More is one of six in the municipality that fully comply with the guidelines coordinator of the Kuldīga Municipality Civil Protection Commission: "There is electricity The only thing we have to provide in case of an emergency is water supplies and a biological toilet." The State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) inspected more than 100 municipal facilities last year 18 shelters are partially compliant with the needs of the municipality and they are already marked with green information signs The "Shelter" sign indicates that temporary shelter is available in case of danger The people in charge of the shelters in the municipality are informed and ready to open their doors in a crisis Katrīna Spuleniece-Aišpure from Kuldīga who is currently the acting director of the Kuldīga Technology and Tourism Technical School said that the sign was put up but there were no clear instructions on how to proceed: "We do not have any guidelines from higher authorities or instructions on how we should act in a crisis situation as a shelter keeper Passers-by and students of the technical school are interested in why the signs have appeared The residents and I personally don't know how I should act in a crisis situation coordinator of the Civil Protection Commission explained that currently there would not be enough space in the 24 shelters marked so far The municipality originally wanted to organize the shelters "Kuldīga municipality has more than 27,000 inhabitants surveying the compliant and semi-compliant ones we need to survey the basements of apartment buildings Work will continue in Kuldīga to identify more sites suitable for shelters There are places where minimal investment is needed said the municipality's mayor Inese Astaševska stressing that the criteria for shelters should be lowered.  "We have many more buildings where it can be done but we can't officially present them because they don't comply with the requirements The heads of municipalities have pointed out in various meetings in the past whether we are not sometimes overdoing it with settings forgetting the main aim and purpose of why we are doing this This is often the problem," Astaševska assessed Currently, information about the shelters in Kuldīga municipality is available on the municipality's website. The State Fire and Rescue Service's map of shelters and their locations throughout Latvia will be updated in the "112 Latvija" app while the website will display a map of all shelters in Latvia This information is currently under development and is not yet available to the public Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor the heads of more than 50 diplomatic missions accredited to Latvia will go on their annual regional trip to the region of Kurzeme The purpose of the trips is to facilitate Latvia’s bilateral relations economic cooperation and tourism in the region as well as to showcase the diverse cultural and historical heritage of Latvia the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites the ambassadors to get acquainted with the Kurzeme pearl – the town of Kuldīga inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List the foreign diplomats will visit the Jaunmoku Palace to see its special architecture the participants are to meet the Chairperson of the Town Council learn more about the historical and cultural heritage of Kuldīga an environmentally-friendly Raitums colours manufacturers and ‘a co-creation place for creative energies’ Adatu Fabrika – a renovated 19th century needle factory building that hosts professionals and enthusiasts in various creative fields including participants of international student exchange programmes The foreign diplomats will then visit one of Latvia’s leading wood industry companies as well as timber transport and real estate development The ambassadors will also be welcomed by a rural entrepreneur in Snēpele Parish who specialises in goat and ostrich farming the visitors will be treated to the food produced on the farm The regional trip will be concluded with a tour of Abava Vinyard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranges a trip to a particular Latvian region for the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Latvia the ambassadors had the opportunity to explore Vidzeme and Sēlija There are 135 diplomatic missions and 14 representations of international organisations accredited to Latvia Your feedback will help us improve this site Three special stages of the FIA World Rally Championship's Latvian round are set to take place in the Kuldīga region WRC activities in Kuldīga will not end there a fan zone will be active in Kuldīga Town Hall Square crossing the Kuldīga brick bridge and through the old town which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list It is expected that the first rally crew will arrive in Kuldīga around 18:20 with the competitors’ drive lasting approximately 90 minutes the rally participants will head to the service park in Liepāja giving residents and visitors of the city the opportunity to see the rally cars up close in the city The drivers will enter the city from the Talsi side moving along Stendes Street towards the Venta River Crossing the Venta via the historic brick bridge the crews will continue along Baznīcas Street and then along Liepājas Street The cars will then proceed along Kalpaka Street to return the next morning for the stages taking place in the Kuldīga region – SS9 Pilskalns all crews will return to Kuldīga City Square where a media and regroup is planned – a place where rally enthusiasts can meet the FIA World Rally Championship crews in person and see their cars We remind Kuldīga residents and visitors who will not be able to attend the stages that a special opportunity has been arranged – a large screen will be set up in the Town Hall Square for four days along with a special fan zone where it will be possible watch live broadcasts of all Tet Rally Latvia stages The event is possible thanks to the support provided by Ministry of Education and Science Thanks to our partners Canon Biznesa Centrs Liepāja Latvijas Valsts meži and municipality of Dienvidkurzeme Informative support provided by news portal DELFI Thanks to Tet Rally Latvia supporters shopping malls AKROPOLE as well as technical partner Sports Racing Technologies Tet Rally Latvia is organised by RA Events in cooperation with Speed Festival Kurzeme and Latvian Automobile Federation Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre, who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs. We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot līgumu Nr.17.1-1-L-2024/304 ar Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūru par atbalsta saņemšanu pasākuma “Starptautiskās konkurētspējas veicināšana” ietvaros ko līdzfinansē Eiropas Reģionālās attīstības fonds and you hardly see people in the streets of Kuldīga So when the Kuldīga municipal police spotted a young man filming something It turned out that a beaver was slowly stalking deeper and deeper into the city "The plan was to walk him a little way to the park but then the next thought kicked in - if he gets into the park Then the decision was made to stop the beaver "As I have had experience with rodents before because my mother owns a marmot farm in Jaunstuči So we grabbed him and put him in the vehicle's holding compartment," said Inspector Teteris of the Kuldīga Municipality Police a senior researcher at the State Forest Research Institute "Silava" pointed out that a full beaver family has at least three generations - parents and their offspring As the next generation is due in late April or early May the two-year-olds tend to leave the family or are forced to do so because the other beavers become aggressive They are not usually wanderers by their behaviour There is a limited amount of food in the area and the middle generation is forced to leave in order to prevent food from becoming scarce The beaver walking the streets was most likely one of those that had to leave its family Beavers don't usually do that," the researcher said Ozoliņš stressed that one should be careful when encountering a beaver in the city, as the animal can attack in self-defence and its sharp teeth can leave deep wounds, as once happened in Daugavpils. The municipal police also said that people should not try to move a beaver they encounter in the city not many of these animals have been observed in Kuldīga But this one will have a new home outside Kuldīga The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development Our Partners Donate Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information the town of Kuldīga is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional urban settlement At the confluence of the Venta River and the smaller Alekšupīte stream The rivers’ intersection is a defining element of the town’s structure is clearly distinguishable in the townscape A significant part of Kuldīga’s history and development is linked to the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia which governed a significant part of the Baltics between 1561 and 1795 The town was the primary residence and administrative centre of the Duchy’s first ruler and maintained an important role afterwards the town developed into a prosperous trading hub The international orientation of the Duchy led to a rising number of foreign merchants and craftsmen settling in Kuldīga who left their mark on the architectural language and building decoration of the region The town’s structure has largely retained the street layout which developed during the period of the Duchy The architectural influences and craftsmanship traditions introduced during the era of the Duchy endured well into the 19th century led to the progressive replacement of fire hazardous roofing materials The proportion of masonry buildings also increased the brick bridge over the Venta River was constructed Kuldīga survived the great wars of the 20th century largely unscathed and modern urban developments were largely implemented far outside its historic centre Criterion (v): The old town of Kuldīga is an outstanding example of a well-preserved urban settlement representative of traditional Baltic architecture and urbanism and of multiple historical periods – from the 13th to the early 20th centuries Its historic urban fabric includes structures of traditional local log architecture as well as largely foreign-influenced techniques and styles of brick masonry and timber-framed houses that illustrate the integration of local craftsmanship with foreign influences from other Hanse towns and centres around the Baltic Sea as well as Russia The craft skills are prominent in functional and ornamental building details throughout the town and continue to be employed by craftspeople today The predominance of clay tiles as a roofing material contributes to the harmonious townscape of Kuldīga The property encompasses the medieval castle mound plateau and the urban areas which developed during the ducal period from the 16th until the 18th centuries but continued to organically evolve afterwards large areas of the environmental setting of Kuldīga are also included namely the intersection of the Venta and Alekšupīte rivers which was essential for the growth of Kuldīga into a trading centre fires destroyed substantial parts of the urban fabric and remain a risk to this day since the town has many wooden buildings as well as buildings with important wooden elements Floods are another important factor that can potentially affect the property the town’s general construction rules stipulate maximum building heights within the property and its buffer zone with the national designation of the “urban construction monument” of state importance The area of the Venta Valley is not included in that designation but is protected as a nature reserve The buffer zone corresponds to the “individual protection zone” and has complementary legal provisions in order to give an added layer of protection to the property Kuldīga’s urban and architectural heritage is well retained in terms of material It illustrates continuity in function and use as residences auxiliary structures and religious spaces for the resident community The old town further preserves its authenticity in setting and location which was a fundamental aspect for the development of the urban structure of the town influenced by the intersection of the Venta and Alekšupīte rivers The river landscape has changed over time but not to the extent that it fundamentally alters the environmental setting of the property The property was first nationally recognised in 1969 and received the highest level of national protection as a cultural monument under the national Law “On the Protection of Cultural Monuments” The landscape elements of the Venta Valley have been protected since 1957 and were recognised in 2004 as part of the NATURA 2000 network The buffer zone also has legal status as a monument of architecture (urban construction) of local importance in the list of state protected cultural monuments such as a local territorial development plan define strict legal mechanisms that contribute to the protection of the historic urban settlement and further prevent development pressures that might affect the property’s significance Kuldīga Municipality acts as the main management authority for the property and its buffer zone With regards to the conservation of historic buildings the Kuldīga Restoration Centre is an essential partner of the municipality The day-to-day management of the World Heritage property is guided by a management plan which is complemented by subsidiary plans related to risk management and tourism management Mēs neuzņemamies atbildību par tulkojuma precizitāti On 6 September a new cultural and educational centre in Latvia was opened in Kuldīga's former Needle Factory and it has now become home to the international Master's programme "Service Design Strategies and Innovation" students from all over the world LIAA Kuldīga Business Incubator and Kuldīga Digital Innovation Centre The venue will also be available for exhibitions The idea of transforming the former Needle Factory into a cultural venue emerged in 2015 when the Latvian Academy of Art and the Kuldīga Municipality partnered to establish a new study programme in Kuldīga The Latvian Academy of Art started the search for the new study programme content in order to develop a unique educational offer in Latvia and the Baltic States launched the Needle Factory Project aiming to house the future study programme in Kuldīga where the former Needle Factory used to be located but later - one of the