"Along Latvia's Roads" Aglona Alberta iela Alsviki Artifacts Bauska Country life Cultural Life Ethnographic Museum Family Historical Jani Jaunmoki Jelgava Kuldiga Liepaja Lizums Mordanga Old Riga Pardaugava Perle Potpourri Riga Zoo Riga Rundale Sabile Soviet Days Stende Usma Velena

About LatviaTypes of Reference on Our “Shelf”

HistoryCultureby Timelineby Materials

Our collection reproduces a diverse array of printed media:

Arranged by timeline. Use the link tabs above for alternate views.

Albums & Pictures
Articles
Books—Excerpts
Books—Complete
Documents
  • Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, full text of the secret protocol carving up Eastern Europe between Stalin and Hitler, 1939
Biographies
  • Munters, Vilhelms, Latvia's last foreign minister (first independence), from July 1936 to June 1940

Letts Go Looking

First and foremost, whether researching on the Internet or in print, it is up to you to determine what's opinion, conjecture, and fact. As recently as 2001—ten years after Latvian independence—a British Airways tourist brochure published as fact the Soviet era propaganda that Latvia's Freedom Monument was erected by the Baltic peoples in grateful thanks to their "liberator," Stalin.

The second challenge is that Latvia has been under Latvian control less than 50 years out of the last eight centuries. Most accounts of "Latvian" history start with the founding of Riga in 1201—a date as well known to the Latvians as 1066 is to the English. Reflecting German domination, for most of their history, Liepaja is Libau, Ventspils is Vindau, Jelgava is Mitau, Kuldiga is Goldingen, the Gauja is the Aa... from historical accounts to birth records, everything before Latvian independence reflects these "foreign" names.

The hurdles are many, and so are the rewards for those persistent enough!

   

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Curling Up With a Good Book

Our most recent reviews:

Defender of Minorities
Paul Schiemann, 1876-1944

by John Hiden
Materials on Latvian nationalism and independence...present a strongly nationalistic picture of Latvia's first independence: Latvians shedding the twin yokes of Baltic German and Tsarist oppression. Nowhere is it mentioned that a Baltic German—Paul Schiemann—was a pivotal figure in defining Latvian identity and achieving Latvian sovereignty. [More]

The Rings of My Tree: A Latvian Woman's Journey,
by Jane E. Cunningham,
is a well-told story of one young woman's journey starting in pre-WWII Latvia. We follow Jane's friend Mirdza as she is ripped from her beloved home in Liepaja [More]

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