Lielvarde
Encyclopedia
Lielvārde population 6328, is a town
in Vidzeme
, Latvia
, the administrative centre of Lielvārde municipality
on the right bank of the Daugava river, 52 km southeast of Riga
.
Livonians and the Balts
, and many prehistoric artifacts have been uncovered there. A Baltic
hill-fort named Lennewarden being taken in fief by Albert of Buxhoeveden in 1201 is mentioned in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
. This site is called Dievukalns (Hill of the Gods) in Latvian. A stone castle was constructed by the Riga diocese in 1229; its ruins are still accessible today.
A parochial school was established when the area was part of Swedish Livonia
, but ca. 70% of the population perished in the Great Plague of 1710. The opening of the Riga-Daugavpils
railroad in 1861 led to the expansion of the town around the railway station Rembate. The town was entirely destroyed in World War I
but was swiftly rebuilt after Latvia achieved independence.
After the occupation of Latvia and its incorporation into the Soviet Union
as the Latvian SSR
, Edgars Kauliņš (1903-1979), the local Communist Party
secretary, was able to save all of the farmers in the district from deportation during the period of forced collectivization
, declaring that there were no kulak
s in the area and he would rather be deported himself. In 1948 Kauliņš became the founding chairman of the kolkhoz
Lāčplēsis ("The Bear Slayer"), now part of Lielvārde. The kolkhoz became famous for its beer, still brewed in Lielvārde by AS Lāčplēša alus, part of the Scandinavian Royal Unibrew
brewing group since 2005. Lielvārde air base
was built by the Soviets in 1970; the largest in the Baltic States
, it was taken over by the Latvian Air Force
in 1994.
and Andrejs Pumpurs
, author of the epic Lāčplēsis
(The Bear Slayer, 1888), and for the Lielvārdes josta, a traditional woven belt with 22 ancient symbols. Portions of the belt's design are featured on Latvian banknotes
, and its symbolism has inspired many artists and folklore
enthusiasts, especially those associated with the pagan revival, dievturība
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Vidzeme
Vidzeme
Vidzeme is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. Literally meaning "the Middle Land" it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, the administrative centre of Lielvārde municipality
Lielvārde municipality
Lielvārde municipality is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2004 by reorganization of Lielvārde town with its countryside territory. In 2009 it absorbed Jumprava parish and Lēdmane parish the administrative centre being Lielvārde.- References :...
on the right bank of the Daugava river, 52 km southeast of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
.
History
The area was a contact zone between the FinnicFinnic peoples
The Finnic or Fennic peoples were historic ethnic groups who spoke various languages traditionally classified as Finno-Permic...
Livonians and the Balts
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
, and many prehistoric artifacts have been uncovered there. A Baltic
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
hill-fort named Lennewarden being taken in fief by Albert of Buxhoeveden in 1201 is mentioned in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
The Livonian Chronicle of Henry is a document describing historic events in Livonia and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. Apart from the few references in the Primary Chronicle compiled in Kievan Rus' in the twelfth century, it is the oldest known written document about the history of these...
. This site is called Dievukalns (Hill of the Gods) in Latvian. A stone castle was constructed by the Riga diocese in 1229; its ruins are still accessible today.
A parochial school was established when the area was part of Swedish Livonia
Swedish Livonia
- Swedish infantry and cavalry regiments:Infantry regiments:* Garnisonsregementet i Riga * Guvenörsregementet i Riga * Livländsk infanteribataljon I...
, but ca. 70% of the population perished in the Great Plague of 1710. The opening of the Riga-Daugavpils
Daugavpils
Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means "Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some...
railroad in 1861 led to the expansion of the town around the railway station Rembate. The town was entirely destroyed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
but was swiftly rebuilt after Latvia achieved independence.
After the occupation of Latvia and its incorporation into the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as the Latvian SSR
Latvian SSR
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...
, Edgars Kauliņš (1903-1979), the local Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
secretary, was able to save all of the farmers in the district from deportation during the period of forced collectivization
Collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a policy pursued under Stalin between 1928 and 1940. The goal of this policy was to consolidate individual land and labour into collective farms...
, declaring that there were no kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s in the area and he would rather be deported himself. In 1948 Kauliņš became the founding chairman of the kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
Lāčplēsis ("The Bear Slayer"), now part of Lielvārde. The kolkhoz became famous for its beer, still brewed in Lielvārde by AS Lāčplēša alus, part of the Scandinavian Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew is the second largest brewery group in Denmark, selling under the brands Ceres, Faxe and Albani, although their best selling beer is marketed as Royal...
brewing group since 2005. Lielvārde air base
Lielvarde (air base)
Lielvārde is an air base in Latvia located north of Lielvārde and southeast of Riga. It was built in 1970 for an attack aircraft regiment. It was transferred from Russia to Latvia in 1994 and now forms the core of operations for the Latvian Air Force....
was built by the Soviets in 1970; the largest in the Baltic States
Baltic countries
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
, it was taken over by the Latvian Air Force
Latvian Air Force
Latvian Air Force is the aviation branch of the National Armed Forces. The first Air Force units were established 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense of Latvian air space is maintained by NATO, with rotating detachments of four aircraft to Lithuania at four-monthly intervals...
in 1994.
Cultural traditions
Lielvārde is renowned as the area that inspired the prominent Latvian poets AuseklisAuseklis
Auseklis was a Latvian god, and the personification of the celestial body Venus...
and Andrejs Pumpurs
Andrejs Pumpurs
Andrejs Pumpurs was a poet who penned the Latvian epic Lāčplēsis and a prominent figure in the Young Latvia movement.Growing up on both banks of the Daugava river, he was one of three children from the civil...
, author of the epic Lāčplēsis
Lacplesis
Lāčplēsis is an epic poem by Andrejs Pumpurs, a Latvian poet, who wrote it between 1872-1887 based on local legends. Lāčplēsis is regarded as the Latvian national epic.-Synopsis:...
(The Bear Slayer, 1888), and for the Lielvārdes josta, a traditional woven belt with 22 ancient symbols. Portions of the belt's design are featured on Latvian banknotes
Latvian lats
The lats is the currency of Latvia. It is abbreviated as Ls. The lats is sub-divided into 100 santīmi ....
, and its symbolism has inspired many artists and folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
enthusiasts, especially those associated with the pagan revival, dievturība
Dievturiba
Dievturība is a Neopagan religious movement, which claims to be a modern revival of the folk religion of the Latvians before Christianization in the 13th century. Adherents call themselves Dievtuŗi , literally "Dievs keepers", "people who live in harmony with Dievs".The Dievtuŗi movement was...
.