Before traveling to Latvia and Riga it is worth to getting to know the history of the country. The territory known today as Latvia has been inhabited since 9000 BC. The famous route from the Vikings to the Greeks’ mentioned in ancient chronicles stretched from Scandinavia, through Latvian territory along the river Daugava to ancient Russia and the Byzantine Empire.
In the AD 900s, the ancient Balts began to establish definable tribal realms. In the spring of 1200, twenty-three ships and five hundred armed German soldiers were hired to assist the Christian missionaries in a campaign to forcibly convert the people of the region. In 1201 Bishop Albert began building the city of Riga.
After the so-called Livonian War (1558-1583) — Latvian territories came under Polish-Lithuanian rule. The Lutheran Reformation and Catholic Counter Reformation in Livonia stimulated the consolidation of the Latvian nation and the first books in the Latvian language were published.
In the 1600s, the Duchy of Courland, once a part of Livonia, experienced a notable economic boom. The most successful ruler Duke Jacob Kettler (1610-1682) established two colonies: an island in the estuary of the Gambia River in Africa and Tobago Island in the Caribbean Sea. In 1621, during the Polish-Swedish war (1600-1629), Latgale remained under Polish control, but Vidzeme and Riga came under Swedish rule. Riga was economically and culturally part of a growing urban network linking the major states and cultures of Western, Eastern and Northern Europe.
Awareness of the Latvian identity began in the 17th century. The Couronians, Latgallians, Selonians, Semigallians and part of the Livs began to identify as a culturally unified nation — the Latvians. In 1710, the Russian Tsar, Peter I, conquered Vidzeme. By the end of the 18th century, all of Latvia’s territory was under Russian rule — Courland became part of the Russian Empire in 1795. Selfdom was abolished in Vidzeme in 1817, in Kurzeme in 1819, and in Latgale in 1861.
In the mid-19th century, with the rise of national consciousness throughout Europe, ethnic Latvians experienced a powerful ‘awakening’ of national identity. The first newspapers in the Latvian language were printed and the first Latvian National Song Festival was held in 1873 — the beginning of a tradition with strong national overtones.
Latvia was introduced to Marxism in the 1890s, which was propagated by a socialist movement New Current. The New Current is considered the predecessor of the Latvian Social Democrats. The party turned against the existing social order in the Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire. On 13 January 1905, the LSDSP declared a general strike. About 20,000 factory workers participated in a demonstration on the streets of Riga. During this revolution several nationally oriented Latvian Social Democrats publicly called for an independent state — Latvia.
By October 1915 German armed forces had occupied all of Kurzeme. Immediately after Kurzeme came under German control Latvian social and political activists conceived the notion of founding Latvian military units in the Russian armed forces. The Germans occupied the remainder of Latvian territory in February of 1918. After the Russian-German peace treaty was signed on March 3 in Brest-Litowsk, Germany kept Kurzeme and Vidzeme, while Latgale was kept under Russian control.
In September 1917 in German-occupied Riga Latvian parties joined together in a coalition – the "Democratic Bloc". At the beginning of December Latvian organisations had finished forming the Latvian Provisional National Council (LPNC), which became the most extensive representative institution of the Latvian people. On January 30, 1918, the LPNC decided to establish sovereign and democratic Latvia, which would encompass all Latvian-inhabited regions.
On November 11, 1918, Germany was compelled to sign an armistice, which was an exceptionally good opportunity to realise the idea of Latvian independence. The LPNC and the "Democratic Bloc" agreed to jointly form a provisional parliament, the Latvian People's Council (LPC), which  on November 18, 1918 resolved to found an independent and democratic Republic of Latvia.
Since the end of 1918 the existence of the newly-established government of independent Latvia was being attacked by the Russian Red Army and German-oriented political regime. With help from the Estonians, the Latvian national armed forces gained victory over the Germans on June 23, 1919 and by November 11 the Germans were driven out of Riga and by the end of November from Latvian territory. On August 11, 1920, Latvia signed a peace treaty with Soviet Russia, in which Russia acknowledged Latvia's sovereignty and withdrew from claims to Latvian territory for all times. On January 26, 1921, the victors of World War I recognised Latvia's independence de jure.
The revival of the economy became the main task of Latvia. The Latvian national monetary unit, the Lats, was issued in 1922 and the state began to implement the Agrarian Reform. Latvian industry was oriented chiefly toward food production, textile manufacturing, timber processing, radio, cameras, aeroplane, automobile and truck manufacturing. In the 1930s Latvia achieved one of the highest standards of living in Europe.
On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and German Third Reich signed a treaty of non-aggression, which contained a secret protocol concerning the division of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. In an attempt to avoid war against the USSR, the Latvian government decided to fulfil Moscow's peremptory demands. As a result, June 17, 1940, 100,000 Soviet troops occupied Latvia. After Latvia's occupation Moscow arranged political changes that were favourable to the Soviet regime. On June 14, 1941, approximately 14,000 Latvians were deported to Siberia in cattle cars, where most of them perished.
By July 10, 1941, German armed forces had occupied all of Latvia's territory. During World War II more than 200,000 Latvian soldiers ended up in the rank and file of both occupation forces; approximately half of them were killed on the battlefield. In mid-July 1944 the Soviet Army once again crossed Latvia's pre-war eastern border, and by October 13 had occupied Riga. The defeat of the national communists in occupied Latvia marked the beginning of a period that was characterised by total ideological and political control.
On June 14, 1987, the commemorative day of the 1941 deportations, the human rights group "Helsinki-86" organised a ceremony of placing flowers at the Freedom Monument. This was an unprecedented event that demonstrated the rebirth of national courage and self-confidence in Latvia.
On June 1 and 2, 1988, the Writers' Union held a congress, during which the Latvian intelligentsia discussed the democratisation of society, Latvia's economic sovereignty, ending migration from the USSR, the transformation of industry and the protection of Latvian language rights. The congress of the Writers' Union stirred up the public masses and provided an additional stimulus for the general process of national revival.
On August 23, 1989 the Baltic people created a 600-km-long human chain from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius. This was a symbolic demonstration of the Baltic people's united will for independence.
On May 4, 1990, the new Supreme Soviet of the LSSR adopted a Declaration of Independence, which called for the renewal of pre-war Latvia and the 1922 Constitution. In January 1991 pro-Moscow and pro-communist political forces launched an attack to overthrow the lawfully elected goverment. On August 21, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Republic announced that the transition period to full independence that was declared on May 4, 1990, has come to an end. Thus, Latvia proclaimed itself a fully independent nation – a nation whose judicial foundation stemmed back to the statehood that existed before the occupation on June 17, 1940.
In September 1991, Latvia was admitted to the United Nations and the European Organisation for Security and Co-operation. In February, 1995, Latvia became a member of the European Council. In 2004 Latvia became a member of European Union and NATO.

The most popular!

Great value!

Most popular!

Don`t miss it!

High demand!