buildings of the old Kuldīga Hospital After the hospital moved to the new premises some business owner bought the former hospital buildings and the technical state of the buildings became increasingly poor in order to redevelop the Kalpaka Street quarter and prevent the buildings from deteriorating Kuldīga Municipality purchased the buildings at 1 2 and 4 Kalpaka Street from Bank Citadele at an auction The deterioration of the buildings would cause an irreversible loss to the cultural heritage of Kuldīga and the country The municipality handed over the building at 1 Kalpaka Street to the state which further decided to establish there Kuldīga Technology and Tourism Technical School Competence Centre The author has reproduced the soundtrack in wood and it will be on display in the art space all weekend until January 26 Heidi Holmström is a Finnish artist currently living in The Hague She has been working in Kuldīga for a month and now it is possible to both hear and see the artist's fusion with the Kuldīga environment Art space curator Maija Rudovska says about the artist's participation in the residency: "[She is] A young artist and she comes directly from the world of music but is currently transitioning to the visual arts sector she has studied the environment of Kuldīga where Heidi will show the participants what the sounds of Kuldīga are like." Going on a sound walk will allow you to see Kuldīga from a different perspective you will need headphones and a mobile phone those who wish to visit the art space "Studio" will have the opportunity to both hear and see how the artist has embedded the soundtrack inspired by Kuldīga into wood Heidi Holmstrom reveals: "People will be able to hear the sounds of nature these will be sounds at different frequencies." but the art space "Studija" in the Kaļķu Street creative quarter of Kuldīga has already experienced many contemporary art events reveals manager and curator Maija Rudovska who has 15 years of experience in managing international art projects: how we can build a bridge between different audiences contemporary art sectors and other groups of people I want art to become accessible to everyone in different ways," she says "I've had conversations with people from Kuldīga who say they have no idea what an artist does or what will be here but that experience opens up something new that's the kind of learning we all need – we experience something new we can look at something and think differently maybe change stereotypes about something." at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh a decision was taken on the inscription of the old town of Kuldīga (“Kuldīga / Goldingen in Courland”) on the UNESCO the World Heritage List The positive vote concludes a period of intensive and creative efforts by the Kuldīga Municipal Council and all the involved municipal authorities over more than 20 years to set the scene for the old town to be put on the UNESCO World Heritage List of cultural properties as well as educating the public in heritage matters The Latvian delegation comprising representatives from the Ministry of Culture and the National Cultural Heritage Administration is headed by Indulis Ābelis the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the OECD and UNESCO “I am truly proud that our Kuldīga is joining the representative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites but first of all to the city and its people for their tireless work day after day to study build and take care of their Kuldīga,” Ambassador Ābelis underlined Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List means that the unique value of the old town of Kuldīga has been recognised and that Kuldīga has been marked on the world map as an important cultural heritage site It also means substantial further work to adequately protect and preserve that value in line with the high standards of UNESCO The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meets at annual sessions to discuss the management of current World Heritage sites and to examine nominations submitted by countries for the World Heritage List The 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was originally scheduled to take place in Russia in 2022 but the full-scale war on Ukraine sparked protests from States Parties which saw the session to be moved to Saudi Arabia this year the Committee examined at this session 50 other nominations made by the governments of other countries concerning inscription of sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List Video: unesco.kuldiga.lv In the host cities of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) round Tet Rally Latvia – Rīga and Liepāja – the event organizer RA Events has gone great lengths to create special fan zones fans will be able to watch live broadcasts of all the special stages on large screens in every city Tet Rally Latvia runs through the fan zone will be located at the very heart of Old-Town – Dome Square it will be in the square next to the Synagogue fans can gather at the Talsi City Square to watch and support the rally crews together Residents and guests of Kuldīga are invited to visit the fan zone at Town Hall Square the fan zone will be located among the motorhomes of the World Rally Championship teams allowing fans not only to watch the special stage broadcasts but also to observe the mechanics at work and meet their favourite crews Tukums            Square next to the Synagogue (Brīvības laukums 8) Liepāja             Tet Rally Latvia service park (Atmodas bulvāris 21) The 4,800 square metre building will house 65 apartments mainly intended for the company's employees and their families was postponed due to unfinished street and access road infrastructure issues The situation has now been successfully resolved and a construction contract has been signed The first groundworks are expected to start in the beginning of April "Resuming construction of the new building is an important step toward providing quality housing for our employees and contributing to the development of the region The start of the project was marked by a number of challenges which delayed its realisation Thanks to constructive cooperation and active action by the Kuldīga Municipality the initial infrastructure shortcomings have been resolved I believe that the project's future progress and outcome will be truly outstanding going far beyond our most ambitious expectations," said Andris Ramoliņš owner and Chairman of the Board of Stiga RM The new building will be the first of its kind in Kuldīga since the late 1980s and the largest residential object under construction in the city "The construction of the new apartment building is an important step in the development of Kuldīga Municipality It will not only increase the availability of housing but also contribute to the growth of the region and improve the quality of life The apartments will be available to the company's employees and their families thus reducing the pressure on the local housing market," said Inese Astaševska the Chairwoman of the Kuldīga Municipality Council The 16-meter-high residential building will be located at Lapegļu iela 1A and studio apartments with balconies suitable for living with children The project is being developed in collaboration with SIA Lauder Architects and construction engineering office SIA Forma 2 Employees at Stiga RM will be offered the opportunity to get a rental apartment with a right to buy or the right to use the apartment by gradually buying it back into their own ownership.  The bakery's name – "Celms maize" (Celms bread) is derived from the surname of the people who had the idea for the company – the Celms family The dream of the four is to restore the culture of cafes and bakeries in Latvia and creating a sense of belonging to a community the challenge for these entrepreneurs is not just to bake quality bread but to get people to change their daily habits The bakery is the brainchild of Kristīne and Aigars Celms but it needed an impulse from their friends – Katrīna and Aigars Mamis who liked the idea and encouraged them to get down to business Kristīne recalls that she and her husband had been mulling over the idea of ​​a bakery for about a year and the hardest part was making the decision to start their own business "This is our first experience as entrepreneurs and it required us to step out of our comfort zone to start something completely new," says Kristīne For several years before moving to Kuldīga the Mamis family had been thinking about the need for a bakery in Latvia where you could get a simple sandwich or bread and cheese "No one had the courage to do something so simple But who wouldn't want that – good bread with butter and cheese?" says Katrīna when she heard about the Celms family's plan she and her husband were immediately ready to start implementing the idea Katrīna emphasizes that from the very beginning everyone in the company has had and continues to have a role which is why the bakery project is so successful where everything may not be perfect from a business point of view but it is designed exactly the way we wanted it one of the things is that the owner is always present," says Aigars Mamis. "Everything that we create and do as entrepreneurs has an impact on people That is why we want to create something valuable and beautiful that increases the quality of life." We brought a lot of things from home," says Kristīne The company was created without a specific business plan and its main value is the people who come into the bakery and the opportunity to build relationships "If you go with your values ​​and respect people the bakery only worked one day a week – on Saturdays but the high demand for fresh bread forced the owners to soon switch to a four-day work week every working day raises questions about additional costs and you have to understand whether it will pay off," says Kristīne The owners of the Kuldīga bakery have a recommendation for other entrepreneurs who are planning to work in a similar business: it is important to keep working hours constant for a long time so that customers get used to them so it is not recommended to change working hours frequently "The attitude towards people who have come outside of working hours is also important you need to explain to them why it is this way or that way," suggests Aigars Celms "The biggest benefit is that you work for yourself even though you have less free time and work takes up your mind practically all the time," says Aigars Celms who takes care of the most important thing in the company – baking bread who takes care of the bakery's social media accounts says that it is no longer possible to do business without communication on social media today the power of so-called traditional media is also significant Shortly after the opening of "Celms Maize" the local newspaper "Kurzemnieks" wrote about the new bakery the young entrepreneurs experienced customers lining up at their door so an important element here is communication with bakery clients Those entrepreneurs who plan to start a business in a small town must take into account a different – ​​much calmer – rhythm of life as well as seasonality due to the increase in tourism in the summer because people have more time here," says Kristīne The second thing is that people know each other and come to the cafe just like they would to visit This requires direct communication with people – unlike in a big city where customer service is basically impersonal and people feel that they are treated with interest This is one of the keys to success," emphasizes Katrīna Kristīne advises young entrepreneurs to try to be present in their cafe "People want to feel like they've almost come to visit." If the owner is no longer present in such a business quality often suffers and the café or restaurant begins to decline Kristīne advises entrepreneurs not to be afraid of possible mistakes and failures "You don't have to get too attached - if it doesn't work out you can learn from your mistakes and try something else," she says At least with a kind conversation you can change the atmosphere in the city And we need to be aware that we can influence a lot ourselves." Internationally renowned professors and scientists will lecture and lead discussions on particle physics and accelerator technology for students from all over the world The CERN Baltic School is aimed at Masters and PhD students offering lectures on the basic aspects of high-energy physics theory Lectures will cover particle detector and accelerator technologies experimental methods and high-precision physics measurements obtained using the Large Hadron Collider which helps scientists to record new physics phenomena The CERN School will feature talks by top scientists Mark Thomson from the University of Cambridge John Ellis from King’s College London and CERN Timothy Cohen from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Ramon Winterhalder from the University of Leuven Leonid Rivkin from EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute and Maurizio Vretenar and Jacqueline Keintzel from CERN For a wider audience – Kuldiga residents and guests – Latvian scientist Kārlis Dreimanis Director of the Institute of Particle Physics and Accelerator Technology invites everyone to a lecture titled: Particle Physics The lecture will take place on 8 August at 19.00 in the concert hall Kļaviņš Piano and will explain how the Universe came into being what are the laws of physics that determine its structure which will be answered by both Dreimanis and Professor of Theoretical Physics Ilaria Brivio from the University of Bologna scientists at CERN have been searching for answers to questions about the Universe by studying the properties of the smallest parts of the Universe – elementary particles They are assisted by a highly sophisticated scientific machine – the 27-kilometre-long Large Hadron Collider – which sends beams of protons into each other at enormous speeds simulating the Big Bang at very high energies and measuring the processes scientists study in the Universe Latvian particle physicists and engineers have been involved in this scientific work for several years since Latvia became a full Associate Member of CERN on 2 August 2021 This opens up a wide range of opportunities for Latvian scientists to work in one of the world’s most powerful science centres and for PhD students to work on their theses at CERN Dreimanis leads a team of Latvian scientists working on one of CERN’s most important experiments – CMS (The Compact Muon Solenoid) which aims to discover new physics phenomena He also leads the National Research Programme project High Energy Particle Physics Research at the CMS Experiment and Development of Advanced Accelerator Technologies in Cooperation with CERN which supports the development of particle physics research in Latvia This is the fourth year of the CERN Baltic School As it is organised by the CERN Baltic Group the schools are held in a different Baltic country each year Kuldīga's unique Old Town was recognized at the global level by being included in the UNESCO World Heritage List The new stamp with a face value of EUR 1.65 which corresponds to the payment of correspondence in the territory of Latvia in the weight category up to 20 grams while the envelope is available in 500 copies The stamp and the cover were designed by the artist Ludis Danilāns whose history and development are linked to the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia - a dynamic fast-growing society in the 16th-18th centuries It was an important international centre of trade Kuldīga is the only city in the world that fully reflects the traditional architecture of the Baltic States The 13th-18th century urban structure and harmonious urban environment are particularly well preserved.  