valga, then part of the Duchy of Livonia, a founding charter and Riga city rights. This is considered Valga’s official founding date. Valga remained under Polish-Lithuanian rule. On April 17, 1590, Polish King Sigismund III reaffirmed Valga’s charter.
In 1626, Valga came under Swedish control. On March 6, 1626, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden confirmed all of Valga’s existing privileges.
In 1710, during the Great Northern War, Valga fell under Russian rule. On October 5, 1764, Empress Catherine II reaffirmed Valga’s privileges. On July 3, 1783, a new administrative system was introduced in the Baltic provinces by Catherine II’s decree. The northeastern parts of Riga and Võnnu (Cēsis) counties were merged to form Valga County within the Livonian Governorate, making Valga a county seat. In 1865, a single-story historicist-style town hall with a high half-hipped roof, dormer windows, and a small tower was built in Valga.
By 1903, Valga had become an important railway hub, leading to rapid population growth. Four railway lines passed through Valga:
Broad-gauge Pskov–Valga–Riga railway
Broad-gauge Valga–Tartu railway
Narrow-gauge Valga–Ruhja–Pärnu railway
Narrow-gauge Valga–Mõniste–Ape–Alūksne–Gulbene railway
On March 23, 1902, the first ethnic Estonian mayor of Valga, Johannes Märtson, was elected.
In 1913, Valga had five major industrial enterprises with over 20 employees each, employing 700 workers, including 500 in railway workshops. In 1914, a power plant with a capacity of 270 kW was built.
During World War I, Latvian Red Riflemen occupied Valga, and after their retreat, German forces took over in January 1918. On January 31, 1919, the famous Battle of Paju took place near Valga during the Estonian War of Independence.
After Estonia and Latvia gained independence, the question of Valga’s归属 became a major dispute. An international commission led by British Colonel Stephen George Tallents resolved the conflict by dividing the town. On April 1, 1927, Estonia’s southern border was finalized.
On June 1, 1922, the Valga Music School was founded, one of the oldest in Estonia alongside the Narva Music School.
World War II began on September 1, 1939. On June 17, 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, annexing it on August 6.
On July 9, 1941, German forces occupied Valga. On September 19, 1944, Valga was liberated from German occupation but fell under Soviet rule.
On October 17, 1993, the first post-independence Valga City Council elections were held. Since 1994, Valga City Days have been celebrated annually around June 11, the town’s founding date. Since 2005, outstanding citizens have been awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Valga during the festivities.
With Estonia’s accession to the Schengen Agreement, all border checkpoints and barriers in Valga were removed on December 21, 2007.
