Jelgava

Coordinates: 56°38′54″N 23°42′50″E / 56.64833°N 23.71389°E / 56.64833; 23.71389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jelgava
State city
Aerial view of Jelgava
Aerial view of Jelgava
UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
LV-300(1–9); LV-3024; LV-3035
Calling code(+371) 630
Websitewww.jelgava.lv

Jelgava (pronounced

Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the administrative center of the Courland Governorate
(1795–1918).

Jelgava is situated on a fertile plain rising only 3.5 metres (11.5 feet)

above mean sea level on the right bank of the river Lielupe. At high water, the plain and sometimes the town as well can be flooded. It is a railway center, and is also a host to the Jelgava Air Base
. Its importance as a railway centre can be seen by the fact that it lies at the junction of over 6 railway lines connecting Riga to Lithuania, eastern and western Latvia, and Lithuania to the Baltic Sea.

Name

Until 1917, the city was officially referred to as Mitau. The name of Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian word jālgab, meaning "town on the river."[5] The origin of the German name Mitau is unclear, although it is suggested that it came from the Latvian words mīt or mainīt, meaning "to exchange" or "to trade," thus making it "trading-place." An alternate explanation is that Mitau came from Mitte in der Aue, which is German for "the middle of the Aa", referring to the Lielupe River, formerly known as the Courland Aa (Kurländische Aa in German).[citation needed]

In Yiddish, the city was known as מיטאַווע (Mitave) or מיטאַו (Mitar).

In publications dating from the Soviet period, the city name was occasionally spelled in English as "Yelgava", a back-transliteration from Russian Елгава.

History

The Rastrelli Palace at the heart of Jelgava, completed in 1772

Settlement began developing in the Mitau locality between the rivers Lielupe and Driksa during the 10th century. Led by the Grand Master Konrad von Mandern [lv], the crusading Livonian Order constructed the castle in Mitau on a natural island fortification (Pilssala) in 1265–1266. Using Mitau as a southern fortress, the German knights subdued the surrounding Livonians and Semigallians by 1290. The town rose in importance as a defensive fixture against the Lithuanians to the south, who succeeded in plundering Mitau in 1345.

As a result of the fall of the Livonian Order in the

Duchy of Courland in 1561. Mitau received city rights in 1573, and became the capital of the united duchies of Courland and Semigallia in 1578. When the Duchy of Courland split in 1596, Mitau became the residence of Duke Friedrich Kettler of Semigallia. The city again became the capital of the united duchies in 1617. Because the duchy became a vassal of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1561, Mitau was also referred to by the Polish name Mitawa. The Commonwealth's repeated wars with Sweden subjected Mitau to several sieges. Despite the wars, the city grew as a center for trade and industry. As Courland's neighbors increased in strength, however, the duchy - and Mitau - began to fall under Russia's sphere of influence
.

The

St Petersburg
, he took ill and died (1711). Anna ruled as the duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730.

Academia Petrina, established by Duke Peter von Biron
in 1775

The penultimate duke of Courland, Ernst Johann von Biron (r. 1737–1740 and 1763–1769), expanded the cultural aspects of Mitau. He constructed the ducal palace and opened the first public library in the city. In 1775 the last Duke of Courland, Peter von Biron (r. 1769–1795), founded the Academia Petrina, which became a cultural center for the country. The duke also encouraged theatrical performances at his court.

With the outbreak of the

Louis XVIII in 1814. Although the city was occupied by Prussian troops during the Napoleonic Wars
, it was largely spared destruction.

Jelgava in 1935

Mitau further expanded after the

victory of the latter group in November 1919, Mitau, renamed to Jelgava, became an important city in independent Latvia. In 1925 a sugar factory was built in Jelgava, the first such factory in Latvia. In 1939 Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies opened in the Jelgava Palace
.

As a result of the

Nazi–Soviet population transfers. German forces from Army Group North occupied Jelgava from 1941 to 1944 until the re-capture of the city by the Red Army. During World War II, German police along with Latvian auxiliary police murdered the Jewish inhabitants of the city during a series of mass shootings (see Jelgava massacres
). The main synagogue was burned to the ground.