Kuldīga was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List recognizing and appreciating the unique value of the Old Town of Kuldīga on a global scale Training tasks will be performed both in the light and in the dark and during the training exercises soldiers and national guardsmen will be on the move with small arms so local residents are asked not to be alared and to adopt an understanding attitude to any small inconvenience this might cause. The training locations will be cleaned up after the training if necessary Training ammunition and combat simulations will be used for training tasks which make noise but do not threaten people's health or life in any way temporary movement of military transport is likely on the roads in the vicinity of Skrunda members of the public can call the phone number: 25915260 for information about what's going on "The purpose of the trips is to facilitate Latvia’s bilateral relations as well as to showcase the diverse cultural and historical heritage of Latvia," said the Ministry adding that Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be taking the role of tour guide to the town of Kuldīga recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage List On their way to the city of the extremely wide waterall the foreign diplomats will visit Jaunmoku Palace to see its special Victorian gothic architecture Activities in Kuldīga will include visiting several local companies – Duna Brewery,  Curonia Coffee Roastery and ‘a co-creation place for creative energies’ Adatu Fabrika – a renovated 19th century needle factory building that hosts professionals and enthusiasts in various creative fields The foreign diplomats will then visit one of Latvia’s leading wood industry companies and a rural entrepreneur in Snēpele Parish In his Strauss and Kaza (Ostrich and Goat) eatery The regional trip will be concluded with a tour of Abava Vineyard and – one can only assume – a certain amount of diplomatic toasting Around EUR 16 million have been invested in the production building "The production plant with its unique equipment is an important milestone not only in wood processing but also in forestry planning The world's first hybrid machine developed for Latvijas finieris enables experimentation with thinner diameter logs which were previously mostly exported or processed into lower value-added products "We increase the amount of resources we use and have available to us while forest owners get higher productivity from every hectare of land used for targeted forestry," explained Jānis Ciems Chairman of the Board of Latvijas finieris Using smaller diameter and lower quality birch logs at the current harvesting rate in Latvia means that an additional 300,000 m3 of birch wood per year can be used for plywood production "The use of thinner trees in production is an opportunity for forest owners and managers to divert more birch wood to the production of plywood products We believe that good birch stands will be able to produce up to 60% of veneer plywood," said Artis Podnieks Director of the Birch Solid Wood Supply Service at Latvijas finieris Photo: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēlsPhoto: Publicitātes attēls A unique hybrid peeling machine has been manufactured for the Kuldīga production site combining two technologies traditionally used in veneer peeling - spindle and spindleless enabling the peeling of veneer up to 25 mm core "Kuldīgas fabrika" is located in Kuldīga in the area where the Latvijas finieris wood yard has been operating for several years as well as a number of local outsourced service providers The company pointed out that Kuldīga was not chosen as a development and investment destination by chance The economic growth potential of the Kurzeme region and the strong tradition of the timber industry justified the company's choice to set up a veneer plywood receiving site at an early stage while already planning future development scenarios To look for the reasons why analyses last year showed too high a number of enterococci the municipality started looking for sources of pollution and surveyed properties not connected to the centralized sewerage system Work with residents will continue this year who was interviewed by the municipal police and the environmental officer explains that he also has a sewerage pit next to his house and plans to connect it to the centralized system in the future; the project has already been agreed on municipal police officers find a sewerage pipe in the ditch This location is relatively close to the river Venta So far no one has been fined and clarification work is ongoing Deputy Chief of the Kuldīga Municipal Police says that last year a survey of private properties in Kuldīga was already carried out: "Together with the environmental specialist Inta Putniņa we surveyed various addresses where the decentralized sewerage system is not organized we regularly went to the addresses in the evenings we talked to people that they have to get their decentralised sewerage system sorted out." Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio there are both responsive people and less interested ones it will be necessary to find out what to do with those who have not been willing to sort out the sewerage system "For those who have to be reprimanded repeatedly we will be forced to start administrative proceedings," says Meiere There are several hundred addresses in Kuldīga that are not connected to either decentralized or centralized sewerage systems but the number of people wanting to clean up their properties has increased significantly in the last year 175 new decentralised sewerage systems have been registered in 2023 25 this year and 30 to 70 in previous years," says Inta Putniņa environmental specialist at Kuldīga municipality added: to track the quality of the water at the bathing site at the Venta hub analyses will be carried out twice a month this year The river is polluted not only by sewage from backyards and small gardens but also by fertilizers used in agriculture the river has been experiencing lower water levels which has contributed to the deterioration in water quality Last year there was also the cleaning of the Venta where the water plants above and below the hub were removed so the current in the bathing area is also bigger," says Jansone The analyses are now good and bathing is now allowed in the official bathing area in the Venta at the hub.  Take note – story published 1 year and 2 months ago The slant of the lookout tower is as if it is pointing towards the Venta and the Old Town of Kuldīga there are eight platforms at different levels There used to be a wooden observation tower in Pārventa Park but time took its toll and it was demolished for safety reasons Work on a new tower started seven years ago but was postponed due to lack of funding As it is located in the Venta Valley Nature Reserve thought has been given to how best to integrate it into the environment.  architect and designer of the observation tower said: "The idea was that the tower starts from the ground and grows and becomes a mountain or a land which spills over that hillside and invites you to look at what is beyond that river being at the top reinforces the feeling that we are above that slope Photo: Skrundas TVPhoto: Skrundas TVPhoto: Skrundas TV Senior Project Manager at Kuldīga Development Agency added: "The first platform of the observation tower is built in such a way as to ensure both environmental accessibility for people with reduced mobility and to provide a view." Kuldīga's tourism stakeholders said that the project was very much anticipated.  Head of the Kuldīga Tourism Development Center said: "The tower has opened in the most real tourist off-season because February is really the quietest time in tourism This is the place that is attracting the tourist traffic at the moment like a little magnet We could already see this at the weekend when the first sun shone then the number of visitors and guests in Kuldīga was the same as on a calm day in June or July." Kuldīga's Klāvs Šlakorcins has been encouraging people to play with the tilt of the tower in photographs on the internet just like people do at the famous Pisa Tower in Italy The Pisa Tower has a slope of 3.99 degrees while the Kuldīga Tower has a slope of 12 degrees.  The tower is also illuminated during the dark hours of the day the lights are switched off after 23:00 to save money There are also three nature trails from the site.  The project has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Take note – story published 4 years and 1 month ago is a model of how to restore heritage and nurture identity But it shouldn’t rest on its laurels as there’s still a lot of untapped potential in this beautiful town.  Its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries bequeathed a delightful old town which has been remarkably unscarred by subsequent world wars and central planners Kuldīga’s citizens have put their hearts and souls into making it a joy to visit and live in While today Kuldīga is a delightful backwater with just 10,000 inhabitants four centuries ago it was a hub of activity by the name of Goldingen The Dukes of Courland who made it one of their capitals traded with faraway continents The duchy was so well run that merchants and craftsman from far and wide settled there, producing a unique urban mix Many a painter and tourist has since been enchanted by the cobblestoned lanes timber houses and chuckling canals of the “Venice of the North” -- a nickname that may also contain an element of the local sense of humor including a naked collective jog over the stately Venta River bridge and there are some of Latvia's best bars and cafes which Covid-willing should be open again this year as every spring vimba fish jump up the Ventas rumba the townsfolk realised what a treasure they have and set about preserving it Under the guidance of the Kuldīga Restoration Centre locals have learned to restore their historic wooden windows and shutters instead of putting up plastic junk They cherish traditional storytellers and modern artists alike and dish up peasant goodies like potato-and carrot sklandrauši pies along with frothing up a pretty good latte All of which is worth sharing with the world, which is why Kuldīga recently applied to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site And it would no doubt do a fantastic job as European Capital of Culture But before they start popping champagne by the rumba The author of this article spoke on the phone to the municipal official in charge of the bid who beyond repeating some stock phrases about getting the entire community involved in the bid (who on past performances are stellar) didn't give any details about what is planned Another county staffer suggested we contact them again at the end of summer This is not oustanding public relations even if the exact plans are not yet ready to be revealed especially when compared with the enthusiasm of the other candidate cities who did not have similar reservations we are going to boldly suggest five cultural events of our own that Kuldīga could stage to entertain and illuminate Europe in 2027 given its unique mix of people Kuldīga’s unique urban landscape resulted from blending Latvian Roma and Jewish influences over the centuries The town has a track record of sensitively acknowledging its multicultural past for example the restored synagogue is now the main library and a museum of Jewish heritage storytellers and chefs from all these cultures could rekindle the successful synergy And the Duchy of Courland had colonies in Gambia and Tobago – add their spice to the mix too.  Dāvids Klaviņš is an iconoclastic piano maker who has completely re-imagined the instrument crafting giant vertical instruments and the diminutive Una Corda proving that the town is a magnet for original minds Get a load of smart people with seemingly crazy ideas about everything from quantum physics to permaculture to have a drink and a good-natured argument paint or sing it all into a fondue of intellect and imagination Īvande Manor a beautiful baronial pile south of Kuldīga is been meticulously restored by dynamic young couple Kristiāna and Renārs Sproģis showing what people who deeply care about heritage can achieve Grassroots restorers from the Baltics and beyond could gather at Īvande for seminars sharing knowledge and forging plans together function () { LSM.articles.prepareVideoWithCover('vc-1876-2019-06-529833'); });Basos izveidota ekspozīcija “Suitu godi” a small but resilient cultural group with distinct costumes They are famous in Latvia for the women’s ensemble Suitu sievas Wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy concerts given by these ladies and other performers with unusual sounds South of Kuldīga near Skrunda, the Soviets constructed a 19-storey high radar receiver to track incoming missiles in case of Armageddon. The monstrosity was blown up in 1995 as part of a deal withdrawing Russian troops from Latvia and the 1,000 hectare site which once included apartment buildings a hotel and naturally a bomb shelter is now a wasteland sometimes used for military training exercises secrecy versus openness would provide red meat for artworks Plus the site could host the most epic paintball games ever which many compare to the Tower of Pisa in Italy is visited mainly by people from the Kurzeme region Latvian Radio talked to visitors who had specially come to see the new tourist attraction in Kuldīga without my son-in-law and granddaughter getting to the top." I'm glad something like this has been built." Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio If the counter had been running when the tower opened the figures would have been even higher from the beginning of February head of the Kuldīga Tourism Development Centre estimates that 60,000 people may have visited the observation tower by now "This is one of the largest public infrastructure facilities in the region that is open It is open at all times of the day and night Jana Bergmane points out that the opening in February and March created additional opportunities for tourism service providers The huge interest in the tower's opening has led the municipality to think about how to tackle the parking issue head of the environmental management department at the building authority explains that a simple solution has cost around €9,000: "This facility has generated quite a lot of tourism The municipality had to urgently find solutions for parking the project for the observation tower already included 27 car parking spaces and three bus parking spaces we have created a gravel shoulder right next to the watchtower where 32 cars can be parked There are also additional pockets for street vending." Today our friendship has been officially confirmed – Liepaja city council has decided to conclude a Letter of Intent with partners of the application programme – the municipalities of South Kurzeme and Kuldiga on joint cooperation for the implementation of the programme The Letter of Intent states that the main objective of European Capital of Culture 2027 is to promote the development of the city and the region in the fields of culture social areas and public participation through a series of strategically planned events developed in the European Capital of Culture 2027 application with the following main objectives of cooperation: The diverse programme of the European Capital of Culture 2027 project in the period 2023 2028 will contribute to the socio-economic growth of the city Take note – story published 1 year and 6 months ago Kuldīga municipal Police Chief Kaspars Šabāns shows a video of some illegally placed gear where more than a hundred lampreys are caught Keeping fish safe near Kuldīga has improved significantly It could be said that thanks to CCTV footage the salmon and lamprey poaching issue at Kuldīga has almost been eradicated The CCTV system in Kuldīga is planned to be supplemented by another thermal camera as a viewing tower is being built near the Venta Salmon spawn has favorable conditions this year chief inspector of the Fishing Control Division of the Regional Environmental Board of Kurzeme when rivers are also starting to be monitored He believes that the installation of video cameras is a very important assistant in the salmon protection process “There was once a formulation that Kuldīga is the capital of poachers because nowhere in Latvia is there any territory where there are so many salmon spawning sites then the whole area of the city where salmon spawning sites are located will be viewable on screen Not only are inspectors alert – poachers have also upped their technique "Not only does the environmental service have technical resources but the poachers also have thermal cameras and drones senior inspector of the Fishing Control Division the fishing control inspectors of the State Environmental Service performed 80 inspections during which six administrative violation cases have been initiated four of which are regarding violations of industrial fishing and two regarding non-compliance with fishing regulations. In Latvia the limitation period for the catching of salmon and trout in inland waters will run until December 31 Take note – story published 1 year and 4 months ago One of the Kuldīga's favorite restaurants Goldingen Room has lit a cozy fire though the place tends to be so full in summer that you cannot get in sticking firmly to a designed and ever-improving menu Restaurant owner Santa Cine is curt about survival during the winter months - it can never be like in summer There's dinner and lunchtime on working days Some Saturdays are very vibrant and there are Sundays when it gets a little bit quiet,“ says Cine Working days are lively when there are corporate events that large companies in Rīga are holding meetings in the countryside They also employ the hotel during the working day phase,“ says Cine January and February are empty months when everyone has spent their money already So to expect a miracle to happen and suddenly the restaurant to be overwhelmed is absurd The Goldingen Room owner recalls initially living under the illusion of being able to run businesses as in Italy “There are periods in winter when everything is closed It doesn't really work like that in Latvia What will I say to the staff - bye and see you in three months?” Photo: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola / Latvijas Radio A certain moment of prosperity during the winter period is the week of restaurants in Kuldīga “Taste Kuldiga” the second is a festival with Christmas market and cultural activities Restaurant week takes place just in December it was a deliberate and purposefully thought-out decision of how to extend the tourism season in Kuldīga according to Jana Bergmane, Head of the Tourism Development Centre of the municipality of Kuldīga “This restaurant week event is one of the tools to invite to market Kuldīga also outside Latvia's borders Lithuania received information about it [..] there were even buses coming [..] for the Christmas market It's no surprise because a Lithuanian tourist is interested in eating Some companies leave and close for a while but some admit it's very difficult to start business after that the hospitality industry can be salvaged by the film industry stressing that every large-scale event organized in the city can attract visitors as well “Virkas muiža” is one of the pearls of Kuldīga's historical architecture when the first owner of the estate was knights successor Jurgen von Fircks It is surrounded by a legacy of Soviet times - residential apartment buildings and industrial areas Entering the estate brings us to a different reality where there is a rich collection of paintings and every corner of the building has been thought through It was taken over by the current owners at a time when it was in a very sad state Winter is a challenging time and every visitor needs to be packed in because Kuldīga is an oasis where you can spend time outside of the routine and duties[..],“ said Laura Staškus cooks at the Skrunda Manor restaurant are preparing to welcome guests Cook Līga says she works weekends in winter It's much quieter on the estate than it is in summer dine or stay overnight,” Skrunda Manor enterprise chairman Atis Kokmanis said There are plenty of challenges in winter – also how to employ existing employees and provide the necessary working hours “The reality is that during the winter season which in our case is between September and May there is a drop in customers and tourism stops altogether except for larger cities or for some special events A foreign tourist also ends at the end of the summer.“ We only work on weekends and then we can fill it somewhat,” Kokmanis said The team consists of only seven people and another in Riga who works with social networks and participates in association meetings “Our solution is that we use state aid in the summer which subsidizes pupil work along with local governments We accept several children each month who fill those gaps of less skilled work,” says Kokmanis One solution during the winter months is a spa area with a pool and sauna built outside the manor building That's what people love to use in the off-season as well But when it comes to the catering sector and looking to the future there needs to be changes that have been talked about for years continues Atis Kokmanis from Skrunda Manor “What we're all trying to do is collect signatures on value-added tax otherwise it won't be fair,” says Kokmanis Photo: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrsPhoto: Kuldīgas tūrisma centrs President of the Latvian Rural Tourism Association “Rural Traveler” said that overall in Latvia tourism entrepreneurs have experienced increased expenses and reduced profits Diners haven't been able to do without raising prices and the infamous tax issue is still on the table “It's not the Latvians who are going to restaurants and sitting in pubs after a workday so given that there are hardly any foreign tourists to expect our caterers to survive in these conditions in the off-season is pretty bold especially in the regions,” said Ziemele Asnāte Ziemele also highlights problems with VAT status which is an unresolved issue at the national level “It's very inflexible compared to Lithuanians and Estonians who can register either on a case-by-case basis it's easy to apply or give up VAT status [..] but we have left it so stiff that small entrepreneurs who are not VAT-eligible may not actually be on any booking platform so as not to break the VAT Regulation It's taking away the very few customers already,” says Ziemele “We have already spoken to the Saeima National Economy Committee the State Revenue Service should remove the risk that an entrepreneur is afraid to continue doing business then punitive sanctions may simply be too big to proceed Many have stopped working with platforms until there is clarity We asked the Ministry of Finance to allow the State Revenue Service to announce amnesty for those who register as VAT payers or other solutions are being found,“ Ziemele said Kuldīga is already planning to be ready for next season as a UNESCO heritage city which will generate additional interest and promote the region's visibility as a whole Take note – story published 1 year and 7 months ago A program of this level is being implemented for the first time in the Baltic States and 20 students are being provided with scholarships as well as full health insurance. Four universities are involved in the implementation of the program including partners from Finland and Estonia At the "Adatu fabrikā" ("Needle Factory") in Kuldīga, the long-awaited moment has come when students from Latvia Egypt and other countries have gathered in person is excited about this opportunity. Her education is related to the field of communications I was interested in "Erasmus +" mobility programs but the usual programs were not available to me so my colleagues advised me to look in the "Erasmus Mundus" catalog where I also noticed this service design program offer but a few months later I received a confirmation that I have become a scholarship holder of this program," the student says creator of the study program. The program is already in its third year but the limitations of the pandemic have affected previous years that 32 students from all over the world have come to study face-to-face but this is also the first year of study that our study program has become a rarity called "Erasmus Mundus study programs It is included in the list of the 30 best international study programs in Europe and is co-financed with European Union funds we can provide 1,400 euro scholarships for the best 20 students every year for the entire study year This year we had 700 candidates from all over the world Service design is a field that will allow for the improvement of various services in the future, for example so people with very different experiences and previous education have applied to study in Kuldīga "This year we have students with previous degrees in arts We follow European Union guidelines which require that no more how 10% of fellows can be from the same country so geographical diversity is obvious," explains Supe This year there are seven students from Latvia, two of whom have received scholarships even though the annual study fee reaches 4,000 euros for European students and 8,000 euros for students from third countries At the moment when Latvian Radio meets with students in the "Needle Factory" a lecture is being held led by Jonathan Howard from London. Ilze Kundziņa tells more about attracting international teaching staff: "We have found a way to attract professionals as guest lecturers because we have a very small proportion of academic staff.. Currently there is Jonathan Howard from the United Kingdom soon there will be lecturers from Austria and Italy and of course also these international partners." The program is implemented through the cooperation of four universities: under the leadership of the Latvian Academy of Arts the cooperation takes place with the University of Lapland in Finland the Estonian Academy of Arts and the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga. The duration of studies is two years one of which students will spend in Kuldīga Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are prestigious international masters jointly designed and delivered by a group of higher education institutions They involve at least 3 institutions from at least 3 different countries and multiple associated partners from the academic and non-academic world The flag was raised by chair of the Kuldīga municipality city council Inese Astaševska surrounded by hundreds of residents gathered in Town Square In honor of the inclusion of the old city of Kuldiga in UNESCO Kuldiga will be dressed in a special decorum – festive flags will be placed in an urban environment More than twenty years of preparation have ended: from 1997 onwards Kuldīga has carried out targeted research engaged the residents in the restoration process and created the conditions for the inclusion of the old city of Kuldiga on the World Heritage List The second round of the open call for innovative ideas for contemporary work in Kuldīga is finished and we are happy to announce the winner Jurģis Spulenieks with his project Upside Down Kuldīga (Ačgārnā Kuldīga) and share some insights about the selection process Kuldīga’s community art commissioner Elīna Beitika writes: while thinking about independently selected work of art for Kuldīga Ieva Štro and Elīna Beitika) jointly agreed that the Joy of Life should be the interwoven theme of the project as it should be increased among the residents of Kuldīga And we were truly excited to see how various artists who applied for the open call perceive and are motivated to develop the ideas around the Joy We are grateful to all 28 artists who dared we set in-depth criteria from the beginning which helped a lot in the difficult evaluation process It was important