Võsu (German Wösso) is a village (alevik) in the Estonian district of Lääne-Viru. It has 507 inhabitants (January 1, 2005). Võsu belongs to the rural municipality Vihula, the main town and administrative seat of which is Võsu.
Võsu is located on the southern bank of the Bay of Käsmu. An
approximately one and a half kilometer long sandy beach leads into
the Baltic Sea, which is shallow at this point. The village is
surrounded by pine, spruce and fir forests. Lake Käsmu is located
near Võsu. Lake Üllikjärv used to be east of the Võsu River and was
drained in 1886 for the construction of a manor house. Today the
place is overgrown by forests.
Resort
Due to its ideal
location on the Baltic Sea and its good climate, Võsu became a
well-known resort and bathing resort for the upper class of the
Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. Visitors came
from Saint Petersburg, Moscow and even from the Crimea to enjoy the
summer freshness. At that time they had around 200 summer houses
built. In the summer, the number of guests in the resort went into
the thousands.
It was only with the First World War and
Estonia's independence from Russia in 1918 that Võsu lost its
importance for Russian summer tourism. Today Võsu is once again a
popular excursion and holiday destination for the Estonians and has
a good tourist infrastructure by Estonian standards.