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Ventspils(Latvian:[ˈvæntspils]) is a state city in northwesternLatviain the historicalCourlandregion of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country.
Ventspils
Livonian:Vǟnta | |
|---|---|
State city | |
 Aerial view with theVentspils Castleand port | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Ventspils Location in Latvia | |
| Coordinates:57°23′26″N21°34′24″E/ 57.39056°N 21.57333°E | |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Town rights | 1378 |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | Jānis Vītoliņš(For Latvia and Ventspils) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 57.96 km2(22.38 sq mi) |
| • Land | 51.08 km2(19.72 sq mi) |
| • Water | 6.88 km2(2.66 sq mi) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
| • Total | 32,634 |
| • Density | 560/km2(1,500/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • State city | €0.461 billion (2021) |
| • Per capita | €14,000 (2021) |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
| Postal code | LV-36(01-21) |
| Calling code | (+371)636 |
| Number of city council members | 13 |
| Website | www |
At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906.[4]It is situated on theVenta Riverand theBaltic Sea,and has anice-free port.The city's name literally means "castleon the Venta ", referring to theLivonian Order's castlebuilt alongside the Venta River.
Other names
editVentspils was historically known asWindauinGerman.
It had aRussianname from the time of theRussian Empire,calledВиндава (Vindava)orВиндау (Vindau),althoughВентспилс (Ventspils)has been used since World War II.
Some other names for the city includeLivonian:Vǟnta,Estonian:Vindavi, andPolish:Windawa.
History
editVentspils developed around theLivonian OrderVentspils Castle,built along theVenta River.It was chartered in 1314 and became an important mercantile city of theHanseatic League.
As part of theDuchy of Courland,Ventspils blossomed as a shipbuilding centre. 44 warships and 79 trading ships were built in the town, and it was from Ventspils that theDuke'sfleet set out tocolonizeGambiaandTobago.Metal, amber, and wood-working shops also became important to the city's development.
During thePolish-Swedish Warand theGreat Northern War,Ventspils was destroyed, and in 1711 a plague wiped out most of the remaining inhabitants. After theThird Partition of Polandin 1795 Ventspils fell under the control ofRussian Empire.
It was not until about 1850 that shipbuilding and trade became important again. The port was modernized in the 1890s and connected to Moscow by rail. It became one of Imperial Russia's most profitable ports, by 1913 turning a yearly profit of 130 million rubles. The population soared as well, growing from 7,000 in 1897, to 29,000 in 1913.
During the German occupation from 1915 to 1919, the population decreased almost by half, though some returned home during the First Republic of Latvia (1918–1940).
In 1939,[citation needed]theRed Armyestablished a base in Ventspils. DuringWorld War II,the city was underSoviet occupationfrom 1940, and then underGerman occupationfrom 1941 to 1944. Under Soviet rule, an oil pipeline was built to Ventspils, and became the USSR's leading port in crude oil export. Thirty kilometres (19 miles) north of Ventspils is the ex-SovietradioastronomyinstallationVIRAC(Ventspils Starptautiskais radioastronomijas centrsorVentspils International Radio Astronomy Centre). The existence of theCentrswas unknown to most Latvians until 1994. After independence, the Latvian government began a city-beautification process to make the city more attractive to tourists.
In 2004, Ventspils was a host city for a multi-national (United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Sweden, Russia, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, Norway) naval exercise calledBaltic Operations XXXIII (BALTOPS).The force was led by theguided missile cruiserUSSAnzioand the destroyerUSSCole.The US vessels were the first American warships to visit the port of Ventspils since Latvian independence was declared.
Climate
editVentspils is in the transition zone between anoceanic climateand ahumid continental climate(CfbandDfbin theKöppen climate classification) with winters just below freezing point and warm summers. Ventspils holds the national record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Latvia with 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on 4 August 2014.[5][6]
| Climate data for Ventspils (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1873−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
34.8 (94.6) |
37.8 (100.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
11.1 (52.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
3.1 (37.6) |
10.5 (50.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.3 (34.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
13.8 (56.8) |
8.6 (47.5) |
4.2 (39.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.3 (45.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
14.7 (58.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
5.2 (41.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −31.6 (−24.9) |
−29.5 (−21.1) |
−26.7 (−16.1) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
0.5 (32.9) |
4.2 (39.6) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−25.0 (−13.0) |
−31.6 (−24.9) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 59.3 (2.33) |
46.3 (1.82) |
38.9 (1.53) |
31.6 (1.24) |
36.8 (1.45) |
49.6 (1.95) |
63.5 (2.50) |
75.9 (2.99) |
64.4 (2.54) |
84.8 (3.34) |
70.6 (2.78) |
71.2 (2.80) |
692.9 (27.27) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 118 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 85.9 | 84.9 | 81.6 | 77.6 | 77.2 | 79.1 | 79.2 | 77.7 | 79.3 | 81.2 | 85.0 | 85.4 | 81.2 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 21.2 | 50.4 | 128.1 | 174.4 | 322.2 | 268.8 | 270.4 | 149.2 | 127.6 | 103.3 | 24.4 | 25.1 | 1,665.1 |
| Source 1: LVĢMC[7][8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (precipitation days, humidity 1991-2020),[9]infoclimat.fr (sunshine 1991-2020)[10] | |||||||||||||
| Coastal temperature data for Ventspils | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average sea temperature °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.86) |
1.6 (34.88) |
1.0 (33.80) |
3.1 (37.58) |
8.3 (46.94) |
14.3 (57.74) |
18.5 (65.30) |
18.9 (66.02) |
16.4 (61.52) |
11.7 (53.06) |
8.3 (46.94) |
5.4 (41.72) |
9.18 (48.52) |
| Source:seatemperature.org[11] | |||||||||||||
Demography
editAt the beginning of 2017, Ventspils had an official population of 39,447 (54.3% of them were women compared with 45.7% men).