Soviet soldiers fight in the streets of Jelgava in the summer of 1944

In late July 1944, the Soviet

Red army launched an attack from the south in the direction of Jelgava and Tukums to encircle the German Army Group North. Jelgava was declared a fortress (Festung) however, there were only a few scattered German and Latvian units in the city. From 30 July until 7 August, after heavy street fighting and several air raids, the Red Army managed to occupy the left bank of the Lielupe river. In late August, the German army launched a counterattack on Jelgava from the north but it failed to drive back the Soviets. Jelgava remained on the frontline until 10 October when the German army retreated to Courland
. The city's historic centre, industry, rail network, and public buildings were heavily damaged by the fighting, with almost 90% of the city destroyed. Among lost buildings was famous Kurland Provincial Museum and Athenaeum.

Jelgava was rebuilt in typical Soviet style after

Latvian SSR. Jelgava became home to several big factories. Among them were the sugar factory, which was heavily expanded from 1975 assembly line, and administration buildings for the Riga Autobus Factory
(RAF). Following Latvian independence, Jelgava has slowly regained its original Germanic heritage and is now a popular tourist site. Owing to Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, many of Jelgava's inhabitants are students or people connected with education. For this reason Jelgava is sometimes called the Student capital of Latvia.

Climate

Jelgava has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

Climate data for Jelgava (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1867−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.7
(51.3)
13.5
(56.3)
19.7
(67.5)
27.4
(81.3)
30.0
(86.0)
32.8
(91.0)
36.0
(96.8)
33.7
(92.7)
30.1
(86.2)
23.4
(74.1)
17.0
(62.6)
11.6
(52.9)
36.0
(96.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5)
0.3
(32.5)
4.9
(40.8)
12.4
(54.3)
18.1
(64.6)
21.3
(70.3)
23.9
(75.0)
23.1
(73.6)
17.8
(64.0)
10.8
(51.4)
4.8
(40.6)
1.1
(34.0)
11.5
(52.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −2.7
(27.1)
−2.7
(27.1)
0.7
(33.3)
6.7
(44.1)
12.0
(53.6)
15.5
(59.9)
17.9
(64.2)
17.0
(62.6)
12.3
(54.1)
6.9
(44.4)
2.5
(36.5)
−0.9
(30.4)
7.1
(44.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −5.7
(21.7)
−6.2
(20.8)
−3.6
(25.5)
1.1
(34.0)
5.1
(41.2)
8.9
(48.0)
11.6
(52.9)
10.8
(51.4)
7.0
(44.6)
2.9
(37.2)
−0.1
(31.8)
−3.6
(25.5)
2.4
(36.3)
Record low °C (°F) −34.5
(−30.1)
−34.9
(−30.8)
−30.1
(−22.2)
−14.2
(6.4)
−5.3
(22.5)
−1.1
(30.0)
2.8
(37.0)
0.3
(32.5)
−6.4
(20.5)
−10.1
(13.8)
−22.4
(−8.3)
−32.2
(−26.0)
−34.9
(−30.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 43.6
(1.72)
34.8
(1.37)
33.8
(1.33)
36.0
(1.42)
52.4
(2.06)
73.4
(2.89)
82.1
(3.23)
69.4
(2.73)
59.9
(2.36)
68.2
(2.69)
50.4
(1.98)
47.1
(1.85)
651.1
(25.63)
Average precipitation days 11 9 9 7 9 10 11 10 10 11 11 11 119
Average
relative humidity
(%)
87.5 84.9 78.5 71.4 70.5 74.5 77.9 78.7 83.1 86.6 89.4 89.6 81.0
Source 1: LVĢMC[7][8]
Source 2: NOAA (humidity and precipitation days 1991-2020)[9]

Demographics

As of 1 January 2022, the city had a population of 54,694.[citation needed]

