
History


On January 26, 2023, Latvia marks the 102nd anniversary of the international recognition of the Republic of Latvia, when at the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers, with the participation of the Prime Ministers of Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Italy, and the representative of Japan, it was decided to grant de jure recognition to Latvia.

Celebrating the 103rd anniversary of the liberation of Latgale, the 3rd Latgale Brigade of the National Guard will organize a series of commemorative events in cooperation with local municipalities in Latvia's eastern region.

Rīga City Council has announced a series of commemorative events to mark this year's anniversary of the 1991 barricades which saw Latvia defending its right to self-determination.

Officials and members of the public commemorated the 'Christmas Battles' of more than a century ago on January 7, events which marked an important staging-post in Latvia's move towards independence.

Celebrating the 100th birthday of Dietrich André Loeber (1923-2004), Latvian President Egils Levits this week participated in a conference about the life and work of an important figure in Latvian legal history – but someone who until now has not been well-known outside legal circles.

January 4 brings with it an interesting conference about an important figure in Latvian history: Dietrich André Loeber, or to give him his Latvianized name, Dītrihs Andrejs Lēbers (1923-2004).

On December 21, 2022 an exhibition “Famine as a weapon – Ukraine. 1932–1933, 2022” will be opened at the Latvian Museum of Occupation, the museum's representatives said on December 16.

The Rīga City Council decided on December 14 to change the names of Brantkalna, Pikuļa, Staraja Rusas, and Keldiša Street in the capital, LETA reported.

On December 5, an exhibition dedicated to the politically repressed women in the Soviet regime, "Rožu iela" (Street of Roses) will be unveiled at the KGB museum ('corner house'), Brīvības Street 61. The exhibition will focus on women who gave their lives to the resistance movement in Latvia and served a sentence, LSM reported.

One of the most tragic days in Latvia's history wis marked on Wednesday.

Uzvaras parks (Victory Park) in Rīga was the scene of one of this year's major news stories when a Soviet-era monument was spectacularly toppled, as reported by LSM at the time.

Rīga – which we barely need to remind you is the home of the Christmas tree – has chosen two prime specimens to stand in the center of the city this year.

On Friday, November 18, Latvia celebrates the 104th anniversary of the country's proclamation, with various events taking place throughout the country. Some of these are streamed live on Latvian Television (LTV) and on LSM.

According to the information provided by Latvian local governments, all 69 Soviet regime-glorifying objects included in the regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers have been dismantled within the specified deadline – until November 15. 55 more objects have been dismantled on municipalities' own initiative, Ministry of Culture's representative Lita Kokale told LETA Monday.

November 10 is 'Mārtiņdiena' or St. Martin's Day, another significant day in the traditional Latvian seasonal calendar.

November 11 is Latvia's day to remember those who have fallen in defense of the Latvian nation and its hard-won freedoms.

On the morning of Wednesday, November 9 at around 5:00, the demolition of the Soviet monument in Rēzekne, which is known as the Alyosha, was launched, Latvian Television reported.

Rēzekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartaševičs (Harmony party), in a video recording published on Facebook on the portal “Gorod.lv” in Russian, expressed his views on the monuments and the war in Ukraine.

On Monday, November 7, the City Development Committee of Riga City Council will discuss the dismantling of four Soviet-era objects, Latvian Radio reported.

On Monday, October 31, the restored memorial site for the soldiers of the Riga 6th Infantry Regiment was unveiled. A procession of torches also marked the 85th anniversary of this memorial site, Latvian Television reported.

On the night to Monday, October 31, the Soviet-glorifying obelisk in Daugavpils' Slavas Square, was taken down, Latvian Television reported.

Two persons were detained at the Soviet monument in Daugavpils, State Police told LETA on October 30.

On October 25, the head of the Office of the President, Andris Teikmanis, addressed participants of an international seminar titled: "Why is Holocaust education relevant in 2022?" using the occasion to stress that further steps need to be taken to ensure events relating to the Holocaust are not forgotten.

In Liepāja on Tuesday, October 25, the dismantling of the “Liepaja defenders” monument was launched, reports Rus.LSM.lv. This facility in Liepaja is one of three that has been recognized as glorifying the Soviet regime and is therefore to be demolished by November 15 of this year.

The demolition and dismantling of the monument complex in Rīga, Pārdaugava, Uzvaras Park, has been finished, Rīga City Council said on Friday, October 14.

If the manager of the historic building, so-called 'Corner House', which houses the branch of the Occupation Museum with the KGB exhibition, does not prevent safety violations identified by the State Fire and Rescue Service, the museum could close and the building would lose operation rights in 2024, Latvian Radio reported on October 12.

This week the Daugavpils City Council announced a procurement contest for the design and dismantling of two objects glorifying the Soviet regime in Daugavpils, and two companies registered in Latvia and Lithuania applied for work, Latvian Radio reported on October 11.

The popular Rundāle Palace Museum is launching an exhibition telling the stories of the expeditions of the museum staff to study Latvian cultural heritage.

Several more symbols of the Soviet regime will be removed from the streets of the capital and building facades in the near future, according to the Rīga City Council's Development Committee, Latvian Television reported on September 26.

Celebrating the birthday of the first president of Latvia Jānis Čakste (in office 1922–1927) a 'presidential square' has been created in Jelgava with an oak planted in honor of each of the ten presidents of Latvia, Latvian Television reported on September 15.
Most important











Most read









