Category: Latvia

Over half of Latvia’s area is less than 100 meters above sea level. The smooth coast towards the Baltic Sea is covered with sand dunes, and inside there are marshlands and small lagoons. The Gulf of Riga and the central lowlands were once at the bottom of a large lake that developed when the inland…

Latvia is a republic in Northern Europe, on the Baltic Sea. The country borders Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, Russia and Belarus in the east and the Baltic Sea in the west. The capital is Riga. Latvia is one of the three Baltic states. The country is the size of Svalbard and…

Theater in Latvia Theater in German and Russian Latvian theater largely has its background in amateur theater which was common in both the cities and the countryside in the 19th century. The first professional theater built on both German and Russian theater, e.g. Deutsches Theater in Riga, which had existed since the 18th century and…

Between the 400s and 800s, fortifications were built on high ridge and on islands in the lakes, which later developed into larger fortified settlements in the 900-100s. Romanesque architecture was introduced with the German settlement in the 13th century. By the end of the century, Gothic elements had also spread. St.Georg’s Church is the oldest…

Literature Until the middle of the 19th century, the Latvian literature consisted of orally traditional folk poetry and German influenced religious edifice literature. At the national awakening, the Latvian literary language became a modern poem. In 1879, the first Latvian novel, Mērnieku laiki (‘The Land Surveyors’ Time’), was published by the Kaudzīte brothers, and already…

Archaeological excavations in Sārnate have uncovered sculptures in bone, horns, wood and amber from the Mesolithic era. The golden age of Sārnate was from around 200-600 AD The period is characterized by cultural progress and trade with the Roman Empire and Germanic empires. Items found are jewelry in amber, solid molded neck rings and fibula…

June 16th, 1940, after the collapse of France and the isolation of Great Britain, the Soviet Union occupied the country, established a communist government and called elections for July 15th. Subsequently the 16th Republic of the Soviet Union was formed. And so, since the Germans attacked the Soviet Union during the Second World War, Latvia…

Latvia has an exceptionally rich folk poem, especially represented by folk songs (dainas). These are characterized by a strict moral but optimistic view of life, where the road to a good life goes through diligent work. Folk songs have been an important source of inspiration for much of Latvian literature. Approximately approx. 1.6 million of…