for us that the artists have previous experience that the artwork is innovative in the context of Kuldīga and that one or more local communities are involved in the process of its creation It was important for us that the work of art both during the process of creation and its result would appeal to diverse groups of residents of Kuldīga At the same time we also introduced a very subjective criterion – the astrological and intuitive compatibility with the artist with whom we decide to cooperate as we believe that these personal nuances always matter The final criterion was the ability to fit into the budget set by the festival producer We enjoyed the process of evaluating the proposals and during the first round we felt like ‘fishes in water’ We chose three artists: audio-walk and animation project Upside Down Kuldīga around the curiosities of historical sites of Kuldīga by Jurģis Spulenieks a performative installation Mobile Glowing Forum – a light object and community meeting place by authors: Laura Feldberga and an interactive installation Convocation – a tool for joint music creation by authors Kristīne Botros we expected to witness an in-depth presentation of the idea a detailed budget report and time planning and a more detailed description of the process for experimental projects Still a very important aspect of the evaluation of pitches was the artwork’s long-term viability and community benefits Keeping in mind the need for Joy in Kuldīga ‘Upside Down Kuldīga’ would potentially include and be relatable to every resident of Kuldīga from city school kids to senior farmers and international tourists but significant moments and elements of Kuldīga We appreciated the fact that school-age children would be involved in the process who would be able to learn the skills of creating animation both an animation and an audio guide leading through hidden and openly odd places and curiosities of Kuldīga will be available to residents and visitors of Kuldīga This design allows every resident to get involved as well as gives the opportunity to be involved in its creation it gives an opportunity to see perhaps long-forgotten things but important things through the format of a story the skill of creating animation is learned creating both an animation and an audio format guide through Kuldīga’s hidden places which will be available to both local and foreign tourists through which every citizen is given the opportunity to get involved and enjoy their stories As well as for students to be in the process of creation and experience the joy of the result We are looking forward to the beginning of September when we will be able to go for the first walk through the upside-down places in Kuldīga and watch the animation We are heartbroken that we could not implement the other ideas for now We very much hope that with the support of the Kuldīga City Council we will also be able to implement Kristīne Botros and Aiga Vaitkus’ musical installation idea Convocation in the future and that the experimental forum Mobile Glowing Forum by Gundega Evelone and Laura Feldberga will see its daylight one day and will gather the inhabitants of Kurzeme In almost every submitted project application we saw the potential to bring the joy of life in Kuldīga in various ways which boosts our morale and increases joy in us already but also move through this process which allows contemporary art to enter the life of Kuldīga and its residents to become involved in creation and to enrich their own everyday life DemArt and IICCA is funded by the European Union Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them Co-funded by Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia Take note – story published 1 year and 8 months ago In the middle of September the admission of Kuldīga to the UNESCO World Heritage List will be decided upon at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia hopefully bringing a decades-long process to a successful conclusion Kuldīga has purposefully carried out work aimed at the inclusion of the old town of Kuldīga on the World Heritage List head of the Construction Department of Kuldīga county municipality there are various books and publications related to Kuldīga's efforts to get on the UNESCO World Heritage List all of it is also available on the Internet it can be seen and used by anyone who lives and works in Kuldīga." When asked what exactly distinguishes Kuldīga from other objects included in the UNESCO World Heritage List Jana Jākobsone emphasizes that in the context of the world and Eastern Europe: "Kuldīga is the only place in the world that can represent the multi-layered nature of culture urban planning in this region from the 13th century to the 20th century – the most perfectly preserved place The reason for this excellence is the state of preservation which distinguishes this city from all others do not have such a state of preservation and concentration." Kuldīga's restoration center is one of the things done in Kuldīga as part of the UNESCO process educating the public and involving people in window restoration. Several restorers work in the restoration center every day Now construction works are taking place in the courtyard of the center because there is an interpretation of the historical garden.  Ilze Zariņa head of the restoration department says: "We have watched how gardens are created in UNESCO cities in Germany we will go to Sweden to see how gardens are created in a historical environment We have cooperated with an association in France a lecturer has been with us here and talked about the principles Trends can be different – very modern gardens can be created in a historical environment The other direction is to look at what is characteristic of a particular time It is no secret that gardens also have their own fashions It could be said that the 19th and 20th centuries are coming back now." By adding the UNESCO World Heritage title to the charm of Kuldīga the tourism industry would gain even more people interested in this destination head of the Kuldīga District Tourism Development Center suggests: "The target audience who would like to see Kuldīga are definitely lovers of culture and history... our audience can appreciate the special environment that Kuldīga has in relation to UNSESCO. Businesses will also have to work to justifythe name of UNESCO but also the service that people can receive here." Preparations are currently under way for the World Heritage Committee meeting to be held in Riyadh in mid-September. It was supposed to take place last year but was canceled due to the geopolitical situation. After a report on Kuldīga's application member states have the opportunity to ask questions If any of the member states also have questions therefore clarity about Kuldīga's admission to the UNESCO list is expected in a few weeks' time Latvia will become the 37th country to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) Tet Rally Latvia will be the eighth stage of the 2024 WRC Calendar the fastest rally crews in the world will also have visited rallies in Monte Carlo Although this will not be the first time that high-level motorsport competitions have taken place in the Kuldīga region – during the period from 2013 to 2018 and in 2023 Kuldīga region has already hosted stages of the FIA European Rally Championship with the Kuldīga region hosting events of the highest sporting level – stages of the FIA World Rally Championship a series of events in April was further outlined with representatives from Tet Rally Latvia visiting all the cities hosting stages of the FIA World Rally Championship round in Latvia they are providing detailed information about the planned activities in the respective city and region as well as answering questions from those present the activities planned in Kuldīga and the Kuldīga region were presented more extensively we will ceremoniously welcome the Tet Rally Latvia crews who will participate in a parade - first crossing the Brick Bridge where crews will proceed further after completing the parade all Tet Rally Latvia crews will return to the Kuldīga region The day for participants will begin with SS9 Pilskalns and SS10 Snēpele all crews will converge at Kuldīga's City Square where a media and participant zone is planned - a place where rally enthusiasts can meet FIA World Rally Championship participants in person and see their cars up close the drivers will once again take their rally cars to tackle the third special stage SS11 Īvande in the Kuldīga region Although precise spectator zones were not indicated today visitors of the Tet Rally Latvia will have the opportunity to choose their preferred viewing spots - whether it be a twisty section or a high-speed stretch of road For those Kuldīga residents and visitors who may not be able to attend the special stages a special opportunity will be provided - a large screen will be set up in the City Square for four days along with a dedicated fan zone where they will be able to watch live coverage of all Tet Rally Latvia special stages Considering the latest changes in the technical regulations of the FIA World Rally Championship it is planned to abandon the use of the hybrid unit also reducing the overall power of the cars This means that for the first time in hosting the FIA World Rally Championship round Tet Rally Latvia spectators will have the opportunity to witness historically the most powerful and fastest rally cars ever driven by WRC crews JULY 16                     Reconnaissance JULY 19                         Tet Rally Latvia parade over Brick bridge and through oldtown Kuldīga JULY 20                  Tet Rally Latvia special stages SS9 Pilskalns JULY 20                  Tet Rally Latvia media zone and regroup JULY 18                  Tet Rally Latvia Fan zone JULY 19                         Tet Rally Latvia Fan zone JULY 20                  Tet Rally Latvia Fan zone JULY 21                       Tet Rally Latvia Fan zone Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre,who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs.We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot many thanks to our main sponsors Ramirent and Sportland Informative support provided by news portal DELFI and Sporta Avīze Thanks to Tet Rally Latvia supporters AKROPOLE Take note – story published 1 year and 11 months ago Kuldīga bakery is one of the oldest and most known brands from Kurzeme producing bread and pastries since the 1960s It is currently unknown whether the plant is to be sold because the company owner does not comment more broadly An employee told Latvian Radio: "I worked here for 40 years a brigadier [Soviet collective workforce leader] Photo: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas Radio Only a few years ago – in 2018 – the company received the “Producer of the Year” nomination board member Dāvids Šternbergs said that “the bakery is not an easy business – it is tough and risky” He himself worked at the company since 2007 but there are those who love their work and bread around 140 employees worked in the company The head of the company did not comment much in his interview with Latvian Radio The local government has been informed about the cessation of business "The municipality of Kuldīga has received the announcement of the liquidation and cessation of business of the company Kuldīga bakery Ltd the withdrawal of each company from the market affects our citizens and their families and also competitiveness," said Ilze Meirupska-Eglīte representative of the municipality council of Kuldīga She pointed out that it was a signal for the City Council to pursue more targeted work on strengthening of the business environment head of the Ventspils branch of the State of Employment Agency said: “Communication with the management of the company does not go well yet but we have sent a letter that we are prepared to provide support and help people who will find themselves without work – how can we look at the vacancies registered on our homepage how to obtain unemployment benefits [..]." The “Kuldīga bakery” has been one of the hallmarks of Kuldīga including the “Kukulītis” shop The municipality of Kuldīga expressed the hope that there will be someone who will want to develop the brand having returned to their summer apartment – a chimney of the Kuldīga culture center – the storks found it was no longer there since the center is undergoing reconstruction and the chimney has been dismantled proceeded to build a nest on the nearby pole drill involved in the construction work called for the help of nature experts and arborists Nature experts said the eviction must happen as fast as possible before eggs are laid was constructing a council apartment in a nearby poplar tree to offer to the birds Having taken a look at the arborists' labor the stork couple decided their family deserved a better residence than council living They then moved to another chimney of the cultural center – right above the main stage The Kuldīga culture center senior communication specialist Krista Jansone said: Cultural workers are very determined and patient and cultural birds possess the same traits The storks have decided to stay at Raiņa Street 21 and supervise the construction process." just like they would come to watch performers on the stage are now coming to watch the centerpiece couple above the stage they were making the nest on the pole drill the stork couple will not find their stagetop residence either This part of the center will also be reconstructed The municipality and nature experts promise to think about solutions but whether the birds will accept them is not known Take note – story published 2 years and 4 months ago built in 2002 and abandoned since 2009 has now experienced major transformations. The transfer started in August Photo: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas Radio The main thing is how to divide one large trading room so that there is a stage “One of the greatest successes is that we have managed to create a home-feeling The trick is that we have integrated many recognizable details here – into our new temporary house the big hall door,” said project manager Krista Jansone said a variety of wooden elements now integrated into new spaces and even cat images sit in windows and watch the snowy Kuldīga “The biggest challenge has been to create an appropriate Great Hall and stage,” said the center's manager She added that the owners must receive the room back in the same state as they rented it out We had to figure out how we could get those ceilings dark but turning the other way would be white as the shop needs,” Burnevica