Valga

Valga is a town in southern Estonia, on the border with Latvia. Valga and Valka in Latvia are actually one town, Valga making up the larger part with around 12,000 inhabitants in 2021, almost three times the population of Valka.

Understand
The city has the only railway station through which one can get from Estonia to Latvia. The city is rather dull, but curious about its position on the invisible state border. It has a military museum with a rich exposition dedicated to the Estonian War of Independence.

The border (in the literal sense of the word) location is, perhaps, the most interesting feature of Valga. In the city there are neither medieval monuments nor interesting wooden buildings, so Valga is deprived of the charm and comfort inherent in many other Estonian cities. The population of Valga is mixed, 35% Russians, and most other people speak Russian, because it was and is the language of interethnic communication between residents of Estonia and Latvia. The city has a light industry (furniture, clothes and footwear, woodworking). Life along the railway station is convenient, but the overall economic situation is rather bleak, and this is evident to the unaided eye: Valga is one of the poorest county-level cities in Estonia.



History
Valga was first mentioned in 1286 under the German name Valga (literally walk). In the 14th-16th centuries, it was a small unfortified settlement, which was regularly destroyed due to numerous wars between the Livonian Order, Russian princes, Lithuanians and Poles. Finally, in 1584 the Polish King Stefan Batory gave Valga the rights of the city. However, the status of a city and the joy of receiving it were short-lived, since already in 1626 Valga belonged to Sweden. Then, after the Northern War, to Russia, which did not acknowledge the city status of the Polish king. Only in 1764, the city status was returned to Valga, after which it started the stone construction. By the beginning of World War I, Valga became a central junction with routes to Riga, Tartu, Pärnu, and Pechora. In 1919, in the vicinity of Valga, the battle for Paju Manor took place - one of the important battles of the War of Independence - after which the Estonian army seized the whole of Southern Estonia and began its offensive into Latvia.

Since its inception, Valga has been multinational in nature: Estonians and Latvians lived here, together with Germans and Russians. Estonians and Latvians did get along very well, because both of them experienced harassment from the Germans. With independence, the situation changed, as both Estonia and Latvia declared their territorial rights of the city. In 1920, after lengthy negotiations with the participation of England, the border was put directly through the city, along the small creek Konnaoja, flowing through the centre of Valga. The big northern part was moved to Estonia, and the smaller southern part to Latvia. The division turned out to be disproportionate, as Estonia demanded compensation for the participation of its army in combat operations in Latvia, and especially for the defeat of the rebellious army of General Bermont-Avalov, who attempted to capture Riga in 1919.

Unlike the by the river divided Narva and Ivangorod, Valga and Valka are a rare example of cities created entirely artificially. During Soviet times the border did essentially not exist. But after the disintegration of the USSR the situation became problematic again due to Latvian burial places appearing in the territory of Estonia. However, after the ratification of the Baltic countries to the Schengen agreement, only striped columns remained from the border, and the transition from one country to another began to occur completely unnoticed.

Get in
Bus and train schedules are easily available online—read more under Estonia.

By train
There are 3 trains per day from/to Tallinn (3½–4 hr, from Tartu 1 hr 15 min). In addition, there are 3 trains from/to Riga (Latvia) via Sigulda, Cēsis, Valmiera, and Strenči directly into Valga (the Latvian part doesn't have a railway station). 3 hr 15 min, €5–6. Current Estonian railway schedules and tickets are available at ELRON's website, Latvian schedules and tickets at the Pasažieru Vilciens website.



By bus

 * There several buses a day from Tallinn (4 hr).
 * Almost hourly (6–8 per day) from Tartu (1½–2 hr) and Viljandi (1½ hr).
 * In addition, there direct buses from Narva, Pärnu, and Kuressaare. However, it might be easier and faster to transfer half-way, going there—see Peatus.ee for connecting journeys.
 * Buses from Latvia go via the Valka bus station, except for the Riga-Saint Petersburg route, which used the Valga station.

By car

 * From Tartu (85 km) highway #3, from Viljandi (80 km) and Pärnu (141 km) highway #6 lead into Valga. From Tallinn it is 235 km (via Viljandi).
 * Take the Latvian A3 from Riga (160 km).

