The history of
Latvia , like
that of its neighbour Estonia, is
largely one of foreign occupation.
The indigenous Balts were
overwhelmed at the start of the
thirteenth century by German
crusading knights, who massacred and
enslaved them in the name of
converting them to Christianity. The
Germans continued to dominate both
land and trade even after political
control passed to the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, then
Sweden and finally Russia. During
the second half of the nineteenth
century the Latvians began to
reassert their identity, achieving
independence in 1918-20 after a war
in which - with Estonian help - they
beat off both the Soviets and the
Germans. This hard-won independence
was extinguished by Soviet
annexation in 1940. As conditions in
the Soviet Union relaxed during the
late 1980s demands for increased
autonomy turned into calls for
outright independence, and on August
21, 1991, as the attempted coup
against Gorbachev disintegrated in
Moscow, Latvia declared its
independence for the second time.
These days Latvia is engaged in
turning over the economy to private
ownership and struggling to put to
rights the results of Soviet-era
stagnation and neglect.
Environmental damage aside, the most
enduring legacy of Soviet occupation
in Latvia is a Russian minority
population of thirty percent.
The most obvious destination in
Latvia is Riga , a city whose
architectural treasures have largely
survived five decades of isolation.
Places within easy reach of the
capital include the resort area of Jurmala
, and the gently scenic Gauja
Valley with the attractive small
towns of Sigulda and Cesis .
The palace of Rundale , 80km
to the south of Riga, also makes a
great day-trip. These are just a few
possibilities, with much more
waiting to be discovered along
Latvia's hundreds of miles of
unspoilt coast and amid the forests
of the countryside.
