Mustvee is a town in Estonia. It lies on the west coast of Lake Peipus, and is administratively part of the Mustvee Parish in Jõgeva County. Ethnic Estonians and Russians both make up around half of its population of about 1,100 as of 2026.
Name Mustvee was attested in historical sources as Mustut in 1493; as folwark Mostfersth alias Czarny, Mosthffer, and wioska Musth alias Czarne in 1599; and as Mustvett in 1601, among other variations. The name literally means 'black water', from must 'black' + vee (genitive of vesi 'water'). It is believed that *Mustvesi 'black water' was probably a parallel name for Lake Peipus. Another possibility is that 'black water' referred to a river rather than the lake. In Estonian toponyms, the final element vesi 'water' is infrequent, but it is found in the names of some Finnish lakes, such as Enonvesi and Toisvesi.
History The beginning of continuous ethnic Russian settlement in what is now Estonia dates back to the late 17th century when several thousand Eastern Orthodox Old Believers, escaping religious persecution in Russia (after the Tsardom of Muscovy had declared them outlaws in 1658) settled in Mustvee and other safe haven areas then ruled by Kingdom of Sweden on the west coast of Lake Peipus.
Mustvee has held fairs for the past two centuries. Due to its position at the broadest part of the lake, this traditional fishing town is increasingly popular as a tourist centre. The new was opened on 18 December 2014.
Demographics
+Ethnic composition 1922-2021Ethnicity1922193419411959197019791989200020112021amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%amount%Estonians80329.3100635.467035.4101243.596843.592144.186243.271440.756341.550443.5Russians193770.6178462.8119763.2 - -120754.2112353.8108254.3100057.0 - -61753.2Ukrainians - -00.00 - - - -140.63110.53180.90 - - - -80.69Belarusians - - - - - - - -120.5470.34120.60 - - - -60.52Finns - -20.0710.05 - -100.45100.4880.40 - - - -50.43Jews00.0060.2100.00 - -00.0000.0000.00 - - - -00.00Latvians - -00.0000.00 - -10.0420.1020.10 - - - -00.00Germans10.04200.70 - - - - - -80.3840.20 - - - -30.26Tatars - -00.00 - - - - - -00.0010.05 - - - -00.00Poles - -60.2160.32 - - - -10.0500.00 - - - -00.00Lithuanians - -10.0410.05 - -20.0900.0000.00 - - - -00.00unknown00.0020.0750.2600.0000.0000.0000.0000.0010.0000.00other40.15140.49130.69131356.5130.5840.1950.25392.2279458.5141.21Total274510028411001893100232510022271002087100199410017531001358100115999.8
Climate
Mayors of Mustvee
* Office Name Notes11938–1939Valter KulliMayor, first mayor of Mustvee21939–1940Mihkel KoppelMayor31940–1941Nikifor SemjonovChairman of Executive Committee41941Nazar LizarovChairman of Executive Committee51941–1944Mihkel OtsMayor61944–1945Sergei KaimovChairman of Executive Committee71945–1947Nikolai KussovChairman of Executive Committee81947–1948Vassili TchernyshevChairman of Executive Committee271948–1950Hariton BezzubovChairman of Executive Committee281950–1952Tihon KlimovChairman of Executive Committee291952–1957Luka UleksinChairman of Executive Committee301957–1959Ivan StoroskoChairman of Executive Committee311959–1982Elmar PetersonChairman of Executive Committee311982–1984Vello MäeseppChairman of Executive Committee311984–1996Andres RebaneChairman of Executive Committee; Mayor341996–1997Aare UleksinMayor341997–2002Pavel KostrominMayor352002–2007Gennadi KulkovMayor362007–2009Mati KeppMayor372009Lembit KivimurdMayor382009–2010Mati KeppMayor392010–2011Urmas LaurMayor402012–2013Pavel KostrominMayor432013–2017Max KaurMayor, last mayor of Mustvee
Gallery
References
External links