Valga County ( or Valgamaa) is a first-level administrative unit and one of 15 counties of Estonia. It comprises the former area of the Valga District. The present-day county was created on 1 January 1990. The capital and largest town of Valga County is Valga, followed by Tõrva and Otepää. It is located in the southern part of the country and borders Põlva and Võru counties to the east, Latvia to the south and west, and Viljandi and Tartu County to the north. 27,650 people live in Valga County as of 2022.
General Valga County is located in southern Estonia. By the economic-geographical and regional-political distribution it belongs to the area of South-East Estonia (together with Põlva and Võru counties). By historical ties and landscape, the county belongs to the region of South Estonia (together with Põlva, Võru, Viljandi, Tartu and Jõgeva counties). With a population of 30,176 people (as of 1 January 2014), the total area of the county is 2,043.53 km2 (2,046.49 km2 together with the area of Võrtsjärv), it reaches 65 km in the north–south direction and 59 km in the east–west direction. Valga County ranks the 12th in Estonia by population and the 14th by the area.
The distances from the county centre, Valga, are the following: Tallinn 267 km, Tartu 86 km, Viljandi 88 km, Võru 73 km, Põlva 96 km, Pärnu 141 km, Narva 264 km and Riga 157 km.
Valga County borders with Viljandi County in the north-west, with Tartu County in the north and Põlva and Võru County in the east. Valga County has a borderline with the Republic of Latvia in the south and west (102.4 km).
History
Medieval Period It can be read from the Livonian Chronicle of Henry that the history of the county goes back to the 13th century when the Germans conquered the settlement. By the Chronicle the Ümera River was the borderline between Estonia and Latvia. Historians suggest that the Säde River was the borderline, flowing through the northern part of Tireli Bog and falling into Lake Burtnieks. Meadows and forests surrounding the big Tireli Bog and the upper stream of the River Säde were probably even wider and impassable at that time and therefore functioning perfectly as a border.
The ancient (13th century) national border ran in a totally different place. Assumably the area of Härgmäe belonged to Estonian settlements and the national border went from the springs of the River Säde, passed the forests until the northernmost oxbow of the Koiva River and onwards alongside the river. Most likely the area of Kaagjärve and Valga Town belonged to ancient Latgalians.
After the crusades and the Ancient Freedom Fight in the 13th century, Valga County became a natural centre of the historical Old Livonia where the most important roads from north, south and east went through, gaining strategical importance.
Early Modern Period City rights were given to Valga by a Polish King Stefan Batory in 1584.
On the 3rd of July, 1783, the Empress Catherine II established a new administration order in the Baltic provinces. A new kreis (county), Valga Kreis, was constituted mainly from the territories of Riga and Võnnu Kreises. Valga Town which formerly belonged to Riga Kreis, went over to Valga Kreis. Valga Kreis consisted of eleven parishes, nine of them located on the present Latvian territory, and just two – Luke (Lugaži in Latvian, Luhde in German) and Härgmäe (Ērģeme in Latvian, Ermes in German) – had an edge on the present Estonian area, mostly near Valga, which became an attraction centre of the new kreis.
Recent history On 12 February 1919, the Government of the Republic of Estonia issued a regulation of constitution of Valga County, consisting of the territories gained during the Estonian War of Independence. Several parts of Võru, Tartu and Viljandi Counties were close to Valga from the other side. On 19 April the first county governor was elected – Johann Kurvits, a farmer of Karula. He held this position until July 1921, when August Sild followed his position.
Until the 1920s the surroundings of Härgmäe and Valga belonged to the mixed area of Estonia-Latvia as there was no exact national border. Half of the citizens were Latvians, the other half were Estonians. In 1920 the national border was fixed and that helped to differentiate between the nations. Valga Kreis was divided so that Estonia got the areas of Paju and Sooru Manors and the majority of Valga (where the citizens were mostly Estonians), the rest belonged to Latvia.
