X-Nico

9 unusual facts about Latvia


Ape Municipality

The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Gaujiena parish, Vireši parish, Trapene parish and Ape town with its countryside territory the administrative centre being Ape.

Daugvinas Zujus

Zujus set his personal best (3:55.10) in the same distance on 6 June 1998 in Ogre, Latvia.

Egils Helmanis

He is currently the deputy Chairman of the Council of Ogre Municipality in economics, sports and tourism issues.

Jacques Chapiro

Jacques (Ya'akov) Chapiro (1887–1972), a Jewish painter of the School of Paris, was born in Dinaburg, Russian Empire (now Daugavpils, Latvia) and died in Paris in 1972.

Kaspars Bērziņš

Kaspars started playing basketball in his hometown Ogre.

Latvia's First Party

E.g. Jānis Šmits who was appointed to the position of chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee has called his parliamentary colleagues to get familiar with religious writings "in case they can actually, read", quoting a passage from The Book of Moses, that could be loosely translated as: "men having gay sex must die, and their corpses must be left soaking in their own blood".

Solomon Golub

Solomon Golub (Latvia, 27 February 1887 - Bronx, New York, 18 June 1952) was a Russian-born, naturalized American, song composer.

Strenči Municipality

The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Jērcēni parish, Plāņi parish, Strenči town and Seda town with its countryside territory; the administrative centre being Strenči.

Zvaigznes

In ancient Latvian culture, Zvaigznes ("stars") referred to several different ideas.


2008 Speedway World Cup

Last places was take Latvia (36 pts) nad United States (12 pts) without Grand Prix rider Greg Hancock.

Abrene

Abrene district, a historical district in the northeastern part of Latvia bordering on the USSR, also known prior as Jaunlatgale

Aigars

Aigars Kalvītis (born 1966), Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia

Aldis Kļaviņš

Aldis Kļaviņš (April 30, 1975 in Valmiera - August 1, 2000 in Germany) was a Latvian slalom canoer who competed from the early 1990s to the early 2000s.

Aleksandrs Fertovs

He made his debut for Latvia at full international level on 15 November 2009 in a friendly match against Honduras, coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute and replacing Genādijs Soloņicins.

Aleksandrs Leimanis

Aleksandrs Leimanis (17 October 1913 in the village Gabrilovo, Smolensk Governorate — 17 June 1990 in Riga) was a Latvian film director.

Anatoily Buznik

More than ten years a teacher, "Licensing Center" Football Federation of Ukraine, a member of the scientific and methodical council of Football Federation of Ukraine, conducted training of trainers program Cup in Lithuania, Latvia and Kazakhstan.

Artūrs Irbe

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Irbe was Latvia's flag-bearer in the opening ceremonies.

Arved von Schultz

Arved Carl Ludwig von Schultz (born 14 November 1883 at Good Rinkuln in Talsen, now Latvia; died 13 December 1967 in Hilden at Düsseldorf) was a German geographer.

Ben Barker

He also competed in the 2007 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship finishing seventh in Qualifying Round B at Goričan in Croatia on 12 May 2007, before going out of the competition on 17 June in Semi Final B at Daugavpils in Latvia where he finished 14th.

Birger Nerman

There he led the excavations of Izborsk (1924) and Grobin in Latvia (1929), among other early medieval sites.

BK VEF Rīga

During the season Kurtinaitis left Riga for Russian side BC Khimki and he was replaced by another Lithuanian Ramūnas Butautas, who already had experience in Latvia having won the 2007 Latvian league championship with ASK Rīga.

Caleb Kelly

Based in Sydney, it was part of the global XChange Network and Open Radio Archive Network Group (ORANG), which included Radio International Stadt (Germany), r a d i o q u a l i a (New Zealand/Adelaide/Amsterdam), RIX-C (Latvia) and irrational org (UK).

Catherine I of Russia

At the age of three Marta was taken by an aunt and sent to Marienburg (the present-day Alūksne in Latvia, near the border with Estonia and Russia) where she was raised by Johann Ernst Glück, a Lutheran pastor and educator who was the first to translate the Bible into Latvian.

Cimdenieki

Cimdenieki is a small suburban settlement in Grobiņa parish near Liepāja, Latvia.

Defenders of Riga

The outdoor scenes of the film were shot at the Cinevilla backlot in Tukums, Latvia, a backlot built especially for Defenders of Riga.

Drabeši

Drabeši Manor, a manor in the historical region of Vidzeme, in northern Latvia

Elīna Ringa

In 2000, in Valmiera (a large town in the Vidzeme of Latvia), she vaulted to 3.72 , setting a new record there as well as improving upon her personal best.

FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Group B

The group composed of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Ināra Tetereva

In 2012, Dante Alighieri Society (Societa Dante Alighieri in Lettonia) awarded the patrons Boris Teterev and Inara Tetereva the Annual Grand Prize for contributing to the preservation of Italian cultural heritage in Latvia.

Indirect election

Many republics with parliamentary systems elect their president indirectly (Germany, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, India, Israel).

Inta Ruka

For more than two decades, Inta Ruka has photographed the people of Latvia – from 1984 to 2000, primarily in the rural area of Balvi ("My Country People") and, later on, increasingly in the capital of Riga.

Ivan Aboimov

From 1962–1963, Aboimov was the executive secretary of the Komsomol branch of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic and assistant manager of the Department of Propaganda of the Central Committee of the Komsomol in Latvia.

Iveta Apkalna

In 1993 she was the official organist in service at Aglona basilica (Latvia) during the visit of Pope John Paul II.

Latvia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

The broadcaster has selected Šarlote Lēnmane to represent Latvia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Minsk with the song "Viva La Dance".

Madona Radio Towers

The Madona Radio Towers were constructed in the town of Madona, which is located in the municipality of Madona, in Latvia.

Maksims Uvarenko

Being a bright talent in Latvia, he played for many Latvian national youth teams.

Man ļoti patīk jaunais vilnis

Man ļoti patīk jaunais vilnis is the second album by Latvian band Dzeltenie Pastnieki, released through magnitizdat in 1982, and 'officially' in 2003.

Mihails Smorodins

Mihails Smorodins (born 1952 in Saldus) is a former Latvian football striker, one of the best goalscorers in the history of the Latvian league.

Miķelis Valters

Miķelis Valters (formerly, and as an author in German, Walters) (May 7, 1874 in Liepāja - – March 27, 1968 in Nice) was a prominent Latvian politician, diplomat, writer, and editor.

Modris Tenisons

During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.

Nadine Wulffius

Wulffius also at this time (1941) had a Ballet School in Daugavpils, Latvia.

Paul Rohrbach

Paul Rohrbach (29 June 1869 - 19 July 1956) was a German writer, concerned with "world politics." He was born at Irgen manor, Raņķi parish, Skrunda Municipality, Courland, Latvia.

Pedvale Open Air Museum

The Pedvale Open Air Art Museum is a State Historical Monument near Sabile, Talsi Municipality, Latvia.

People's Council

Tautas padome, a temporary parliament of Latvia from 1918 to 1920.

Peter Tabuns

Anton was born and raised in Latvia, though he managed to leave his homeland after the Soviet occupation and immigrate to England.

Pēteris Lauks

Pēteris Lauks (10 February 1902 in Riga - 15 March 1984 in Kitchener, Canada) was a Latvian football defender, one of the most capped footballers for Latvia national football team before World War II.

Prague Declaration

The document was signed by the Conservative Party of the UK, the Czech Civic Democratic Party, the Polish Law and Justice, the Bulgarian Order, Law and Justice, the Belgian Lijst Dedecker and Latvia's For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK.

Public image of Vladimir Putin

According to Putin, that was what Latvia would receive instead of the western Pytalovsky District of Russia claimed by Latvia in a territorial dispute stemming from the Soviet border redrawing.

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie

On 5 June, he scored Ghana's one goal victory over Latvia in their last warm-up match at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England.

Rigatta

The service was the first call-by-call selection service on prepaid terms in Latvia.

Shooting at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol

Afanasijs Kuzmins (for the first time competing for independent Latvia) and Ralf Schumann, who had battled for the gold medal four years earlier, once again clinched the top two spots, although in reversed order.

Sol Rabinowitz

He was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of a Latvian-born rabbi and a Ukrainian mother, and trained as a printer before joining the Army Air Corps during World War II.

Velga Krile

She has been cited as one of Latvia's most talented poets on the scene in the late 1970s, along with Uldis Berzins, Leons Briedis, Mara Misina, Māra Zālīte and Klavs Elsbergs.

West Russian Volunteer Army

The Estonians sent two armoured trains to aid the Latvians (according to some explanations, in exchange for Latvia ceding the island of Ruhnu and its territorial waters to Estonia) while the Lithuanians were engaged in battles with the Bolsheviks and could only issue diplomatic protests.

Wiktor Thommée

After graduating from trade schools in Lida and Dyneburg (modern Daugavpils, Latvia), in 1901 he joined an officers' school in St. Petersburg.

Yanis

Yanis Smits, a Latvian theologian active against the Soviet rule over Latvia during 1956–1976

Zvi Yehuda Kook

In 1896 his father with his entire family moved to Bauska, Latvia to be the rabbi there.


see also