One of the darkest periods in Latvia's history is commemorated July 4: Jewish genocide memorial day.
History
Three large files with documents from the Committee for State Security (KGB) have been found on private property in Vidzeme region, Latvian Radio reported on July 1.
From July 1 2020, the Āraiši Archaeological Park (AEAP) visitor center will host a brand new exhibition in which the original archaeological evidence and the story of the archaeologist Jānis Apals will be open to the public, as reported by Amata municipality.
The famous castle in the town of Cēsis in central Latvia is a well-trodden site for tourists and archaeologists alike, but a new discovery shows it still has a few secrets and surprises within its ancient walls.
A calendar, historically, was not just a day-indicator: it has also tried to be an encyclopedia and an adviser for different life situations. For example, the 'Household and Medical Calendar for 1933' lists 10 commandments for tourists.
The Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) will support Mistrus Media, Latvian Television and Culture Capital Foundation co-production broadcast "Tas notika šeit" (It happened here), LIAA public relations department reported on June 15.
Ceremonies and services were taking place across Latvia June 14 remembering the thousands of people deported to Siberia by the Soviet Union.
LTV's series of short documentary films on the history of Latvia has another episode ready for you, complete with English-language subtitles.
Oskars Mežnieks, born in Rīga but succumbed to Latgale's charm, builds wood-shingle roofs and teaches the old skill to others. Latvian Television program "Pūra lāde" (The Dowry Chest) took a closer look at the master and his trade.
Personal stories make up the second part of a piece dedicated to the song Dievs, svētī Latviju! (God Bless Latvia), which was made the national anthem a hundred years ago this day.
It was just a regular choir song, albeit one hated by censors and subject to burning. Dievs, svētī Latviju! (God Bless Latvia!), this song of songs, has accompanied Latvians through wars and foreign invasions, to be reborn again as a national symbol. June 7 marks a hundred years since this song was officially recognized as the Latvian anthem in 1920.
June 7 marks the 100th anniversary after Dievs, svētī Latviju! (God Bless Latvia) was proclaimed the official Latvian anthem. On this occasion, our history buffs have prepared a quiz so you could test your knowledge about this genteel song of yore and today.
Almost every culture is familiar with the traditional way of bordering off a territory - the fence. The Latvian Television program "Pūra lāde" (The Dowry Chest) visited weaver Juris Milčs in Jelgava to learn about making a traditional wooden fence.
The exhibition "Sirdsapziņas ugunskurs" (Burning Conscience) has been awarded the European Union (EU) "Europa Nostra" prize for Cultural Heritage in the category "Education, training and awareness-raising", Cēsis municipality said in a news release on May 27.
The Latvian War Museum re-opens its doors to visitors on May 27, using the occasion to launch a new publication dedicated to the history of aviation - “Latvian Aviation 1919-1940”, which will be available at the museum itself, priced 10 euros.
May 9 is Europe Day - a day to celebrate our beautiful and varied continent. It is 70 years since the groundbreaking Schuman Declaration laid the first foundation stone for what would eventually become the European Union.
As Latvian democracy celebrates two major anniversaries in 2020, historian Imants Cīrulis told Latvian Radio about forms of protest in the past and nowadays.
The presidents of the three Baltic states have released a joint letter ahead of May 8 and 'Victory in Europe Day', when most countries in Europe mark the nominal end of the Second World War.
Ceremonies, speeches and gatherings around tables are usually the order of the day across Latvia May 4 when the country marks the restoration of its independence, but with COVID-19 emergency measures still in place, this year's 30-year celebrations are a little quieter and more private than originally planned, though no less significant for that.
The National History Museum (LNVM) received a historically significant gift on the 100th anniversary of the day the Constitutional Convention was convened when convention secretary's relative gifted a large-format photograph of a meeting that was held on January 28, 1921, according to museum representative Toms Ķikuts.
Workers discovered human bone fragments during reconstruction work at Northern District Park in Rēzekne, and based on the location historians estimate that it could be a mass gravesite, according to Latvian Radio on April 21.
The legendary Latvian Radio broadcast Mikrofons (Microphone) was set up in 1965 with the goal of luring Soviet listeners away from the subversive Voice of America. But instead it became a rallying point for the people.
Online audio map Underground Rīga was created to provide information about the locations where Jews were hidden during World War II in Rīga and the surrounding areas, the Žanis Lipke Memorial society announced on April 9.
A ceremony took place off the Latvian coast near Liepāja April 8 to remember United States military personnel lost when their PB4Y-2 Privateer plane crashed into the Baltic Sea on April 8, 1950 after being shot down by Soviet La-11s.
Latgale’s most renowned politician is Francis Trasuns (1864-1926), who led the movement for the reunification of Latgale with Vidzeme and Kurzeme in 1917-1918. While working in the shadows of his famous uncle, Jezups Trasuns (1898-1978), a four-time MP in the Latvian Saeima, established his own reputation as a progressive from Latgale and aligned himself with social-democratic issues. He earned a short prison term under Kārlis Ulmanis' regime, and 15 years in Siberia during Soviet occupation after refusing to become a puppet minister in the 1940 occupation government.
A hundred years ago, in 1919 shortly before Christmas, the Valmiera court martial sentenced eleven communists seized near the town to death and promptly executed them. This event shook the Latvian public and sparked parliamentary debate. After the Second World War, it was often employed in Soviet propaganda.
An opinion piece penned by Dainis Īvāns and Artūrs Snips, titled On the Fate of River Daugava, swayed public opinion so thoroughly that it led to cancelling the plan to build the Daugavpils Hydroelectric power plant, on which millions had been spent already.
On March 30 the European Commission (EC) decided to award the 'Three Brothers', the oldest stone buildings in Rīga, the European Heritage Label, according to the National Cultural Heritage Board (which is also housed at the site) on April 1.
In the 1980s, print and broadcast journalists in Latvia became freer from both Soviet ideology and censorship, but did this new spirit permeate to the local Russian speakers as well?
"Estonia must understand that Latvia is stronger than Estonia," reads a bellicose column in the June 1920 issue of the Latvijas Sargs newspaper. Similar utterances could be found in almost every single newspaper at the time, and the Estonian press followed suit. Latvian diplomat Oļģerds Grosvalds went so far as to warn Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics to abstain from military clashes with Estonia, as this could cause a catastrophe.