World Stroll
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Family roots

Discover your Latvian roots

The middle of the three Baltic states: pine forests and empty white beaches, Riga's Art Nouveau streets, medieval castles and a nation that sings.

Latvia lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south, with Russia and Belarus to the east. It is a flat, green country: most of the land is less than 100 metres above sea level, more than half of it is covered by forest, and it has about 500 km of sandy coast along the open sea and the shallow Gulf of Riga.

Baltic tribes and the Finnic Livonians lived here long before German crusaders arrived around 1200 and founded Riga. For the next seven centuries the land was ruled in turn by German knights, Poland and Lithuania, Sweden and Russia. Latvia declared independence on 18 November 1918, was occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and restored its independence in 1991 after the peaceful Singing Revolution.

Questions to ask the older generation

Memories fade faster than photos. Ask these over a meal or a phone call, and write the answers down.

  1. Which town or region of Latvia did our family come from? Was it near Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava?
  2. Who was the first in the family to leave Latvia, when, and why?
  3. Which dishes from Latvia were cooked at home? Did anyone make Grey peas with bacon or Dark rye bread?
  4. Does anyone in the family still speak Latvian, or use a few words of it?
  5. Were there songs, prayers, games or holidays from Latvia that the family kept?
  6. Are there old photos, letters or documents from Latvia? Who has them?
  7. If you could visit Latvia together, where would you go first?

A short history of Latvia

Latvia's story runs from amber traders and Baltic tribes, through German crusaders, the Hanseatic port of Riga and a duchy with colonies overseas, to independence in 1918, fifty years of occupation and a peaceful return to freedom in 1991.

  1. 3000 BC

    The first Balts arrive

    Around 3000 BC the ancestors of the Latvians settled on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Later they traded local amber with Rome and Byzantium for precious metals.

  2. 1282

    Riga joins the Hanseatic League

    Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League, the great trading network of northern German towns, and later Cēsis, Valmiera and other Latvian towns joined too. Riga grew rich from east to west trade.

  3. 1621

    Sweden takes Riga

    In a war between Poland and Sweden, Riga and much of northern Latvia came under Swedish rule. Riga became one of the largest cities in the Swedish Empire, and the Swedish period is remembered for schools for peasants.

  4. 1710

    Russia takes Riga

    During the Great Northern War, Russian troops took Riga, and plague killed about half of the city's people. By 1795 all of today's Latvia was part of the Russian Empire.

  5. 1920

    Peace with Soviet Russia

    After two years of fighting against Soviet and German forces in the War of Independence, Latvia signed a peace treaty with Soviet Russia on 11 August 1920, which recognised its independence.

  6. 1989

    The Baltic Way

    On 23 August 1989 about two million people joined hands in a human chain about 675 km long through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to call for freedom from Soviet rule.

  7. 1991

    Independence restored

    On 21 August 1991, as a coup attempt in Moscow failed, Latvia restored its full independence. Russian troops withdrew in 1994, apart from a radar station at Skrunda that closed in 1998.

  8. 2014

    The euro arrives

    On 1 January 2014 the euro replaced the lats, the Latvian currency first used between the two world wars and brought back in 1993. The same year Riga was a European Capital of Culture.

Family recipes to cook together

Grey peasGrey peas with bacon 1 h 30 min · serves 4Layered rye breadLayered rye bread dessert 2 h 30 min · serves 4Cold beet soupCold beetroot soup 50 min · serves 4Potato pancakesPotato pancakes 40 min · serves 4

Latvian words to teach the grandchildren

Basics

  • jāYAHyes
  • nēNEHno
  • paldiesPAHL-dyessthank you
  • lūdzuLOO-dzooplease, or you're welcome
  • sveikiSVAY-keehello, or bye (friendly)

Food and drink

  • maizeMY-zehbread
  • ūdensOO-denswater
  • alusAH-loosbeer
  • piensPYENSmilk
  • siersSYERScheese
  • zivsZIVSfish
  • kafijaKAH-fee-yahcoffee

Towns and regions

  • Riga, Riga: Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, At least 800 Art Nouveau buildings.
  • Daugavpils, Latgale: The Daugavpils Fortress, built from 1810 to 1878, A mainly Russian-speaking population.
  • Liepāja, Kurzeme (Courland): A wide sandy beach, Karosta, a former naval town and military prison.
  • Jelgava, Zemgale (Semigallia): Jelgava Palace, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies.
  • Jūrmala, Riga region: A 33 km white sand beach, Wooden summer houses in Art Nouveau style.
  • Ventspils, Kurzeme (Courland): The medieval Ventspils Castle, An ice-free port.
  • Rēzekne, Latgale: Being 'the heart of Latgale', The ruins of Rēzekne Castle.
  • Valmiera, Vidzeme: The Gauja river, Its Hanseatic past.
  • Cēsis, Vidzeme: Cēsis Castle, St. John's Church and old town walls.
  • Sigulda, Vidzeme: Turaida Castle across the river, Autumn colours in Gauja National Park.
  • Kuldīga, Kurzeme (Courland): The Venta Rapid, a very wide waterfall, A 164 m old brick bridge from 1874.
  • Bauska, Zemgale (Semigallia): Bauska Castle, Rundāle Palace nearby.

A heritage evening with the family

Cook one of the recipes, print the large-print pack about Latvia, and finish with the big-screen quiz or the words crossword. Grandchildren can colour the flag.

More about Latvia