Kuldiga, formerly Goldingen is a city in western Latvia, in the historical region of Kurzeme. The administrative center of the Kuldiga region.
Kuldīga was first mentioned in written sources in
1242, which is considered to be the day of the city's founding.
1242-1444 In the year after the march on the Course, the Livonian
Order built a stone castle of the Order of Kuldiga Commander at the
Venta Rumba, which was first called Jesusburg, but later Goldingen.
In 1355, Kuldiga was first named a city, one of its districts was
called the "Curonian city", but in 1368 Kuldiga was mentioned in the
documents of the Hanseatic League. In 1378, Kuldīga was granted the
rights of the city of Riga (ius Rigense).
In 1561, after the
collapse of the Livonian Confederation, Kuldīga Castle became one of
the residences of the Duke of Courland. When 1587-1617. The Duchy of
Kurzeme and Zemgale was divided in 2006, Kuldiga was the capital of
the Duchy of Courland ruled by Duke Wilhelm Kettler. 1642-1682
During the reign of Duke Jacob, Kuldiga experienced economic
prosperity, a shipyard, a saltpetre factory, brick kilns were built.
Kuldiga had trade relations with many countries.
In 1795,
Kuldīga, together with the rest of Kurzeme, joined the Russian
Empire. 1860-1885. The city underwent rapid economic development,
the needle factory "Meteors" (1860), the leather factory (1875), the
match factory "Vulkāns" (1878), and the wool carding factory (1885)
were established. In 1874, one of the longest brick bridges in
Europe was built across the Venta River (architect Oto Dīce). In
1886, the Baltic Teachers' Seminary was moved from Riga to Kuldiga
(founded in 1870 in Riga). 1915-1918 The city was occupied by
Imperial German troops. Before that, a large part of the population
was forced to flee. The Duchy of Courland, which was planned to be
colonized with German immigrants, is formally restored under
Prussian rule.
In 1935, the narrow-gauge railway line
Kuldīga-Alsunga was opened. During the Second World War 1941-1945.
The city was occupied by Nazi German troops. 1944-1945 The
headquarters of the German army group Kurland in the Kurzeme
fortress was located near the Kuldīga Pelči manor house. 1945-1991
Kuldīga was the center of the district, where local industry was
developed since the 1960s (wood processing plant, reinforced
concrete factory, knitwear factory).
Order castle
ruins and sculpture garden
The castle mill, the castle guard's
house and the old city park on the right side of Pils Street are
located on the site of the former castle of the Order Commander or
on Rumba Hill.
To this day, fragments of the cross column
have survived from the castle, which are the oldest remains of stone
buildings in Kurzeme. Now, here sculptor Līvija Rezevska, an
honorary citizen of Kuldīga, has created a sculpture park, where 15
of her stone and bronze works of art can be seen.
Castle
guard house
While the castle of the Livonian Order existed on the
banks of the Venta, the guards of the castle also lived there. Their
task was to take care of the safety of the castle and its
inhabitants. At the time when a bridge was built across the Venta
(14th-17th centuries) and traffic was passing through the courtyard,
the castle guards collected a fee for the use of the bridge, as well
as customs duties for the transported goods. After the duke's court
moved to Jelgava, the old castle, which was badly destroyed and
looted during the wars, was forgotten. The last guardian of the
castle, Bofemel, complained to the duke about his dilapidated
apartment in the castle and asked permission to use the stone stones
to build a house for himself in the castle yard. It was also
allowed, and in 1735 the house was ready. The collapse of the castle
was not delayed, the untidy gardens were overgrown. Courtyards and
squares, ramparts and bastions were overgrown with grass, bushes and
trees. The inhabitants of the city used the stones of the castle
ruins as a cheap building material for the construction of their
residential houses. As a typical 18th century building, in the
center of the house there is a chimney - the former place of the
fireplace. For forty years, the castle guard's house was used by the
Kuldīga County Museum - at first the exposition was located on the
first floor, but over time the house became a museum repository,
where collections of photographs, documents, photonegatives and
objects were stored. After the change of owners in 2004, the
museum's collection was moved to other premises and the house
remained empty. Since 1998, the building has been an architectural
monument of national significance.
Town Hall Square
The
Town Hall Square is located in the city center and is an ancient
gathering place, first mentioned in documents from the 17th century.
Until 1937, there was a marketplace here. The peculiarity of the
town hall square and the special architecture of the houses
encouraged several film directors. A large part of the art films
"Krasts" and "Emīla nedarbi" were shot here.
