Otepää

Otepää is a small town in Valga County in southern Estonia and the administrative centre of Otepää Parish. It was called Nuustaku after being granted town privileges in 1862, the name was changed to Otepää in 1922, and it officially became a town in 1936. The settlement lies in the hilly, lake-rich Otepää Upland, which includes Lake Pühajärv, and it is described as the highest-lying of the Estonian towns, reaching up to 171 metres above sea level. This setting has made it a popular skiing resort, often called the winter capital of Estonia in contrast to the summer capital Pärnu, and it became a venue for FIS Cross-Country World Cup events from the 2005-2006 season. The name means Ott's Head in South Estonian, where ott is a euphemism for bear. Its hill fort and medieval castle mattered early in Estonian history: the Northern Crusades conquest of Estonia began with an attack on the fortress in 1208, and the episcopal castle built there after the German conquest of 1224 was the first stone fortress in Estonia.