Rūdolfs Blaumanis
(1863–1908)

Hello! and welcome to the 26th year of latvians.com on the web!

It's worth repeating the words on our home page of writer, journalist, and playwright Rūdolfs Blaumanis expressing the feeling each and every one of us should have for their own unique heritage:

Mans Zelts ir Mana Tauta,
Mans Gods ir Viņas Gods.

My Gold is My People,
My Honor is Their Honor

Our hope is to give you a feel for Latvia and the Latvians first of all by sharing our pictures, experiences, and personal perspectives. As children, we learned Latvia was a far off paradise held hostage by Soviet occupation. When Silvija finally visited during Soviet times, and Peters after independence, reality only amplified our appreciation and passion for all things Latvian.

We also hope to dispel ignorance and misinformation, to be a reliable resource for those seeking to learn more about their heritage or Latvia in general. Our Center for Baltic Heritage digitizes materials not widely available online. Whether an album of pictures of Riga from a century ago, the erection through donations of the national monument to freedom after more than seven centuries of subservience to foreign powers, or the account of Soviet mass deportations, our materials convey a sense of then and there.

“So, why should I learn more about Latvia?”

The Baltic past is rich in ancient cultural treasures and in the geopolitical lessons it teaches, as relevant to today as when Count Shuvalov, then Russian governor-general of the Baltic provinces (1864–1866), first stated:

The historical mission of the Baltic provinces is to serve as a battlefield for the problems of the highest politics in Europe.

This role continues today as the Baltics find themselves on the NATO defensive front-line, a geopolitical cordon sanitaire wedged between an autocratic, belligerent Russia and western Europe.

That the Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians have preserved their cultures over millennia in the face of inestimable odds pays tribute to both the people and the powerful calling and richness of their heritage. Our purpose here is to provide a window into Latvia — its people, its culture, its treasures, to shape an informed perception of Latvia and Latvians.

Why us?

Pride in one's heritage is not uncommon. So, what is our impetus for creating and curating this site (and others)?

Knowing just a fraction of what our parents went through to eventually make it to America, to start a new life, to start a family, we cannot but feel inspired to preserve and communicate their love for their Latvian heritage, a love they passed on to us.

Their experiences of the war and refugee camps and stories of survival are not unique. Rather, they are typical of Latvians, young and old, who lived through the Soviet and Nazi occupations and then through a half decade in refugee camps until their chance to start over again in strange lands oceans away from home.

latvians.com honors their memories, their stories, and gives thanks.

Silvija and Pēters Vecrumba

Our passion, our missionDid you know Latvia...?
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