Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia, after Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn. It is situated 186 kilometres southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres northeast of Riga, the capital of Latvia. The distance to Estonia's summer holiday capital Pärnu in the west is 176 kilometres and the fastest route there by car is through Viljandi and Kilingi-Nõmme. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi, which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, Lake Võrtsjärv and Lake Peipus. The city is served by Tartu Airport.
The University of Tartu is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia, and the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest and most prestigious university. It was founded under the name of Academia Gustaviana in 1632 by Baron Johan Skytte, the Governor-General (1629–1634) of Swedish Livonia, Ingria, and Karelia, with the required ratification provided by his long-time friend and former student – from age 7 –, King Gustavus Adolphus, shortly before the king's death on 6 November in the Battle of Lützen (1632), during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).
Viljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League at the beginning of the 14th century, and is one of five Estonian towns and cities in the league. The once influential Estonian newspaper Sakala was founded in Viljandi in 1878.
Pärnu is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is 128 kilometres (80 mi) north of Pärnu, and Tartu, Estonia's second largest city, is 176 kilometres (109 mi) east of Pärnu. Located in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer holiday resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga. The city was served by Pärnu Airport.
Valga is a town in southern Estonia and the capital of Valga County and Valga Parish. Until their separation in 1920, Valga and the town of Valka in northern Latvia were one town. They are now twin-towns. The area of Valga is 16.5 square kilometres and that of Valka is 14.2 km2 (5.5 sq mi). Their populations are respectively 12,261 and 6,164. On 21 December 2007 all border-crossing points were removed and roads and fences opened between the two countries with both countries joining the Schengen Agreement.
Tartu County, or Tartumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia.
The Estonian University of Life Sciences, located in Tartu, Estonia, is the former Estonian Agricultural University, which was established in 1951 and renamed and restructured in November 2005.
Tabivere was a rural municipality of Estonia, in Jõgeva County. It had a population of 2468 (2006) and an area of 201 km².
Elistvere is a village in Tartu Parish, Tartu County, Estonia. It has a population of 44.
Rally Estonia is a rallying event organised each year in Estonia. It is the largest and most high-profile motorsport event in the country and runs on smooth gravel roads in the south of the country, some of which are purpose-built for the rally. The city of Tartu hosts the ceremonial start and finish, with the rally headquarters and service park usually based in the Tehvandi Sports Center in Otepää. From 2014 to 2016, Rally Estonia was a round of the FIA European Rally Championship. Rally Estonia was the official WRC Promotional Rally in 2019 and joined the World Rally Championship calendar in 2020.
The Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, founded in 1963 and modernized in 2020, is the largest sports museum in the Baltic states. The museum is located on Rüütli street in Tartu, Estonia. Before 2016, Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum was named Estonian Sports Museum.
The Ice Age Centre is a museum dedicated to the understanding of ice ages, located in Äksi village, Tartu county, Estonia
Järvselja Nature Reserve is a nature reserve situated in south-eastern Estonia, in Tartu County.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Estonia when the first case was confirmed in Tallinn on 27 February 2020. By 11 March, 15 people in Estonia had been diagnosed with the virus. All of them had been infected outside the country, mostly in Northern Italy. On 12 March, the first cases of locally transmitted infections emerged, and on 13 March, the Estonian government declared a state of emergency until 1 May 2020. As a result, all schools and universities were closed, and all public gatherings banned, including sports and cultural events. Later the state of emergency was extended until 17 May.
State Forest Management Centre is Estonian state institution which focuses mainly on forest management in Estonia, but also seed and plant management, timber marketing, land management, nature conservation, visitor management and nature education.
Events from the year 2020 in Estonia
Elistvere Lake is a lake in Tartu Parish, Tartu County, Estonia.
The Baltic Hockey League is a professional ice hockey competition based in the Baltic states featuring club teams from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The competition was founded in 2018, and the first edition of the competition began in November, 2020.
The Song Celebration Museum in Tartu, Estonia is dedicated to the Estonian Song Celebration tradition. The Museum is a part of the Tartu City History Museums. The museum was founded on 19 October 2007.
Jaan-Johann Bergmann was an Estonian politician. He was a member of I Riigikogu, and from 4 January 1921 to 30 May 1923 was its First Assistant Secretary.