Independence Valga County, almost in its present shape, was formed on 6 September 1920 when the course of the War of Independence and the situation at that time required Valga's separation from the other counties.
On 11 February 1921 the Estonian Government fixed the area of Valga County. Võru County gave Kaagjärve, Karula, Laanemetsa and Taheva parishes, Tartu County gave Tõlliste, Laatre, Sangaste, Keeni and Kuigatsi parishes, Viljandi County gave Jõgeveste, Patküla, Koorküla, Taagepera, Leebiku, Helme, Lõve and Hummuli parishes. Later on, several administrative territorial changes were carried through. In 1921 Patküla parish was separated from Holdre parish and Tõrva borough. Puraküla, which formerly belonged to Paju parish was united to the town of Valga in 1922. In 1924 Paju parish was united to Sooru parish and on 2 July 1926, it started to bear the name Tõrva. Since the second half of the 1920s until 1939 there were 19 parishes in Valga County.
In 1939 many smaller parishes were united by the administrative reform. Ten parishes were left: Helme, Hummuli, Kaagjärve, Karula, Kuigatsi, Põdrala, Sangaste, Taheva, Tõlliste and Vaoküla.
World War II and occupation
The last pre-occupation County Governor Värdi Vellner had to give up his power on 8 July 1940. Nevertheless, the administrative division of 1939 lasted until 1950 when 39 county districts were formed. They were divided into 636 village soviets.
The present territory of Valga County was divided into three parts: Valga, Tõrva and Otepää districts. In 1952 the oblasts of Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu were formed on the territory of the Estonian SSR.
In 1959 the liquidation of smaller districts began. Antsla, Otepää and Tõrva districts were liquidated. Tõrva and the village soviets of Haabsaare, Helme, Koorküla, Mõniste, Riidaja and Taagepera were united to Valga district. Otepää town and the village soviets of Otepää and Pühajärve were united to Elva district. In 1961 Mõniste was united to Võru district.
The next year, in 1962, Otepää and the village soviets of Aakre, Otepää and Palupera were reunited with the Valga District. One year later, some areas of the Põlva District were united with the Valga District. In 1966, the area of Valtina was added and thus the final border of the Valga District was fixed.
In December 1989, the chairman of the former Executive Committee of the Valga District, Uno Heinla, was elected as the inaugural county governor following Estonia's reestablished independence. On 22 February 1990, the RSN Executive Committee of the Valga District was reorganized and it became the Valga County Government.
Regaining independence After Estonia regained its independence, there were three towns (Valga, Tõrva and Otepää) and 11 parishes formed in Valga County: Helme, Hummuli, Karula, Õru, Palupera, Põdrala, Pühajärve, Puka, Sangaste, Taheva and Tõlliste. On 1 January 1999, the town of Otepää and Pühajärve Parish were merged and a new Otepää Parish was formed. Despite that, the town of Otepää kept holding the town rights, but is officially part of the rural municipality (parish).
County government Until 2017 the County Government (Estonian: maavalitsus) was led by Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who was appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2010 the Governor position was held by Margus Lepik.
Municipalities, settlement and population There are 3 local municipalities in Valga County including Valga (county capital), Tõrva, Helme, Hummuli, Karula, Otepää, Palupera, Puka, Põdrala, Sangaste, Taheva, Tõlliste and Õru Parishes.
Settlement units There are 3 towns, 7 boroughs and 150 villages in Valga County.