said Photo: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas RadioPhoto: Inga Ozola/Latvijas Radio A movie theater has also been brought to the supermarket the process involves transforming the former cultural center Construction works started in September this year expecting to rebuild and renovate three buildings the necessary funding for the implementation of the project is lacking “Full funding is not currently available We are talking about both the part of the local government budget and the possibilities for credit Let us see what available programs will open from European projects,” said Madara Liekmane senior project manager of the Kuldīga Development Agency The reconstruction work of the Kuldīga Culture Center is scheduled to be completed within two years the center will have to inhabit the large spaces of the shopping center Tour Riga Riga is so stunning and has so much to offer the seeker of urban beauty which is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list has all the winding streets and cobblestones that you could possibly want A walk through the Art Nouveau district will give you some of the best examples of that architectural style in the whole continent the soaring grandeur of the Freedom Monument will blow you away Another draw of this charming little town is the Open Air Museum at the Pedale Manor which was created by Latvian sculptor Ojars Feldbergs It is where they exhibit modern art installations and hold various cultural events The Abava Valley is also a fascinating site for those interested in exploring archeological sites as there are many old burial sites and cemeteries Krists Luhaers / Unsplash Visit Kuldīga Going farther towards the Baltic sea which is known throughout the country for its beautiful architecture built up to join the Kuldiga Castle in the 17th and 18th centuries This has the Aleksupite River running within its walls The river itself offers several sites worth visiting the widest natural rapids in Europe where fisherman used to catch salmon throwing themselves up in the air is the tallest in the country and the Kuldiga brick bridge where they have an annual naked race to coincide with the light Midsummer nights christina_kozak / Unsplash First mentioned in writing in 1230 Kandava is a city where it’s easy to feel the history of the place as you meander around the old center While the fort that it was built up around has now been reduced to ruins there is a tower that remains from the 14th century The Old Town Square and adjoining Promenade where you can easily find comfortable cafes and craftsmen selling their wares are the best places to go to feel the spirit of the city Kandava also has its fair share of notable architecture including a very high concentration of stone buildings and a number of Neo-Gothic townhouses Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy is a place where natural and manmade beauty meld to form an inviting site for any visitor Talsi was built up to incorporate both the hills that grant it its nickname and the two lakes that give it some of its peaceful atmosphere There are a number of well-maintained parks with fruit trees which are ideal places to spend warm summer afternoons or witness the changing of the leaves in autumn Talsi keeps its cultural heritage very close so there are frequent performances by the Talsi Folklore Group There is also a lovely midsummer celebration held every year First built in the late 1800s by a German baron Pavilosta grew and developed first as a manufacturer of ships and later as a fishing harbor The Baltic Sea is never more than a few minutes away in this cozy seaside town It’s one of the best places you can go to get delicious fish either fresh or smoked in the traditional fashion of the fishermen whose ancestors have lived in the region for centuries This is also one of the sunniest areas in Latvia even during the winter when the days don’t last so long The city underwent some difficulty during the communist period in the 20th century but it has since rebounded to become a fishing center and worthwhile place to visit inga_images / Unsplash See Cēsis A town in central Latvia not to be missed is Cesis Originally planned and built in the 13th century Cesis is full of important Latvian history and fascinating historical sites which has had many owners over the centuries is now the site of the Cesis History Museum a relaxing place to wander around and enjoy the outdoors You can find medieval remnants of the original old city in the town including St John’s Church from the 13th century and the ruins of the Livonian Order’s castle the town holds the memory of the 1919 Battle of Cesis This is where Latvian and Estonian forces came out victorious over the Germans in the Latvian War of Independence tinnnc / Unsplash With archeological evidence showing that Dobele has been inhabited continuously since the Stone Age it is perhaps no surprise there are numerous places of interest in this town in Latvia’s Zemgale region You can check out the ruins of the Dobele Castle or the town’s old churches it is possibly best to plan your visit around one of its famous festivals They really like an opportunity to celebrate in Dobele no matter what the season You can go to the Lilac Festival in spring to give your sense of smell a real treat try the Ancient Castle Festival in the summer or the whimsical Snowmen Parade in the winter anna_kov / Unsplash You can find Kraslava on the southeast border that Latvia shares with Belarus, not far from beautiful nature reserves and parks. Originally built up as a hill fort in the 13th century, Kraslava eventually became a Jesuit and Catholic stronghold in a mostly Protestant area Craftsmen in the area produced goods that were in high demand across Poland and Germany is also worth a look just because of its cultural heritage while the region’s particularities are still fairly apparent If you’re interested in the area’s history Lani is a freelance writer and translator currently living in Prague she went to university at Northwestern University in Chicago and then went on to live in Georgia See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Spring See & Do Lesser-Known Summer Destinations to Visit in Europe Guides & Tips Beat the Crowds with these Alternative Summer Destinations See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in August Guides & Tips This Is Europe's Ultimate Road Trip See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd "The positive vote concludes a period of intensive and creative efforts by the Kuldīga Municipal Council and all the involved municipal authorities over more than 20 years to set the scene for the old town to be put on the UNESCO World Heritage List of cultural properties setting up the Kuldīga Restoration Centre as well as educating the public in heritage matters," said a release from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the decision The Latvian delegation comprising representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Kuldīga Municipal Council and the National Cultural Heritage Administration is headed by Indulis Ābelis “I am truly proud that our Kuldīga is joining the representative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites build and take care of their Kuldīga,” Ābelis said Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List means that the unique value of the old town of Kuldīga has been recognised and that Kuldīga has been marked on the world map as an important cultural heritage site As recently reported by LSM hopes had been high in Kuldīga that a positive decision would be made the Committee examined 50 other nominations made by the governments of other countries concerning inscription of sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List Take note – story published 2 years and 9 months ago a quarantine zone has been established around the African swine fever-affected facility - a protection zone within a three-kilometer radius and a surveillance zone within a ten-kilometer radius. In the sheds located in this area the PVD will intensify checks on the health status of pigs and compliance with biosecurity requirements.  It is forbidden to move pigs from farm to farm as well as to take pigs and pork out of the protection and monitoring zones African Swine Fever first raised its head in Latvia in 2014, leading to emergency measures, huge culls of domestic pigs and severe damage to the farming sector Outbreaks have been reported intermittently since with the spread of the disease often attributed to wild boar It is not harmful to humans but is highly infectious Take note – story published 1 year and 1 month ago The company said it would be adding production space of 2,900 square metres energy-efficient and environmentally friendly equipment "Total investment in productivity and product quality promotion projects will exceed EUR 10.5 million this year," it said.  The office building on the territory of the production plant will be dismantled this spring and replaced with a heat treatment pool with equipment work is underway to rebuild and expand the production site, build another production building, create a repair base for production machinery "The development projects will significantly increase production capacity and promote energy efficiency while continuing to introduce sustainable operating principles into the production process," said a release.  “The modernisation activities started last year and the installation of new equipment using solutions from the world’s leading equipment manufacturers will continue throughout this year and will make the production process even more powerful energy-efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Viesturs Krēvics Director of Stiga RM Plywood Mill The total cost of the Stiga RM plywood production plant development project will exceed EUR 22.4 million over two years It started at the beginning of last year and will run until the end of this year significantly increasing production volumes and export amounts The development of the factory will also create new jobs The factory currently employs 278 people and the number of positions is expected to grow after the completion of the expansion projects Stiga RM was the city of Kuldīga’s largest employer and taxpayer Take note – story published 9 years and 1 month ago on Thursday the new Old Town Hall will be unveiled in Kuldīga Even though it was in critical condition before after renovation lasting for a year it has become an example of how to restore old wooden buildings in towns across Latvia "Historically this place had a masonry chimney we discovered the old foundation on which we laid bricks," the main restorator Juris Pavlovs told Latvian radio showcasing the chimney that will be on show in the historical building "It's one of the most complex works in the object as only the rare [craftsman] undertakes laying a masonry chimney nowadays We found a retired 70-year-old local who had built such a chimney in his own time Other important works done at the place included replacing the wooden floors that had non-standard planks A new door was constructed modeled on the old one mostly by local craftsmen using local materials.  The old Town Hall seems to have been built in the 17th century however little has been left from that time It was rebuilt in the 19th century and its current restoration shows how wooden buildings were made at the time A year ago this building was in critical shape as local Daiga Jansone from the Kuldīga Culture Center told Latvian Radio: as there were problems with the crumbling walls We were amazed that the building could stand only on its beams It was partially funded by the European Economic Area and the Kuldīga municipality.  The building will be used to showcase decorative artworks It will also house a creative photo studio and The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality which will come into force from 1 January 2025 Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students There’s more than the glorious Riga when it comes to this small Baltic country they usually arrive (and stay) within the confines of its capital – Riga – admiring its Hanseatic architecture and fairy-tale-like history the medieval quarter of the capital was also the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the Baltic country following the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee which gathered two weeks ago to decide on expanding the list a new Latvian site was added – the picturesque town of Kuldiga The name is the local variation of the German Goldingen which points to its origins as a Baltic German city and unique history as the administrative centre of the Renaissance Duchy of Courland Its glorious history is well documented and preserved in its meticulously restored historic district Kuldīga is the only city that fully depicts the traditional architecture of the Baltic states merging Latvian and German traditions. The particularly well-preserved 16th-18th century city structure harmonious urban environment and the charming landscape of the river valley are clear evidence of the traditions in the region of Kurzeme (as Courland is known in Latvian) The UNESCO recognition will probably bring more awareness to the Duchy of Courland a small but fairly powerful state which existed until 1795 in the western part of today’s Latvia The preserved and restored old quarter reflects the golden age of this small state which although paid tribute to the Polish kingdom managed to amass its own merchant fleet the Duchy got powerful enough to even briefly attempt small colonization efforts on par with the more powerful European states Courland had two colonial outposts: one in the Gambia River (Africa) and the other on Tobago Island in the Caribbean visitors can enjoy the Baroque wooden architecture and narrow streets The town also features natural attractions which is the widest waterfall in Europe (240 metres) including President Edgars Rinkēvičs and the mayor of the town Inese Astaševska were quick to praise the achievement emphasizing the hope that it will boost the image of Latvia as an interesting cultural tourist destination There was also gratitude to all the people and organizations that made it possible to achieve the high distinction It took more than 20 years since the municipal government officially expressed interest in being granted the global status During that time a lot had to be done in order to reach the desired success including the creation of a heritage management system scientific research and arrangement of cultural heritage sites public education in matters