page_title: Põlva
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Põlva / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of Estonian War of Independence in Põlva, rebuilt in 1989. Eesti: Põlva Vabadussõja mälestussammas, mis on taastatud 1989. aastal. This is a photo of cultural heritage monument of Estonia number 27145 .
context_page_description: Põlva is a town in southeastern Estonia, the capital of Põlva County, and the centre of Põlva Parish.
  Põlva is home for the Intsikurmu Song Festival Grounds, which regularly hosts concerts and summer activities, situated in a small forested area on the west side of the town.
context_section_description: The name "Põlva" appears in the historical record in 1452. The name seems to derive from the Estonian word for "knee" (põlv). Legend has it that a girl was immured in a kneeling position in St. Mary's Church to keep the devil away. This is reputedly how the town was named.
  Põlva was an old military crossroad between the north and south of Livonia. Around 1240, shortly after the Christianization of Estonia, the Bernardine monks built a church, which they dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church was subordinate to the Bishopric of Dorpat. The same parish was the result of the Livonian War under Russian domination in the 16th century. In 1582 it became part of Dorpat Voivodeship under Polish sovereignty, and later it belonged to Sweden. In 1721, in the Treaty of Nystad, Estonia and Livonia were then ceded to Russia. Then Põlva and its church parish belonged first to Tartu County and from 1783 to newly established Võru County, part of the Governorate of Livonia.
  The town was developed around St. Mary's Church, which lay in ruins for a long time until it was rebuilt after the Great Northern War. In 1931, a railway from Tartu to Petseri through Põlva was completed. The population of Põlva began to grow rapidly and the town began to develop when Põlva became the center of the Põlva raion formed in 1950. The town grew around its artificial lake, whose sandy shores teem with vacationers during the summer.  On 10 August 1993 Põlva gained town rights.
caption: The Estonian War of Independence monument in Põlva.
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