Kanepi Parish

Kanepi Parish (Estonian: Kanepi vald) is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 4,662 (as of 1 January 2020) and an area of 524.68 km² (202.58 sq mi). The administrative centre is Kanepi.

It was created in 2017 with the merger of Valgjärve, Kõlleste, and Kanepi Parish.

Small borough

Kanepi

Villages

Abissaare - Aiaste - Erastvere - Hauka - Heisri - Hino - Hurmi - Häätaru - Ihamaru - Jõgehara - Jõksi - Kaagna - Kaagvere - Karaski - Karilatsi - Karste - Koigera - Kooli - Kooraste - Krootuse - Krüüdneri - Lauri - Maaritsa - Magari - Mügra - Närapää - Palutaja - Peetrimõisa - Piigandi - Piigaste - Pikajärve - Pikareinu - Prangli - Puugi - Põlgaste - Rebaste - Saverna - Sirvaste - Sulaoja - Sõreste - Tiido - Tuulemäe - Tõdu - Valgjärve - Varbuse - Veski - Vissi - Voorepalu

The lakes Aalupi, Erastvere and Hüüdre are located in Kanepi Parish.

After the 2017 merger with Valgjärve and Kõlleste Parishes, the Kanepi Parish was looking for a new flag and coat of arms. As Kanep is the Estonian word for cannabis, there were several proposed versions of a flag and coat of arms with the cannabis leaf in it.

In an online poll among the seven finalist designs, a cannabis leaf design won with an overwhelming majority of 12,000 votes, far larger than the parish population of 5,000.

In May 2018, the city council, baffled by the ordeal, chose to vote for themselves if they wanted to officially adopt the proposed flag, with a slim majority of 9-8 voting to adopt the flag. On May 15, 2018, the municipality announced that the cannabis leaf flag will be the official flag of Kanepi, Andrus Seeme (Mayor) said, and on July 13, 2018, the flag was raised outside the Kanepi municipal building.

• Battle of Erastfer

• Official website (in Estonian)

57°59′8″N 26°45′34″E / 57.98556°N 26.75944°E / 57.98556; 26.75944