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Jelgava
 
Jelgava palace
City rights 1573
Location of Jelgava within Latvia
Location 56°39′N, 23°43′E
Other names German: Mitau; Mitaw; Mītava; Lithuanian: Mintauja; Polish: Mitawa; Russian: Елгава / Митава
Mayor Andris Rāviņš
Number of city council members 15
Area 60 km² (23 sq mi)
  Water 2. 'City rights' redirects here See also Municipal charter. Town privileges were important features of European Towns during Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 34 km² (1 sq mi)
Population 66,136
Density 1,102 /km² (2,854 /sq mi)
Postal code LV-300(1-9); LV-3024; LV-3035
Calling code +371 30
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Homepage of Jelgava


Jelgava (IPA: [jælgava], pronunciation (help·info)) is a town in central Latvia about 41 km southwest of Riga with 66,087 inhabitants (2006). In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Eastern European Time ( EET) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time Daylight saving time ( DST Eastern European Summer Time ( EEST) is one of the names of UTC+3 Time zone, 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+3 is used in the following locations Moscow Time Eastern European Summer Time West Asian Summer Time A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is the largest town in Semigallia. Zemgale, also known under Latinized names Semigalia or Semigallia (Zemgale Semgallen Žiemgala is an historical region of Latvia, sometimes also including Jelgava is known as the former capital of the Duchy of Courland, and was the capital of the Courland region until 1919. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii,Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste is the name of Courland (Kurzeme Kurland Latin: Curonia / Couronia; Kuršas Kuramaa Kurlandia Курляндия Курляндія Kuurinmaa is one of the historical

Jelgava is situated on a fertile plain rising only 12 ft. above sea level on the right bank of the river Lielupe. The Lielupe At high water the plain and sometimes the town as well can be inundated. Jelgava is surrounded by a canal known as Jacob's Channel (initiated by Jacob Kettler) occupying the locations of former fortifications. Jacob Kettler (Jakob von Kettler 28 October 1610 &ndash 1 January 1682) was a Baltic German Duke of the Duchy of It is a railway center and an important market for grain and timber. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or It is also host to Jelgava air base. Jelgava (also Yelgava) is an airport in Latvia located 3 km northwest of Jelgava.

Contents

Etymology

The name Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian word jelgab, meaning "low place. Livonian (Līvõ kēļ belongs to the Baltic Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. " 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 "the place where trading takes place. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Latvian language (latviešu valoda is the official state language of Latvia. " An alternate explanation is that Mitau came from Mitte in der Aue, or "the middle of the Aa", referring to the Lielupe River, formerly known as the Kurländische Aa.

Sights

Jelgava has regular, broad streets lined with the mansions of the Baltic German nobility who resided at the capital of Courland. The Baltic Germans (Deutschbalten or Baltendeutsche) were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today The old castle (1266) of the dukes of Courland, situated on an island in the river, was destroyed by Duke Biren, who had a spacious palace erected (1738-1772) by Bartolomeo Rastrelli at the bridge across the Lielupe. Ernst Johann von Biron (Ernests Johans Bīrons Эрнст Иоганн Бирон &ndash) was a Baltic German Duke of Courland and Semigallia Year 1738 ( MDCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian Франче́ско Бартоломе́о Растре́лли ( The palace contains the sarcophagi of almost all of the Curonian dukes, except the last one. A sarcophagus is a Funeral receptacle for a Corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone The future Louis XVIII sojourned in the palace between 1798 and 1800. Louis XVIII (17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824 Louis Stanislas Xavier de France, was a King of France and Navarre. It now functions as the LLU, Latvijas lauksaimniecības universitāte, or Latvian University of Agriculture. Other landmarks include the Baroque church of St. Anne, the tower of the destroyed Trinity church, and two handsome structures, the Villa Medem and the Academia Petrina. Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical Saint Anne (also Ann or Anna of David's house and line was the mother of the Virgin Mary, according to Christian tradition

The Rastrelli Palace at the heart of Jelgava, seen from the Lielupe
The Rastrelli Palace at the heart of Jelgava, seen from the Lielupe

