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| Värska military camp with the official name Eesti Vabariigi Kaitseväe Petseri Põhjalaager (Petseri Northern Camp of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Estonia) was established at the initiative of general Nikolai Reek in 1926. By 1930, construction of the soldiers’ barracks, the staff building, the dwelling-houses for the families of the officers, for chief of the camp and comandant, also the bakery, the shop, the casino, the diner and the stables and other outbuildings was completed. In the spring, with the arrival of soldiers, warships and passenger boats, the population of Värska increased manifold. Infantrymen, cavalrymen and gunners from all over Estonia performed their military service in the camp. In the winter only the guard service resided here. After the invasion of Estonia by Soviet troops the camp was liquidated. The majority of officers were arrested in Pechory in 1941 and deported to prison camp in Norilsk at the Arctic Ocean where most of the officers either died or were shot. Some of the buildings have survived until the present day and are used by the Teachers’ Training Centre’s for summer refresher courses. Overnight accommodation for hikers is also provided. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||