of heritage protection as well as arrangement of building regulations The 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (ESCT) sets the stage for stronger cooperation between the EU national and local level to fast track Europe's transition to climate neutrality Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital Stand in Kuldīga’s main square on a sunny day and you could be forgiven for thinking you had wandered into a town designed specifically for a children’s TV programme Prettily-painted buildings of wood and stone line the road A scarlet-and-white flaps atop a miniature town hall A tiny rushing stream sneaks between the close-packed houses the well-kept shops stretch off into the distance It doesn’t seem like what you’d expect from a small town in the third-poorest country in the EU Maybe that’s because this is undoubtedly Latvia’s “showcase town” Kuldīga is Latvia as it would like the world to see it or around three hours in a rattling bus over dodgy roads – that few tourists make it this far out because Kuldīga has more going for it than just winsome beauty The Old Town is the best kind of warren: an inward-facing little community with lines of houses huddled together as though for warmth streets branching off with a kind of random logic rushing streams that intertwine themselves with the Old Town’s network of streets lend a fresh Apart from the scrubbed-up buildings on the main central arteries mostly low-slung with dark overhanging roofs like battered hats pressed down firmly over weathered foreheads and find myself in a wonderful sculpture park watched over by the turquoise church spire of the city’s Lutheran church a girl drinking from a water fountain –are assembled in ranks so that they appear to be advancing slowly Below them there is a several century-old cellar where a cheerful woman dispenses tasters of wine; she seems unusually chipper for someone who spends all their time underground I do a double-take when I look closer and clearly make out folded-over bits of Lenin’s stern bald head where Soviet history is firmly consigned to museums I go round to the relevant door and discover that the building is host to an exhibition of Soviet life Kuldīga seems an especially ironic place to host such an exhibition one could believe the Soviet occupation just a troubling Here the Soviet Union secreted none of its grim grey apartment blocks – so out of keeping with the Baltic obsession with tidiness and quiet prettiness – well I say none; I did find one down a side-street at one point but it was of moderate size and had something of a sheepish air The city centre is one of the few populated areas in Latvia to have experienced extremely little visible change since the 1930s – the country’s second – and final – decade of full independence as a “golden age” – an anomalous time of not only national sovereignty but also relative prosperity and Europe-leading literacy rates There’s a website called Zudusī Latvija (Lost Latvia) seemingly funded by the national government which is dedicated to preserving the country’s past in pictorial form You can select a Latvian town or some related theme and be shown hundreds upon hundreds of pictures that fit the bill – some commissioned for official purposes others clearly personal photographs or postcards A great majority of them come from the ‘20s and ‘30s all spotless wooden houses and clean streets where the people who walk the streets seem somehow out of place which were flattened by the back-and-forth of World War II and then rebuilt to be homes for Soviet people proof of something that has vanished; for Kuldīga all that you’re struck by is the improvement in photographic technology – all you’d have to do would be fill in some of the streets with some cars switch some of the shop signs and wear out a few of the buildings and you would more or less have the modern city there are almost no photos from Kuldīga taken between 1940 and 1990; it’s as if it just took itself off somewhere for that whole troubled time This sense of being out of time also applies to one of the most vexed issues that confronts Latvia and all of the Baltic republics – specifically how to deal with the results of the huge influx of Soviet citizens to these comparatively wealthy comparatively desirable states between the return of Soviet troops in 1945 and the country’s final departure in 1990 – more overwhelming than almost any othercountry has ever had to face in such a short time But even this is barely registered as a problem in Kuldīga Just 2.8% of the inhabitants of Kuldīga district – or a little over 700 souls – are identified as ethnic Russian only a little ahead of the second-largest minority – the Lithuanians I looked hard on the net for evidence of Kuldīga’s Russian-speaking community not having coming across any evidence at all during my two visits but all I could find was an article from the regional newspaper from 2002 – the number of students attending the Russian part of the school dropped from 2000 in 1985 to single figures by the start of the new millennium – the higher figure were probably not all ethnic Russians but also included Latvian kids whose parents decided their children would be better served by immersion in the all-union language Latvia still maintains a state-funded system of education in Russian although a certain proportion of lessons have to be taught in Latvian the school closed its final Russian stream in 2002 apparently for the principal reason that it was neither cost-effective nor necessary One ethnic Russian woman says that her daughter Jekaterina attends a Latvian-speaking kindergarten not Katja – and frequently switches to Latvian half-way through a sentence She concludes that Kuldīga has no nationality problems but that what worries her is that there are not jobs in the town – that affects everyone after 25 years of Russian not being compulsory in Latvian schools it’s increasingly Latvians who find themselves at a disadvantage in the jobs market Latvia was the most comprehensively Russified of the Baltic states during the occupation and it remains the one where Russian is the most important due to a combination of factors: a larger Russian minority policies that encourage investment from Russia when compared to Estonians and Lithuanians to speak Russian to people who don’t speak the native language Latvian friends from small towns like Kuldīga and Cēsis report finding things difficult jobwise when they move to Riga or Liepāja where private employers – if not the government – very much expect them to be able to communicate with the large chunk of their clientele who speak Russian as a first language and are unwilling or unable to switch to Latvian no one switches to English or Russian – not something that would happen in Riga Latvia’s long-standing status as the least confident most hesitant of all of the Baltic States can partly be put down to its greater history of internal division All three of its cultural regions – Vidzeme Latgale and Kurzeme (Zemgale is sometimes included as a fourth) – have significantly different histories and cultural backgrounds Kuldīga sits plum in the middle of Kurzeme the western chunk of Latvia which sticks out into the Baltic Sea and which has the most interesting and idiosyncratic history of the three – shown by the fact that it’s the only one of the three also to have a name in English: Courland The reason for this can largely be put down to an extraordinary family of Baltic Germans in the 16th century to negotiate the creation of a semi-independent fiefdom in Courland from the then-dominant Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia achieved striking economic success by taking advantage of the region’s favourable location and extensive coastline to develop an extensive merchant fleet and promote trade with Scandinavia and Western Europe establishing short-lived settlements in Tobago and on the Gambia River in West Africa; some sources even claim Jacob Kettler The most visible evidence of this strange but illustrious history in Kuldīga which served for a few years as capital of the duchy is a sculpture showing an extravagantly moustachioed man (intended to be Duke Jacob) emerging from a sheet of what is apparently beaten silver Any man capable of building a Couronian empire probably possessed willpower sufficient to stride straight through a wall The duchy has left relatively few perceptible imprints in modern-day Kurzeme but an ethnic oligarchy maintained by a statistically insignificant sliver of the population Few people I speak to in Kuldīga know much about Duke Jacob other than that he was a German but basically an overlord and owner of property – and tentatively approved of Traces of their independent state may have been left in the contemporary character however: inhabitants of Kurzeme are perceived by the rest of the country as proud The region also has an oddly self-contained despite having two of the Baltics’ largest ports in Ventspils and Liepāja Most Latvian cities are constructed around a central street named Rīgas iela pointing to the nation’s capital and only true metropolis; in Kuldīga The feeling of remoteness seems more a state of mind than an actual physical fact; it’s somehow like being becalmed deep inland At points among Kuldīga’s worn but pretty nineteenth-century houses you could believe that somewhere before the Industrial Revolution this corner of Europe had taken a different turn This feeling is even stronger out in the great forests and fields that make up 99% of this part of the world – here mankind’s effects seem almost comically ineffectual; roads seem transitory a line drawn in sand with a finger; two or three years of neglect and the forest would take it back But this sense of the world being eternally far away is illusory as plaques stuck up on buildings all over Kuldīga prove Far from being wadded in tight to keep everyone out larger neighbouring powers have rolled to and fro over Kurzeme many many times sunny Kuldīga they seem scarcely believable Over 100 revolutionaries burnt in a basement by the Landeswehr An innocuous-looking building is identified as KGB headquarters for the region I come across two stern-faced men with austere cheekbones hoisting a flag Kuldīga once had a vibrant Jewish population – 26% before World War II – which came – as almost everywhere in Eastern Europe – to a hideous end Heading down from the Duke Jacob statue on Liepājas iela I come across an unusual public display which reveals a bit about the unexpected industrial history of Kuldīga The first thing I notice is many pictures of people marching forward were taken under different regimes – the 1900s the 1970s but there is little clue as to this aside from the gradually decreasing degree of discolouration and graininess: all feature grim-faced labourers (of both genders) hoisting aloft flags bearing exclamation marks and strong All are monochrome – the black-and-white era lingered long in Latvia Texts in jerky English explain their significance Below the pictures are scattered match-boxes in two-tone autumn colours stamped firmly in a variety of languages with their city of production: Goldingen Under the glass is displayed the history of the Vulkans factory back when it was a world production centre for matches An attached information sheet runs down the company’s successes and setbacks the former of which do seem to thicken noticeably during the Soviet period before mentioning that the factory burnt down in 2000 and has not been rebuilt All of this is included under a glass diving-bell-shaped display the diameter of two people’s armspan on Kuldīga’s central thoroughfare It’s midday on a weekday and only a small trickle of pedestrians wander down Liepājas iela No one turns off to join me in examining the display It’s nearly time for me to go; I’ve scurried through the little winding streets photographed fading stencilled Cyrillic letters on old buildings I start ranging further beyond the city centre and their frontages are still scratched and scarred but they somehow seem better-fed unlike those crammed together in old Kuldīga Trees wave in the breeze; there are few in the cheek-by-jowl old Town advertised in that jaunty scrawled faux-handwriting that dates like little else when I notice a great looming building beyond and scurrying past some kind of guard building and passing some workmen since there’s no longer any outer wall at all and begin to pick my way through the detritus that has built up over time: wrappers glass perhaps brought here specifically for the purpose of smashing Aspiring trees have pushed their way up through the asphalt Plants fur up the inside like a diseased lung Something has taken great chomps out of the walls which remain standing in odd shapes here and there Ducts in the floor here and there are filled with irrelevant rubbish I realise that this must be the largest remaining chunk of the old Vulkans complex and wander around trying to picture it filled with people intent What the building does not look is especially fire-damaged; it must have been a pretty superficial blaze certainly not putting the factory beyond rebuilding even though any value the site could ever have had is long gone That’s when the air is filled with dull clangs A figure is outlined in a dusky doorway at the end of the room that leads to some similarly ruined room beyond and I guess was never used in match manufacturing The sound stops and echoes flatly out into the room dressed for manual labour or undemanding leisure I decide for some panicked reason that he’s a security guard and start apologising and asking if I should leave; he gets confused and talks too fast and then replay the conversation in my head and realise that the reasons for my doing so are at best inconclusive Bija rupnīca (Was a factory) he corrects in the matter-of-fact I turn and look around the wrecked building Un ko Tu dari šeit (And what are you doing here) I follow up Will Mawhood’s follow-up to his previous piece about Daugavpils and Latgale in UpNorth Despite all of the troubling words coming out of Russia I would stand by the final contention of the previous piece – that Latvia is it would provoke a global crisis beyond anything in most people’s memories That is not something that could have been said in 1939 – or indeed in the ‘90s – at that time were a long way down anyone’s list of priorities The article on Daugavpils underlined the Great Latvian Fear of the last century – that they would be numerically overwhelmed; like the many ethnic minorities to their west granted at best their own autonomous region and allowed to teach their language at