By foot
From Valka you can walk across the border.

On foot
Most of Valga's attractions are within walking distance. The border is one block west of the town hall.

Kesk (lit. "middle" or "central") is the main street. It has a boulevard in the middle and in the west it becomes Riia (i.e. Riga street), which goes across the border. In the east it becomes the streets of Vabaduse and Kuperjanovi. The city is limited by the railway in the south and a set of ponds in the north. Beyond these the town is residential and industrial, meaning it's of little interest unless you're visiting a home or company.

By bus
The town is served by 2 bus routes, connecting the centre of Valga with its outskirts—frequency 1½ hr, price €0.60 at a kiosk, €1 from the bus driver.

No buses go into Valka.

By bicycle
New bicycle tracks were built in 2009.

Monuments and memorials




Minor attractions

 * The urban development of Valga is mostly mediocre. Unusual are the ceremonial stone buildings, built on the central streets in the early 20th century, during the bloom of the city. Take notice of the (Kesk 12) from 1912—also the present board of the county of Valgamaa—the  (Vabaduse 6-8) from 1911 with the sparse signs of Art Nouveau, and the much more charming  (Vabaduse 13)—also in Art Nouveau style. The probably most interesting construction of the Valga is hidden in Kuperjanovi street, an  (Kuperjanovi 12) and reference example of Riga modern style, accidentally found in this remote Estonian province. With the exception of a few houses around the old town hall, the wooden architecture of Valga is uninteresting, and actually the five-story concrete building blocks are more numerous than wooden houses here. In the eastern part of the city you can find a rather interesting building, the  (Kungla 34) in Art Deco style and, close-by, several pre-revolutionary factory buildings (Maleva 5).

Go hunting for remaining infrastructure of the Latvian border. After both countries joined the Schengen Area in 2007, border controls were abolished and nowadays there are generally just signs stating you've entered Estonia or Latvia. Some buildings that one can clearly see that has been used for border controls still exist, for example at Sõpruse street.

Budget

 * The Military Theme Park offers cheap accommodation in case you come with a group of friends and are up for a different experience.
 * At Aare Majutus (see Mid-range below) you can pitch a tent in the yard for €8, this includes access to toilets and showers.

Connect


Cafés and lodgings often have Wi-Fi. Furthermore the library and the tourist information in the town hall building have computers with Internet access. All Estonian mobile operators - Telia, Elisa and Tele2 have 4G coverage in town.

Estonia

 * Karula National Park – The hilly landscapes of Southern Estonia. Estonian’s smallest national park on the way to/from Võru.
 * Võru – A picturesque town not far from the highest hill in the Baltic states, Suur Munamägi. The birthplace of the writer Kreutzwald and the dialect of the Estonian language.
 * Sangaste and the nearby Sangaste Castle, just 30 km north.
 * Otepää – A small town set in the hills of south Estonia and best known winter sports centre in the Baltics, and the Winter Capital of Estonia. Surrounded by lakes, hills and ski jump towers.
 * Tartu – 85 km northeast from Valga. Museum-rich and hanseatic city on the banks of the Emajõgi River. Also, Estonia's second-largest and oldest city, intellectual hub famous for its universities, and a lively student city.
 * Viljandi – A beautiful, ancient and hilly city, known for its annual Viljandi Folk Music Festival, beautiful old town and overwhelming and picturesque park around the old castle.
 * Tõrva – The second largest city of Valga County after Valga. Popular for its caves, the ruins of a medieval castle, several interesting manors, and the fully authentic mausoleum of Barclay de Tolly.

Latvia

 * Valka, obviously.
 * The twin town is the gateway to Latvia with its beautiful capital Riga, the Baltic sea resorts Jūrmala and Ventspils, as well as the Vidzeme region next to Valga with the picturesque Sigulda (Latvian Switzerland) and Cēsis, and Valmiera with the only professional theatre in this region of Latvia, castle ruins, a medieval church, a famous brewery and the start of the Gauja National Park. Valmiera and Cēsis even allow for day trips from Valga.