In the southern corner of the Town Hall Square rises an Italian
Renaissance-style building - the New Town Hall, built in 1860. In
1905, the Kuldiga Revolutionary Action Committee functioned here. In
1980, the old town hall clock was reactivated. Kuldīga New Town Hall
is home to Kuldīga County Council.
City square
Kuldīga
City Square was opened on September 26, 1936 as the new market
square in Kuldīga.
The old houses of Baznīcas Street
The
old town hall is located on Baznīcas Street 5. From the 17th
century, the vaulted rooms of the basement have been preserved,
where there was a city prison. The town hall was established at the
beginning of the 14th century. In 1368, the City Council was granted
the right to collect taxes from citizens. The town council consisted
of a mayor, a bailiff, 5 councilors and a conveyor. After the
restoration, the building was handed over to the house of culture.
Opposite the old town hall on the side of the square was the Kaunas
pillar, at which the disobedient residents were punished.
The
oldest building in Kuldiga is located at 7 Baznicas Street. It was
built in 1670, rebuilt in the 18th century, it belonged to a town
councilor. The ornately carved wind indicator of this house with the
image of a mythical unicorn and the numbers "1670" and "1742" can be
seen in Kuldīga St. Catherine Evangelical Lutheran Church. Since
1998, the house has been an architectural monument of national
significance.
Former Duke Jacob's court pharmacy building at
Baznīcas Street 10 is a rectangular two-storey building built in a
wooden lattice technique, with a basement, mantle chimney and attic
roof. The building was renovated in 1986. In the 17th century, the
duke's court pharmacy was located here. Since 1998, the house has
been an architectural monument of national significance.
Kuldīga Castle Mill is located at 36 Baznīcas Street. Since 1998,
the house has been an architectural monument of national
significance.
Liepājas Street
Liepājas Street is the
central street of Kuldīga, which is organized as a pedestrian
street. It is surrounded by various trading companies, banks,
institutions and entertainment venues. Every year, during the
Kuldīga City Festival, the national anniversary, the Winter
Solstice, the Summer Solstice and other celebrations, Liepājas
Street is thematically decorated, creating a festive mood for the
citizens and guests of the city.
Until 1941, Liepājas Street was
accessible, but a couple of carts drove along it during the day. In
1948, it was planned to transform Liepājas Street into the main city
transport highway. In order to expand it, it was planned to demolish
several buildings, as they are worn out and hinder the development
of the city. Only three historic buildings were demolished. There
was a lack of money for the rest of the plan. Until 1991, Liepājas
Street was used for transport as intensively as the parallel
Mucenieku Street. After that, part of the street was opened only to
pedestrians and cyclists.
Synagogue
One of the largest
buildings in Kuldiga (1905 Street 6) is a synagogue. It is known for
its interior, which was dominated by marble and gilded details. A
document describing the construction of the building in 1875 in
Hebrew is in the Kuldīga Regional Museum. It was built during the
reign of Russian Emperor Alexander II and housed an active center
for the Jewish community. The synagogue is part of a larger
community building complex that has survived to the present day and
includes a house of prayer, a building that housed the deceased
members of the community, and a Jewish school. The Jewish community
has been active since settling in the Duchy of Courland in the 16th
century. Most of the first Jewish immigrants came from western
Germany, but in the 17th century, unrest in Poland led to an influx
of Jews into the region. In the 18th century, the Jews of Kurzeme
played an important role in the economic life of the region. Kuldīga
Synagogue became a Jewish prison in the summer of 1941, when the
occupiers imprisoned all the Jews living in the city and held it for
several days before shooting them into smaller forests in small
groups. Shortly after the extermination of the Jews, German troops
set up a food depot in the synagogue. During the first years of
Soviet rule, a grain warehouse was established in the synagogue, but
after a while it was moved and the building was not used for several
years. In 1958, the cinema "Kurzeme" was opened in the synagogue. It
had 450 seats and a reading room. The cinema was in the synagogue
until 2003. There was also a café and a nightclub. After the
reconstruction, the former library of the synagogue houses the
Kuldīga Main Library, but the former prayer house houses the Kuldīga
Art House, where professional art exhibitions can be seen regularly
in the exhibition hall.
House of Culture
At the intersection with Mucenieku Street, on
the right side, there is a square that adjoins the district culture
house. The building was built in 1909 and served as the house of the
Kuldīga Commonwealth Society. Workers' meetings were organized here
in the 1920s. Writers Leons Paegle and Linards Laicens, deputies of
the Saeima from the workers 'and peasants' faction, spoke here.