Demographics of Jelgava 2022
Latvians
62.1%
Russians
24.8%
Belarusians
4.8%
Ukrainians
2.3%
Poles
1.7%
Lithuanians
1.3%
Others
3%

Sights

Cathedral of Our Lady

Jelgava before the Second World War had regular, broad streets lined with the mansions of the

Academia Petrina.[citation needed
]

In addition the following cultural and historical objects can be seen: Jelgava Palace (Lielā Street 2), Jelgava Old Town, Cathedral of the Immaculate Virgin Mary (Katoļu Street 11), St Simeon and St Anne's Cathedral (Raina Street 5), St. John's Church [lv] (Jāņa Street 1), Jelgava Baptist Church (Matera Street 54), Love Alley (Dobele highway), Valdeka Castle [lv] (Rīgas Street 22), Jelgava Station (Stacijas Street 1).[citation needed]

  • Jelgava Palace
  • Academia Petrina
    Academia Petrina
  • St. Anne's Church
    St. Anne's Church
  • Destroyed Jelgava St. Trinity Church
    Destroyed Jelgava St. Trinity Church
  • Cathedral of the Immaculate Virgin Mary
    Cathedral of the Immaculate Virgin Mary

Culture

Ice sculpture festival

Jelgava regularly hosts an international

Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia s celebrations, New Year's Eve.[citation needed
]

The following museums operate in the city: Ģederts Eliass [lv] Jelgava History and Art Museum, Adolf Alunan Memorial Museum [lv], historical expositions St. Trinity Church [lv] tower, Latvia University of Agriculture Museum [lv], Rundāle Castle [lv] museum exposition in Jelgava Castle "Tombs of the Dukes of Kurzeme and Zemgale", Latvian Railway Museum Jelgava exposition, psychiatric hospitals "Ģintermuiža [lv]" museum, Firefighter [lv] exposition.[citation needed]

Libraries: Jelgava City Library [lv] (Akadēmijas Street 26), Pārlielupe Library (Loka highway 17), Miezīte Library (Dobele highway 100), children's library "Zinītis" (Lielā Street 15).[citation needed]

Parks

Green territories and parks: Jelgava Castle Park, Station Park, Rainis Park, Duke Jacob's Square, Square in Mātera Street, Alunāns Park, Svētbirze, Ozolpils Park, Valdeka Park, Ozolskers, Victory Park, Jelgava Psychoneurological Hospital Park, Lielupe floodplain meadows, Grēbner Park, forest near RAF residential area, forest near Jelgava bypass.[citation needed]

Sports

The city's main football team,

FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and has won the Latvian Football Cup four times.[citation needed
]

Notable people

Town Hall of Jelgava, Latvia
Bus station in Jelgava, Latvia

Sport

Twin towns – sister cities

Jelgava is twinned with:[13]

In 2022, Jelgava suspended the cooperation agreements with Magadan and Baranavichy due to Russian invasion of Ukraine.[14]

See also

  • Adolfa Alunāna Theatre

References

  1. ^ Jelgava City municipality web page Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Iedzīvotāju skaits pēc tautības reģionos, pilsētās, novados, pagastos, apkaimēs un blīvi apdzīvotās teritorijās gada sākumā (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā) 2021 - 2022". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Gross domestic product and gross value added by planning region, State city and municipality at current prices (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021)". stat.gov.lv.
  5. – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Meeting the Enemy by Richard Van Emden.
  7. ^ "Klimatisko normu dati" (in Latvian). Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Gaisa temperatūras rekordi" (in Latvian). Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  9. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  10. ^ (in Latvian) LLU pirmkursnieki svin Azemitologa svētkus
  11. ^ "Last Duke of Courland's cause of death revealed". RSU. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Eichwald, Karl Eduard von" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 132.
  13. ^ "Sadraudzības pilsētas". jelgava.lv (in Latvian). Jelgava. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  14. ^ Jelgava suspends cooperation agreement with twin cities Magadan (Russia) and Baranovichi (Belarus)

External links