Valka

Valka is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia and the center of Valka Municipality, sitting on the Pedele River on the border with Estonia. First mentioned in 1286 under the German name Walk, it received city rights in 1584 and grew in importance in the late nineteenth century through its teacher seminary and its role as a railway hub. On November 15, 1917, the Latvian Provisional National Council made its decision to proclaim the independent Republic of Latvia in Valka. After the First World War the town was divided between Latvia and Estonia in 1920, and it now shares the motto One Town, Two Countries with its Estonian twin, Valga, the two having removed border controls and set up shared public transit since both countries joined the Schengen Area in 2007. The town has roughly 4,562 residents recorded, with the wider Valga-Valka metropolitan area holding about 19,500 people.