63% of Ventspilspopulation(24,762 people) are 15–62 years old, 14.3% (5,647 people) are 0–14 years old, and 22.6% (8,877 people) are 62 years and over.
Population of Ventspils according toethnic group:
| Ethnic groups | Per cent of total population |
|---|---|
| Latvians | 56.7 |
| Russians | 27.3 |
| Ukrainians | 4.5 |
| Belarusians | 4.2 |
| Poles | 1.0 |
| Others | 6.3 |
Education
editInstitutions of higher education and science include:
- Ventspils University College
- Riga Technical University,Ventspils branch
- Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy, Ventspils branch
- College of Law, Ventspils branch
Economy
edit
Ventspils is situated at the mouth of theVenta River,where it empties into theBaltic Sea,and is an importantice-free port.Large amounts ofoiland other mineral resources fromRussiaare loaded aboard ships at Ventspils.Ventspils Airport,one of the three international airports in Latvia, is located in the city.Ventspils High Technology Parkprovides infrastructure and services to IT and electronics companies.
Culture
edit
Every winter Ventspils hosts the awarding ceremony of the Latvian Radio broadcastMusical Bankand the televised national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. On the second weekend of July theSea Festivaltakes place, and on the first weekend of August there is an annual city festival for the city birthday. FestivalsGhetto gamesandVakara pastaigaare popular.
There are several institutions taking responsibility for the cultural life of Ventspils, including:
- The Theatre House "Juras varti" presents professional performing arts of various genres.
- The Ventspils Museum is engaged in the research and the recording of the history of Ventspils. It writes the Ventspils City Chronicle, builds up the collections of the museum and carries out scientific work.
- The Ventspils Library is a municipal, cultural, educational, and information institution.
- The International Writers and Translators' House is an international centre for writers and translators.
Sport
edit
Ventspils has a well developed sports infrastructure. One of the most popular sporting facility in Ventspils is theOlympic Centre 'Ventspils'offering a basketball hall, ice hall, track-and-field arena, and football stadiums. One can also enjoy theWater Adventure Park,Seaside Aqua-Park,andAdventure Parkthat turns into aSkiing Hill 'Lemberga hūteduring the winter.
The city has abasketballteamthat has won the Latvian championship in the last several years. In the 2001/2002 season, the team took third place in theNorth European Basketball League(NEBL). Ventspils also has afootballteam inFK Ventspilswho compete in theVirsliga.In the 2006 season the team has won the Latvian championship for the first time.
Adventure Park
editVentspils has an Adventure Park (Latvian: Piedzīvojumu parks) that consists of Tube Sliding Track, Airsoft Shooting Range, Bumper boats, Trampoline Complex, Trampoline with Rubber Ribbons, Mad Rotor, Catapult, Trampoline boat, Playhouse for children, Inflatable Attractions in the summer.
In the winter you can skiing, snowboarding and sledding.
There is also a rodeo track (Latvian: Rodeļu trase) which is available to use all year round
Tourism
Ventspils has a600 mm(1 ft11+5⁄8in)narrow gaugetrain; a beach and dunes and an observatory with a telescope and digital planetarium.
Old Town of Ventspils
edit
Ventspils developed rapidly as a commercial harbour in the years of growth of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The most active building works took place in the vicinity of the present Market Square where a number of former storehouses from the 17th century are preserved. A dwelling house at the crossing of Tirgus and Skolas Streets is one of the oldest houses of such type in Latvia (built in 1646).
