Võsu

 

 

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.