Otepää Parish

Otepää Parish (Otepää vald) is a rural municipality in Valga County, southern Estonia. It includes the town of Otepää, which is referred to as the "winter capital" of Estonia.

The parish was formed in 2017 by merging of the former Otepää Parish, Sangaste Parish, 7 villages of Palupera Parish, and 12 villages of Puka Parish.

Settlements
The parish has one city, two small boroughs and 52 villages. Otepää
 * Town

Puka - Sangaste
 * Small boroughs

Ädu - Arula- Ilmjärve - Kääriku - Kähri - Kassiratta - Kastolatsi - Kaurutootsi - Keeni - Kibena - Koigu - Kolli - Komsi - Kuigatsi - Kurevere - Lauküla - Lossiküla - Lutike - Mäeküla - Mägestiku - Mägiste - Mäha - Märdi - Makita - Meegaste - Miti - Neeruti - Nõuni - Nüpli - Otepää küla - Pedajamäe - Päidla - Pilkuse - Plika - Põru - Prange - Pringi - Pühajärve - Räbi - Raudsepa - Restu - Risttee - Ruuna - Sarapuu - Sihva - Tiidu - Tõutsi -Truuta - Vaalu - Vaardi - Vana-Otepää - Vidrike
 * Villages

Neighboring parishes
Elva, Nõo, Kambja, Kanepi, Antsla, Valga ja Tõrva vald.

Interesting facts

 * Otepää is first mentioned in writing in the Novgorod Chronicle in 1116.


 * The name Otepää (Odenpe, Odempe) means bear's head.


 * In 1841, the Pühajärve war took place, where the local peasants started to oppose the landlord.


 * In 1941, the Otepää postage stamp was put into circulation in Otepää.


 * On October 3, 1991, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was in Otepää. He blessed Pühajärve and planted a commemorative oak next to the church.


 * Otepää has only one traffic light.