Next to the Market Square, in a historical school building on Skolas street, there is the Ventspils House of the Crafts (2007). The International Writers’ and Translators’ House (2006) was opened on the premises of the former City Hall (1850), on the City-Hall Square. The building is reconstructed to accommodate creative work and everyday needs of its writers. Located next to it are the recently renovated Ventspils Central Library (2006) and Evangelic-Lutheran Church of Nicholas (1835). The City-Hall Square, the Market Square and the Ostas Street Promenade are popular walking places.
Cow sculptures
edit
CowParadein Ventspils took place in 2002, and now severalcow sculpturesreside in the city:
- ‘Latvijas melnā’ (Latvian Black Cow) dwells on the Promenade of Ostas iela;
- ‘Pretim gaismai’ (Towards the Light) that usually climbs the lamp post on Pils iela next to ‘Latvenergo’ JSC;
- ‘Ms. Moo-Dunk’ the basketball cow resides near the Basketball Hall of the Olympic Centre ‘Ventspils’;
- ‘Dzīve ir skaista’ (Life is Beautiful) is situated at the Children's Park ‘Bērnu pilsētiņa’ (Children's Town);
- ‘Jūras govs’ (Cow of the Sea) dwells next to the Livonian Order Castle facing the River Venta;
- ‘Nafta’ (Oil) lives next to the Children's Home ‘Selga’;
- ‘Londonas govs’ (London Cow) welcomes the residents of the camping site ‘Piejūras kempings’.
There are also three considerably larger cows:
- ‘Ceļojošā govs’ (Travelling Cow) is shaped like a huge suitcase and awaits the city guests on the Promenade of Ostas iela to take some pictures;
- ‘Govs-Matrozis’ (The Sailor Cow) is a giant blue-coloured cow dressed as a seafarer and situated at the Southern Pier of Ventspils;
- ‘Šūpojošā govs’ (Cow on the Swings) is a large, but cute and girly cow sitting on the swings not far from the excursion boat ‘Hercogs Jēkabs’.
Notable people
edit- Fred Rebell(1886–1968) – single-handed sailor
- Dorothy Dworkin(1889-1976) – nurse, businesswoman, and philanthropist.
- Fricis Kaņeps(1916–1981) – footballer
- Francis Rudolph(1921–2005) – painter
- Imant Raminsh(1943) – composer
- Dzintars Ābiķis(1952) – politician
- Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis(1962) – politician
- Sandis Prūsis(1965) – bobsleigh pilot
- Gundars Vētra(1967) – basketball star
- Oleg Belozyorov(1969) - Russian politician and manager; serving as president ofRussian Railwayssince August 20, 2015.
- Ēriks Rags(1975) – javelin thrower
- Gatis Gūts(1976) – bobsleigh pilot
- Valērijs Žolnerovičs(1985) – athlete
- Ingus Janevics(1986) – speedwalker
- Laura Ikauniece(1992) – athlete
- Rebeka Ibrahima(1998) – Olympic weightlifter
- Rūta Kate Lasmane(2000) – athlete
- Artūrs Šilovs(2001) – NHL goaltender
Twin towns – sister cities
edit
Significant depictions in popular culture
edit- Windau (Ventspils) is one of the starting towns of theState of the Teutonic Orderin the turn-based strategy gameMedieval II: Total War: Kingdoms.[14]
- Windau can be established in trading simulation gamePatrician IIIas an Alderman Task
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā".Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.Retrieved18 January2023.
- ^"Iedzīvotāju skaits pēc tautības reģionos, pilsētās, novados, pagastos, apkaimēs un blīvi apdzīvotās teritorijās gada sākumā (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)".Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.Retrieved19 June2024.
- ^"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.
- ^"ISG020. Population number and its change by statistical region, city, town, 21 development centres and county".Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. 2020-01-01.Retrieved2021-02-12.
- ^"papildināts (17:24) - Gaisa temperatūra Latvijā pirmo reizi pārsniegusi +37 grādus".Diena.lv. 4 August 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.(in Latvian)
- ^LVGMC Twitter accountArchived19 August 2014 at theWayback Machine.Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre. Retrieved 4 August 2014.(in Latvian)
- ^"Klimatisko normu dati".Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre.RetrievedMarch 19,2023.
- ^"Gaisa temperatūras rekordi".Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre.RetrievedMarch 19,2023.
- ^"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedMarch 30,2023.
- ^"Normales et records pour la période 1991-2020 à Ventspils".infoclimat.fr.RetrievedFebruary 18,2022.
- ^"Ventspils Sea Temperature".
- ^"Unveiling of a new city environment object" Cow Sailor "".7 July 2006.Retrieved13 January2010.
- ^"Ventspils Sadraudzības pilsētas".ventspils.lv(in Latvian). Ventspils.Retrieved2021-03-28.
- ^"The Teutonic Order (M2TW-K-TC faction)".wiki.totalwar.com.Retrieved27 November2019.
External links
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