History

The Livonian settlement Jelgava began development between the rivers Lielupe and Driksa during the 10th century. The Livonians or Livs are the indigenous inhabitants of Livonia, a large part of what is today the northwestern Latvia and southwestern Led by the Grand Master Konrad von Mander, the crusading Livonian Order constructed the castle in Mitau on a natural island fortification (Pilssala) in 1265-1266. Bishop Albert of Riga founded the Military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae Schwertbrüderorden in 1202 A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. 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 Jelgava in 1345. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the

As a result of the fall of the Livonian Order in the Livonian War, Mitau became a town of the Duchy of Courland in 1561. The Livonian War of 1558–1582 was a lengthy military conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and variable coalition of Denmark–Norway, Grand Duchy of The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii,Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste is the name of Jelgava 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, Jelgava 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, Jelgava was also referred to by the Polish name Mitawa. A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe, The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Commonwealth's repeated wars with Sweden subjected Jelgava to several sieges. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Despite the wars, the city grew as a center for trade and industry. As Courland's neighbors increased in strength, however, the duchy and Jelgava began to fall under Russia's sphere of influence. A sphere of influence ( SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural economic military or political domination The duchess from 1711-1730 was Anna Ivanovna, later Empress Anna I of Russia. Year 1711 ( MDCCXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1730 ( MDCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Anna Ivanovna (Анна Иоанновна Anna Ioannovna) ( Moscow –) reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia

The penultimate duke of Courland, Ernst Johann von Biron, expanded the cultural aspects of Jelgava. Ernst Johann von Biron (Ernests Johans Bīrons Эрнст Иоганн Бирон &ndash) was a Baltic German Duke of Courland and Semigallia He constructed the ducal palace and opened the first public library in the city. In 1775 the last Duke of Courland Peter founded the Academia Petrina university, which became a spiritual center for the country. Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The duke also encouraged theatrical performances at his court.

Jelgava Aerial View. Academia Petrina, St. Simeon and Anna Orthodox Church, Catholic Church
Jelgava Aerial View. Academia Petrina, St. Simeon and Anna Orthodox Church, Catholic Church

With the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the citizens of Jelgava clamored for more rights. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common However, Imperial Russia annexed the city with Courland in 1795 during the Partitions of Poland. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Annexation ( Latin ad, to and nexus, joining is the legal incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity (either adjacent or non-contiguous Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the As the Count of Provence, the palace of Jelgava was the residence (1798-1801 and 1804-1807) of Louis XVIII before he became the French king. The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1801 ( MDCCCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Tuesday Year 1804 ( MDCCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Louis XVIII (17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824 Louis Stanislas Xavier de France, was a King of France and Navarre. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Although the city was occupied by Prussian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it was largely spared destruction. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions

Jelgava further expanded after the construction of its railway in 1868. Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap The development of its infrastructure encouraged rural Latvians to migrate to the city, as merchants, craftsmen, teachers, and officials. By 1914 Jelgava had over 45,000 inhabitants. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year However, Jelgava suffered considerably after the outbreak of World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All German troops occupied the city during the war, and after the war in 1919 Jelgava became a battleground between Soviets, German paramilitaries, and Latvian freedom fighters. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The designation of Freikorps ( German for "Free Corps " was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of 18th century After the latter's victory, Jelgava became an important city in independent Latvia. Prehistory The proto- Baltic forefathers of the Latvian people have lived on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea since the third millennium BC

As a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Jelgava was annexed with the rest of Latvia by the Soviet Union during World War II in 1940. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Much of the city's remaining German population travelled westward during the Nazi-Soviet population transfers. German forces from Army Group North occupied Jelgava from 1941-1944 until the capture of the city by the Red Army. Army Group North ( Heeresgruppe Nord) was a strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The city's historical center, industry, rail network, and public buildings were heavily damaged by the fighting with almost 90% of the city destroyed.

Jelgava was rebuilt during the period of Soviet occupation. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Jelgava is now a popular tourist site.

Prominent people

External links

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Mamert Stankiewicz ( January 22, 1889 &ndash November 26, 1939) was a Polish naval officer of the Merchant marine, the Eduard Totleben (or Todleben) ( May 20, 1818 &ndash July 1, 1884) was a Baltic German Military engineer The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

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