Named for it's ancient inhabitants, the Latvija or Latgallia, one of four Baltic tribes which emerged in the region around the 5c AD, specifically in present-day Latgale. + Greek suffix ia = land of 🔍. The meaning and origin of the roots for Latvija are so old as to be unknown - likely from a Proto-Latvian language..
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With historic charm, Art Nouveau architecture, medieval castles and lush National Parks, Latvia is a unique & affordable destination off the beaten path.
@ a glance essentials:
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Language:
Latvian
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Many Locals can speak basic English, particularly the younger generations in large cities.
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Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink
Currency:
€ Euro
Local Transport
There is a bus network in large cities but smaller towns will require a car.
................................................... Some Lativian curses feel quite quaint, like calling someone a Kabatas pīpētājs = Pocket piper (meaning someone who brags but does nothing) or the simple classic telling someone to "get lost" by saying Ej uz mežu!
or bekot! or = Go to the forrest or pick mushrooms!
Creative Local Curses -
Post Ice-Age the region of the Baltics🔍 that would become Latvia was inhabited by the Kunda culture, with Indo-Europeans not migrating from the southeast🔍, until around the 3c BC. These tribes became known as Balts after the Baltic Sea🔍 (Latin balteus = belt, as it stretches around the land.) Though they traded with the Roman Empire and later Byzantines they stayed mostly separate from the rest of Europe, preserving unique linguistics (including the Finnish Language) as well as pagan customs/ mythology. That changed in the 12c however, when the region was targeted by Germanic crusaders of the Northern Crusades.
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
.....................While a relatively low profile country today, there was a time, in the 17c when Riga, Latvia was the capital of then Swedish Livonia and the largest city in the entire Swedish Empire.
FUN FACT:
By the 13c the Germanic crusaders had incorporated a large part of the Baltics in their Teutonic Order. They first named the territory Terra Mariana (Latin: Land of Mary) then later Livonia, (Estonian liiv = sand) After the Livonian War of the 16c Poland, Lithuania and Sweden all ruled portions of what would become Latvia, until, over the course of the 18c, the entirety of the region was conquered by the Russian Empire🔍.
With the 1917 Russian Revolution the region was briefly part of the German Empire, but Latvia quickly declared independence in 1918, defining a Latvian state🔍 for the very time as a constitutional republic. Then a bloodless coup set up a dictatorship in 1934 until WWII when it was annexed first by Russia in 1940, then Nazi Germany and then the Soviet Union again in 1944, as the Latvian SSR.
Latvia finally regained autonomy after the 1987 Soviet perestroika, the peaceful Singing Revolution, followed by a Declaration on Restoration of Independence, and officially recognized as the 🔎Republic of Latvia in 1991.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Cold Beet Soups: sweet & sour Aukstā Zupa & Biešu Zupa w/ radish, cucumber & boiled egg + Kefir† - sour milk
Aukstā Gaļa†† - cold meat in savory jelly w/ horseradish ∞ Skābeņu Zupa - sorrel soup w/ pork & barley
Siļķe Kažokā ("herring in a coat") - herring salad between layers of boiled veg, eggs & sour cream/ mayo
Pelēkie Zirņi ar Speķi (Speck), - smoked pork-belly bacon, w/ peas & fried onions
Kotletes - burger; pork, chicken, beef /sometimes fish ∞ Pīrāgi - small buns filled with bacon & fried onions
Rupjmaizes Kārtojums - a layered dessert of crushed rye bread, cinnamon, jam & whipped cream
➿➰➿
† Traditionally made by shepherds storing dairy in leather travel bags †† Traditionally pork ears & head, but beef or chicken are used today
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Cinevilla - built as the film set for the historical drama Defenders of Riga | 2004† the complex is a complete replica of
1920s Latvia. On 370 acres of land, it includes a small town, a ‘Riga-esque’ city & traditional Latvian farmland. It is
possible to visit the set and even spend the night in one of the replica buildings
📍 Pirts 📸 - Latvian saunas (wet) to purify body & spirit, most with pirtniek, trained sauna experts. An amazing
experience, the ritual can last up to 4 or 5 hours!
📍 Karosta Prison on the coast in Liepaja - shut down in 1997 it reopened as the only military prison in Europe open
to tourists offering day tours and overnight experiences. Ghost Hunters International
once called Karosta “the most haunted place in the world.”
† The film depicts Latvia in 1919 during its war for independence
My Favorite Spots:
📍 Seaside town Jurmala, (outside Riga) with beaches & nightlife, Mr. Morberg’s
house, a 19c. Neo-Gothic colorful wooden house that looks like a fairy-tale
palace or Ventspils for surfing or their waterpark.
📍 Jelgava - with 18c palace (historically Mitau Palace) the largest Baroque-style
palace in the Baltic states, built as a residence for the Dukes of Courland in
in their capital of Mitau
📍 Cepures Pasaule / "World of Hat"† - a unique ethnic museum dedicated to traditional & ritual headwear from
around the world; ritual crowns, African shaman masks, Mongolian wedding headdresses, Shamanic 2m high
hats, traditional bonnets made of human hair, bark, feathers, jewels e.g. Many can be tried on and the museum
offers workshops on making traditional headwear.
† Claiming to be the world’s 1st & only museum focused exclusively on hats. Gathered by Latvian anthropologist & linguist Dr. Kirill Babaev.
Most Known For:
♦️ Riga 📸 - with the Jugendstil District - one of the highest concentrations of Art Nouveau
architecture in the world, massive central market (largest market in Europe) & the 14c
Brotherhood of Blackheads, now a museum: once a guild for unmarried merchants
🔸 Latgale - Land of Blue Lakes with its own dialect known for camping, hiking & cheeses
♦️ Nature Sites like Gauja National Park with 10,000-year-old Gutman’s Cave, canoeing &
floating the Gauja, bungee jumping from cable cars & forest ziplines, Great Kemeri Bog boardwalk
in Kemeri National Park, Dzintari forest park or Europe’s widest waterfall Venta Rapid Waterfall | Kuldīga
🔸 Castles like Cesis; one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Latvia, ornate 18c Baroque & Rococo Rundale
Palace & Gardens ('Versailles of Latvia') or the city of Sigulda with 19c Krimulda Manor, Sigulda Castle, ruins
of the 14c Krimulda Castle and nearby 11c red brick Turaida Castle
👀 NOTABLE LATVIANS:
♟️ Mikhail Tal | Youngest World Chess Champion 🚀 Anatoly Solovyov | Cosmonaut
👣
🌀 Jāņi & Līgo / Midsummer (June 23/24) - celebrating summer solstice (but always on the same day, not
the actual solstice) with bonfires, wildflower wreaths and traditional songs & dancing through the night
🌀 Riga Opera Festival - celebrating opera & ballet or Staro Riga Light Festival - a winter tradition of
hanging festive lights on buildings & bridges with music, theatre, dance and food stalls set up on waterfront
🌀 Latvian Baltic Song & Dance Festival (every 5 yrs) - celebrating music, dance, and folk costumes dating to 1873
🌀 Cesis Castle Medieval Fair - traditional medieval clothes with food, art and dancing
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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