The Folk Theater (1974), the Folk Choir "Vārtava" (1977), the
Folk Dance Ensemble "Venta" (1970), two Folk Applied Art Studios -
"Rainbow" (1974) and "Ķocis" (1982) and the Folk Dance Ensemble
operate in the District Culture House. Photo studio "Kuldiga"
(1983).
Hotel "Metropole"
The metropolis was built in
1910. Since then, the building has burned at least three times. The
last fire destroyed almost everything in November 1997. For five
years, no investor showed much interest in the building, and
previous attempts at privatization were unsuccessful. In 2002, the
Ezernieki farm, owned by businessman Valentin Kokalis, privatized
the historic hotel. Valentīns Kokalis bought a completely burnt out
house for a symbolic price - one lats - from Kuldīga city
municipality in 2002, paying 2000 lats for the land under it.
1,500,000 lats have been invested in the construction of the hotel,
of which 700,000 is a loan, but the rest is Valentins Kokalis' own
investments. In 2006, the restoration of the Metropolis was
completed and it was opened as a recreation place for Kuldīga
residents and as a hotel for Kuldīga guests.
Ventas rumba
Venta Rumba is the widest waterfall in Latvia and one of the widest
in Europe. Its width depends on the amount of water, on average it
is 100-110 m, during floods it reaches up to 270 m. The height of
the hub is 1.6-2.2 m. The gas consists of a rather interesting
zigzag line. Venta Rumba is a natural monument and belongs to the
Venta Valley Nature Reserve.
Alekšupīte
Alekšupīte is a
tributary of the left bank of the Venta. About 70 m from the brick
bridge over the Venta in Kuldīga Alekšupīte flows into the Venta,
before winding through the old town of Kuldīga. The shores of
Alekšupīte have long been built. Natural or artificial waterfalls
have formed in several places. At the mouth of the Venta is the last
waterfall of Alekšupīte, which is 4.15 m high and 8 m wide.
Virka manor
The manor house of Virka manor was built as a summer
manor and later became part of the Kuldiga city building. Next to
the manor house is a 19th century. a small park has been created.
18th century At the end of the 19th century, the first Lutheran
school in Kuldiga district operated in Virka manor, but at the
beginning of the Second World War it housed a hospital for Russian
soldiers. Architectural style - historicism. Today Virkas manor is
managed by the company SIA “Virkas muiža”, which provides hotel and
entertainment services. Virka Manor is located today at 27 Virkas
Street.
Parks
Kuldīga has developed larger and smaller
green recreation areas or squares, including four parks in the city
center - Castle Park next to the Venta River and the old brick
bridge over it, 1905 Park next to the Synagogue, City Stage Park and
Kuldīga Orthodox Church Park next to the Baltic Teachers' Seminary
building (current Kuldiga Technology and Tourism Technical School).
1905 park
The origins of the park can be traced back to the
Second World War. On May 8, 1945, after the bombs dropped by the
Soviet Army, part of the wooden buildings on the site of the current
park burned down. After the war, a park was established on the site
of the burnt quarter. At that time, the ruins of houses were
removed, but the old gardens have survived. Regular paths to the
park were erected after a monument to the 1905 fighters, created by
the sculptor Livija Rezevska, was placed in the park. Around the
same time, a fountain made by L. Rezevska was installed - a girl
with a mug or Annina.
Cemetary
Within the city of Kuldiga,
three large cemeteries have been established - the Old Cemetery at
the end of Liepājas Street, the Anna Cemetery near the Castle Park
and the Jāņkalns Cemetery at the south-western border of the city.
Kuldīga Old Cemetery Park occupies an area of 37,066 m2 at the
end of Liepājas Street at the beginning of Ēdoles Street. These
cemeteries began to be built in the 18th century. Each city
congregation in this area, west of the city, was assigned its own
area and place. On the side of the current Liepājas Street closest
to Kuldīga - the Russian cemetery, further German burials, but on
the other side of the road that now connects Parka and Ēdoles
streets was a Latvian cemetery, but to the west of them - the
eternal resting place of the Jews. It can be assumed that these
territories were not always strictly observed in the case of mixed
marriages, but in any case all nationalities met here in a friendly
manner.
Today, the Old Cemetery is more like a park than a
cemetery. Over the years, the tombs have disappeared and most of the
monuments have disappeared. In the Russian and German part of the
cemetery, several art monuments included in the list of state
protected objects have been preserved. There are also some damaged
(also artistically high-quality Art Nouveau) iron forged and cast
iron fences around the burial sites. A memorial stone has been
erected on the side of Liepājas Street to Juris Bārs (1808—1879), a
doctor, poet and researcher of the Latvian language, whose real
burial place was destroyed in a German cemetery.