their schools or that like the Belarusians and the Ukrainians they would become Russified and divided among themselves That war has been won – I have met only a small handful of ethnic Russian young people in Latvia who do not speak Latvian to conversational level there would have been hundreds and hundreds of thousands The need to learn Latvian in Latvia is no longer seriously contested by any but the most unhinged and bearing in mind Latvia’s small size and limited cultural power it’s quite unlikely that it would have been achieved by a Finland-style stance of official bilingualism – although to claim that the language policy hasn’t also caused a lot of distress and turmoil would be dishonest becoming more like Kuldīga and less like Daugavpils this is very much not meant to be a requiem for Soviet industry But it can’t be ignored just how wrenching a transition to capitalism all three Baltic republics experienced in the early ‘90s – arguably even more other Eastern Bloc nations as they not only had to switch to a wholly different economic system but also extricate themselves from the infrastructure of an empire All three were very different entities coming out from going in One of the most striking parts of this was the extent to which Latvia and Estonia prior to the occupation agriculturally focused economies whose GDP was comparable with Finland had been industrialised under the Soviet Union Latvia was in sixth place for industrial production despite being the second-smallest of all in terms of population At that time around 40% of all workers were employed in industry; that has shrunk precipitately over the last 25 years according to the last set of figures available That’s a lot of people suddenly finding themselves without jobs or valuable skills – the majority of whom This trauma informs Baltic policy on industry more than their fiercely free-market governments would have you believe Why does Estonia continue running its outdated and environmentally ruinous oil shale plants against the advice of the EU and environmentalists – I’m sure there are a number of reasons but one of the biggest must be that they are concentrated in the heavily Russian region of Ida-Virumaa increasingly nihilistic ethnic Russians open to all options is something that neither Prime Minister Rõivas nor the vast majority of Estonian society wants The Latvian government were so desperate to get the giant metallurgic plant Liepājas Metalurgs – the largest industrial enterprise in the country – back to work that they facilitated the sale to some allegedly dubious Ukrainians early this year who now seem to be effectively holding the country to ransom Not unrelated to this dramatic recasting of itself Latvia’s population is now falling as fast as any country in the world although it’s important not to overestimate Latvia’s predicament All of the Baltic States experienced significant and highly engineered population growth and industrialisation under the Soviet Union and to at least some extent the subsequent decline in population and closing of many factories is simply them reverting to agrarian a big part of the reason why Latvia’s population has dropped so precipitately is the large numbers of Russians who chose to move back to Russia more or less as soon as Latvia became formally separated from it (in numerical terms the Russian minority is barely half what it was at independence) The decline in the number of ethnic Latvians has not been nearly so considerable – 100,000 from 1989 to 2011 But this is not to deny that there is a problem The EU that theoretically guarantees its safety and that has genuinely done a lot to boost its infrastructure and life conditions is also charming away its young people Deaths continue to considerably outnumber births and there is a sizeable demographic lump visibly moving through the population graph; sooner or later it will burst out towards the end leading to economic and social demands that the country doesn’t seem equipped to deal with This is not to sound totally despairing – Latvia and all the Baltic countries – have achieved vastly more than anyone could have expected in the early ‘90s when their aspirations to join the EU and NATO were roundly mocked and they were urged by those who knew best to focusing on developing their relationship with the CIS Latvia is lucky to have Estonia as a neighbour and potential model – a country with similar if not quite so dramatic problems which has managed to control has identified a natural selling point – IT innovation and e-services – and has taken considerable steps towards redefining itself as a self-evidently European nation fast depopulating Latvia is a boon to Russia and an inadvertent threat to its Baltic neighbours I remember a Riga-born Russian nationalist I met in St Petersburg a couple of years ago telling me in between dubious accounts of how happy the Latvians deported in the 1940s were with their lives in Siberia that Russia posed no military threat to Latvia at present; they were playing a long game is a success must now be a priority for not only the Baltic States Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. brings together Nordic and Baltic Sea region views issues and features the best ideas and culture that the region has to offer covers a wide range of topics including political and foreign policy analysis; features about music architecture and culture; as well as internet radio podcasts and video content Take note – story published 10 years and 8 months ago Chamber music festival ‘Via Baltica’ launched Thursday in Liepāja providing further evidence that high-class culture exists perfectly happily well away from the bright lights of Riga Organizer Dace Bluķe told Latvian Radio (LR) program Klasika that several years ago the summer season for local cultural events was hardly as rich and varied as it is today But four years ago the idea for a chamber music festival around which to center other cultural activities finally got off the ground with the launch of the first ‘Via Baltica’ the festival has outgrown its original host city and expanded deeper into Latvia’s western Kurzeme province This year’s festival program promises a broad and diverse array of events It gathers more than 20 outstanding musicians’ groups to perform concerts as well as hold workshops for the children’s audience on Saturday Liepāja will host four of the events between now and August 30 while Kuldīga will stage three of them on August 23 Thursday evening’s opening performance will feature baroque period works written in the historical territories of modern-day Latvia performed by the Collegium Musicum Riga ensemble On Wednesday August 20 the trio of women calling themselves ART-i-SHOCK will perform an intriguing program on cello piano and various non-traditional percussion instruments Festival-goers can attend “Flight of the Black Stork” on August 23 at the Kuldīga Cultural Center which will feature mezzosoprano Ieva Parša ethnographic Latvian folk music maestro Valdis Muktupāvels and the Riga Saxophone Quartet This concert will portray the international environmental research and documentary film project “Black Stork: Flight of Life” which follows the migratory paths of eight of these magnificent endangered birds from Latvia across central Europe the vocal group Putni will sing at a free concert titled “Impressions” including two world premieres and several pieces written especially for the group on August 30 the ‘Via Baltica’ chamber music festival will close with a free concert titled “Night of the Ancient Fire” which will be held on the Liepāja beach by the monument to fishermen and maritimers lost at sea The program features Latvian and Scandinavian folk music arranged by Gunārs Rozenbergs into works that seem to create a hybrid of big-band and chamber-music styles as performed by the Mirage Octet More information about the program is available here Restoration of the historical bridge has been a real benefit for me as our hostel is located between the two main local tourist attractions – the old bridge and the largest waterfall in Europe so my guests now have a wonderful view to enjoy The bridge’s technical restoration has also been important as there is no longer rainwater on the surface The underlying aim of the restoration was to promote regional development The historic bridge is the most important tourist attraction in Kuldīga and therefore plays a vital role in achieving the project aims more accessible waterfalls and spectacular new-look bridge now offer an exciting destination for locals and tourists The project was implemented by the Kuldīga Town Council the bridge managed to retain its architectural qualities yet had new features added including a new lighting system while stairs along the remains of the old castle wall were renovated to improve access to the waterfall.The restoration work has helped promote Kuldīga’s popularity the town received the European Commission award ‘European Destination of Excellence’ while in 2008 Kuldīga historic centre was awarded the European Heritage Label with international conferences such as ‘Bridge for Kuldīga – bridge to the world’ in 2007 helping locals and visitors discover the old bridge’s role in linking the past and future In an effort to preserve the authenticity of local cultural heritage music concerts and performances are held on the bridge often including spectacular fireworks and high-tech laser lighting and projections The River Venta forms a deep valley in nearby Kuldīga and is home to the Venta waterfalls a significant geologic-geomorphologic feature residents and tourists can observe the migrating fish in the waterfall Given its role as a natural barrier during migration Venta waterfalls has also witnessed the development of interesting fishing styles for catching salmon and vimba with the use of special weirs adding to the many activities on offer in the region Take note – story published 9 years and 7 months ago The 14th International Organ Music Festival will be held in Liepaja and Kuldiga the festival's concerts will be held from September 18 to 25 The festival is traditionally held in Liepaja's Holy Trinity Cathedral non-reconstructed mechanical pipe organ with 131 stops 4 manuals and more than 7000 pipes is located Two of the seven concerts will be held in the town of Kuldiga while the rest will take place in Liepāja The young and talented Japanese musician Mari Fukumoto will be playing the opening concert featuring German baroque and romanticism in Liepāja's Holy Trinity Cathedral Cecilia Mass will be played on the afternoon of September 20 by Vidas Pinkevicius while Janis Pelse will entertain younger audiences together with violinist Dzintars Beitans and the Liepaja Traveling Puppet Theater with a special performance for the festival by Peteris Plakidis (music) and Peteris Trups (libretto Ilze Reine and Aigars Reinis will perform classic organ music from the world and Latvia along with a piece from the up-and-coming composer Jekabs Jancevskis along with the children's concert will be held on September 24 in two churches of Kuldiga.  The festival will be closed with compositions from J Artis Simanis (alto saxophone) and Jolanta Strikaite (soprano).  Tickets are available at www.bilesuparadize.lv - search for "ērģeles" and you should be able to find what interests you in the drop-down menu Here's a program of the festival in Latvian You should be able to see the exact dates and times for each concert we've just described This month, three representatives from Kuldīga (Latvia) Vendija Bakanauskaite, Ieva Štro un Elina Beitika participated in the first training of the International Institute of Community Commissioned Art (IICCA) which took place from September 28 to October 1 as part of the “DemArt” project at the “Bethlen” theater in Budapest The training was led by the Institute’s external expert the former Queens Council on the Arts’ Art Commissioning Program Manager Daniel Valtueña in collaboration with advisors The goal of the training to build a stronger DemArt community and to empower our Art Commissioners in their role as community leaders Learn more: https://iicca.org/news/three-days-at-budapest-training-session/ The decision was taken by the member states of the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session Representatives of the municipality of Kuldīga told LETA news agency that the city’s path to the UNESCO world heritage status took more than 20 years the Kuldīga Restoration Centre was set up and a programme to support the protection of historic buildings was drawn up which enabled Kuldīga’s Old Town to be inscribed on the World Heritage List the historical centre of Kuldīga started developing as far back as the 13th century and has preserved urban planning elements dating back to periods from the 13th to the 19th century Latvia also has the Historical Centre of Riga inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List The Venta Waterfall in Kuldīga will be illuminated on 15 and 16 March is one of the smallest waterfalls in the world But its low height is compensated by its impressive width - 200 to 250 meters depending on the season Kuldīga will witness a unique light show that will illuminate the widest waterfall in Europe Locals say that the waterfall was illuminated once before in the 1960s but since then it has remained in the dark which makes this an even more unique opportunity for the citizens and guests of Kuldīga to see the magnificent Ventas Rumba like never before The waterfall will be illuminated on 15 and 16 March Locals say that the best places for viewing the illuminated Ventas Rumba will be the old bridge and the left bank of the River Venta There is one more thing you need to know about this natural wonder Each spring and autumn one can see an exciting phenomenon there as the fish try to clear the rapid by jumping over it That’s the reason why Kuldīga used to be called the town where you can catch salmon in the air One could catch as many as 80—100 salmon a day Participants represented both genders and different ages while some were wearing traditional oak wreaths or hats Several hundreds of people came to watch the nude run The runners were awarded with cold beer after the run In contrast to similar events elsewhere in Latvia the nude run in Kuldiga is not officially organized participants gather to run naked without any consideration for gender A subscription to The Baltic Times is a cost-effective way of staying in touch with the latest Baltic news and views enabling you full access from anywhere with an Internet connection. 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