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Valka (pronunciation ; German: Walk) is a town and municipality in northern Latvia, on the border with Estonia along both banks of the river Pedele.

Valka
Town
Lugaži Lutheran Church in Valka.
Motto(s): 
1 pilsēta, 2 valstis (1 city, 2 countries)
Valka
Location in Latvia
Coordinates: 57°46′N 26°0′E
Country Latvia
MunicipalityValka Municipality
Town rights1584
Government
  MayorVents Armands Krauklis
Area
  Town14.26 km2 (5.51 sq mi)
  Land13.98 km2 (5.40 sq mi)
  Water0.28 km2 (0.11 sq mi)
Elevation
50 m (160 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
  Town4,510
  Density320/km2 (820/sq mi)
  Metro
19,500 in Valga-Valka
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
LV-470(1-2)
Calling code+371 647
Number of municipality council members15

Valka and the Estonian town Valga are twins, separated by the Estonian/Latvian border but using the slogan "One Town, Two Countries". The border dividing the Livonian town of Walk was marked out in 1920 by an international jury headed by British Colonel Stephen George Tallents. With the expansion of the Schengen Agreement and abolition of the Estonian/Latvian border in 2007, it was announced that common public bus transport would be established between Valka and Valga.[3] Also, all border crossing-points were removed and roads and fences opened. In 2016 it was announced that due to better welfare and higher salaries in Estonia, many Valka inhabitants have registered themselves as inhabitants of Valga.[4]


History


The town of Walk (in German) was first mentioned in 1286 and from 1419 was the seat of the Landtag of the Livonian Confederation. City rights were granted by the Polish-Lithuanian king Stefan Batory in 1584. However, the town gained its importance only at the end of the 19th century when the Vidzeme teacher's seminary was operating here, and the important railway junction was developed. Furthermore, the first narrow-gauge railway line in the territory of modern Latvia was stretched from Valka to Estonian city of Pärnu.

On 15 November 1917 the decision of the Latvian Provisional National Council to proclaim the independent Republic of Latvia was made in Valka. The red-white-red flag of Latvia was raised here for the first time.[citation needed] The town was a subject of a dispute between the newly born Latvian and Estonian states; on 1 July 1920 the town was divided between the two states as a compromise.


Education


There is one primary school and a gymnasium in Valka. The Institute of Latvia-Estonia provides further education.


Notable people



Twin towns — sister cities


Valka is twinned with:[5]




See also



References


  1. https://data.stat.gov.lv/pxweb/lv/OSP_PUB/START__ENV__DR__DRT/DRT010/; Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia; retrieved: 25 February 2021.
  2. https://data.stat.gov.lv/pxweb/lv/OSP_PUB/START__POP__IR__IRS/IRD060/; Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia; retrieved: 15 June 2021.
  3. "Establishment of common public bus transport" (PDF).[permanent dead link]
  4. "Desmitā daļa Valkas novada iedzīvotāju reģistrējušies Igaunijā, vēsta raidījums".
  5. "Intl. cooperation". valka.lv. Valka. Retrieved 2019-08-31.



На других языках


[de] Valka

Valka (deutsch Walk) ist eine Stadt im Norden Lettlands genau an der estnischen Grenze. Der größere estnische Teil der Stadt heißt Valga. Im Jahre 2016 zählte Valka 5489 Einwohner.[1]
- [en] Valka

[ru] Валка

Ва́лка (латыш.  Valka, до 1920 рус. Валк[6], нем. Walk, старинное рус. название — Влех[7][8]) — город на севере Латвии, административный центр Валкского края. Вплотную примыкает к эстонскому городу Валга, составляя с ним, по сути, единый город.



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