Estonia–Latvia border
Drawn in 1920 by a British colonel after Estonia and Latvia could not agree, it splits the old town of Walk into Estonian Valga and Latvian Valka along a small stream. Since 2007 people have crossed it freely, and the two towns now share a central square.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 29 September 2026Suggest a correction
See it on the globe:Estonia →Latvia →
Two new states, one town
In 1919 Estonia and Latvia set up a border commission and agreed the line should follow ethnic lines. That proved almost impossible: many parishes were evenly mixed, and both countries claimed the towns of Ainaži (Hainaste) and Valga/Valka, whose economic value outweighed ethnicity. All the disputed land was held by the Estonian army.[1]
On 22 March 1920 the two countries asked Britain for an arbiter and accepted Colonel Stephen Tallents. His commission found each side rejecting the other’s every argument, and on 19 May he stopped hearing them and drew the line himself.[1]
The Tallents line
Unable to give Valka/Valga to either side or divide it by ethnicity, the commission used the small Varžupīte stream. Estonia got the town centre and main station to the east; Latvia got the western part and the second station. Ainaži stayed Latvian to balance it. The line was published on 1 July 1920, and neither side was happy.[1]
Latvia briefly considered taking Valka by force, but cooler heads prevailed, and on 19 October 1920 the two countries signed a border treaty based on the Tallents line.[1] Estonia’s foreign ministry says that, with minor changes, it remains the basis of the border today.[3]
One town again, almost
Under Soviet rule from 1940 the border became virtually non-existent; checks returned after independence and lasted until 2007, when both countries joined the Schengen area. In 2018 the towns unveiled a shared central square across the line, with a swing that moves between Estonia and Latvia.[2]
Timeline
1919
Border commission
Estonia and Latvia agree to draw the line on ethnic principles.[1]
192022 March 1920
British arbiter
Both ask Britain to send an arbiter; Tallents is chosen.[1]
19201 July 1920
Tallents line
The commission splits Walk into Valga and Valka.[1]
192019 October 1920
Border treaty
The two countries adopt the Tallents line.[1]
2007
Schengen
Border checks end.[2]
2018
Shared square
Valga and Valka open a central square across the border.[2]
More borders
Estonia
Sources
- [1]Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen · LSM (Latvian Public Media) · 1 April 2020
- [2]Valga and Valka, twin towns on the Estonia-Latvia border · Visit Estonia
- [3]One hundred years from the de jure recognition – the timeline of Estonian-Latvian relations · Embassy of Estonia in Riga (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.