# Municipality Type Population(2015) Areakm2 Density 1 Otepää Parish Rural 6,637 523 12.7 2 Tõrva Parish Rural 6,270 649 9.7 3 Valga Parish Rural 16,664 750 22.2
Villages Aakre - Aitsra - Ala - Alamõisa - Arula - Astuvere - Atra - Hargla - Hellenurme - Holdre - Iigaste - Ilmjärve - Jaanikese - Jeti - Jõgeveste - Kaagjärve - Kalliküla - Kalme - Karjatnurme - Karu - Karula - Kassiratta - Kastolatsi - Kaubi - Kaurutootsi - Keeni - Kibena - Killinge - Kirbu - Kirikuküla - Kiviküla - Koigu - Koikküla - Koiva - Kolli - Komsi - Koobassaare - Koorküla - Korijärve - Korkuna - Kuigatsi - Kulli - Kungi - Kurevere - Käärikmäe - Kääriku - Kähri - Kähu - Laanemetsa - Lauküla - Leebiku - Lepa - Linna - Liva - Londi - Lossiküla - Lota - Lusti - Lutike - Lutsu - Lõve - Lüllemäe - Makita - Meegaste - Miti - Muhkva - Mustumetsa - Mäeküla - Mäelooga - Mägestiku - Mägiste - Mäha - Märdi - Möldre - Neeruti - Nõuni - Nüpli - Otepää - Paju - Palamuste - Palupera - Pastaku - Patküla - Pedajamäe - Pedaste - Piiri - Pikasilla - Pikkjärve - Pilkuse - Pilpa - Plika - Pori - Prange - Priipalu - Pringi - Pugritsa - Puide - Purtsi - Põru - Päidla - Pühajärve - Pühaste - Raavitsa - Rampe - Ransi - Raudsepa - Rebasemõisa - Rebaste - Restu - Reti - Riidaja - Ringiste - Risttee - Roobe - Rulli - Ruuna - Räbi - Sarapuu - Sihva - Sooblase - Soontaga - Sooru - Supa - Taagepera - Tagula - Taheva - Tiidu - Tinu - Truuta - Tsirgumäe - Tõlliste - Tõrvase - Tõutsi - Uniküla - Uralaane - Urmi - Vaalu - Vaardi - Valtina - Vanamõisa - Vana-Otepää - Vidrike - Vilaski - Voorbahi - Väheru - Väljaküla - Õlatu - Õruste - Ädu
Demographical indicators As of 1 January 2014, the population of Valga County was 30,176 – 47.5% of men and 52.5% of women. 14.93% were minors (age 0-14), 62.65% were at working age (age 15–64) and 22.41% were at retirement age (65 and older). 82.63% of the population were Estonians and 12.51% were Russians. The population density was 14.8 ppl/km2. Since 2004 the population of the county has decreased by 4154 people. The main reason besides the natural negative population growth is the mechanical growth – the people who have left the county.
Religion
The largest number of congregations in the county are of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Orthodox congregations in the county are predominantly under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Several congregations of Baptists, a catholic congregation in Valga and other Christian churches operate in the county.
+ Religious affiliations in Valga County, census 2000–2021*Official census data from Statistics Estonia: 2000 Census:
2011 Census:
2021 Census:
Religion200020112021 Number % Number % Number % Christianity 8,071 28.3 6,431 25.5 5,220 22.0 —Orthodox Christians 2,259 7.9 2,360 9.3 2,140 9.0 —Lutherans 5,191 18.2 3,441 13.6 2,330 9.8 —Catholics 142 0.5 84 0.3 220 0.9 —Baptists 194 0.7 176 0.7 310 1.3 —Jehovah's Witnesses 143 0.5 112 0.4 90 0.3 —Pentecostals 81 0.3 67 0.2 80 0.3 —Old Believers 6 0.02 20 0.08 - —Methodists 2 0.007 1 0.003 - —Adventists 53 0.2 34 0.1 - —Other Christians - - 76 0.3 50 0.3 Islam 12 0.04 9 0.03 - Buddhism - - 13 0.05 - Other religions** 103 0.4 183 0.7 300 1.3 No religion 11,500 40.3 15,576 61.7 15,740 66.4 Not stated*** 8,850 31.0 3,375 13.4 2,410 10.2 Total population* 28,536 25,226 23,720 *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.
Geography
Relief