Värska Visitor Centre and Northern Camp Museum
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The restored Art Nouveau summer home of General Nikolai Reek is situated on the shore of Lake Õrsava in Värska, surrounded by scenic nature.
Värska Visitor Centre opened here in 2020, showcasing the unique heritage of the region. The exhibition provides an overview of the Northern Camp of Petseri established here in the 1920s, the events of the War of Independence and the use of therapeutic mud and mineral water at local resorts.
Educational programs
A Walk in the Northern Camp
In 1926, on the initiative of General Nikolai Reek, the Pechory Northern Camp of the Defense Forces of the Republic of Estonia was established on the shores of Lake Õrsava in Värska. It was the summer training center of the defense forces, where cavalry and artillerymen from all over Estonia practiced. Soldiers' barracks, staff building, residences for officers' families, the camp chief and commandant, a bakery, stables for horses, a shop, a 500-seat casino and a canteen, and other auxiliary buildings were built by the soldiers themselves. The arrival of the soldiers in the spring significantly enlivens the life of the region. Most of the buildings have been destroyed by now, but the barracks that housed the soldiers and some residential buildings have survived. In 2020, the summer residence of General Nikolai Reek, which was part of the complex of camp buildings, was opened in a restored form, which is a fine example of the Art Nouveau style loved in the 1920s. On a walk in Northern Camp, we revive the former camp life with the help of old photos and stories.
