My name is Maris Goldmanis. I come from Eastern European country Latvia. I was always interested in history and right now I am a full time student of history in University of Latvia. I live in Riga, sometimes I live other places in Latvia for short time.
I am Bachelor historian. I have studied from 2007.-2010. and now I got Historian education. Right now study at history master studies.
I read English, Russian and French literature, mostly historic books and others. My preferred English authors are Niall Ferguson, A. J. P. Taylor, Walter Laquer and others.
This blog is my attempt to publish historic articles in English. It will be complicated because my English grammar skills are not the best, but I will use this blog as self learning project. I hope that those who will take a look at this blog will find something new about the history of Latvia and other topics. This blog holds my personal opinion on history of Latvia not the official state declared. Blog is not intended to be strictly academic source of knowledge its more a informative and encyclopedic source. You can use it in your academic works at your own risk.
Maris Goldmanis.
From 2010 to 2011, I have taken part in Latvian Jewish Encyclopedia project that so far resulted in five volume book
Jews of Latvia in the WWII. My part of the book is chapter The start of war on the territory of Latvia and its occupation by Nazi Germany.
More info here:
http://www.shamir.lv/en/item/157-Evrei_Latvii_vo_vremya_Vtoroy_Mirovoy_voyny.html
Congratulations! It’s very interesting blog and I will read it in the future…
Maris,
I’m trying to find information about residents and ownership of tracts of land near Mitau in the 1830s through the 1850s. Can you help me with that?
Keenan
Documents containing your desired information are likely to be at Jelgava (Mittau) Regional Archive if you can make there. http://www.arhivi.lv/index.php?&1039
Also you can see this site containing digitized church registration books which were only sources about citizens in those times in Latvia. http://www.lvva-raduraksti.lv/en/search.html You must know German and have some skills reading 19. century handwriting. First census in Latvia took place only in 1897. so church books are only documents about residents available in your desired time. Hope this helps.
About ownership of tracts you must go to Latvian State History Archive at Riga Slokas street 16
http://www.lvva.gov.lv/index.php?&110
Hello Maris,
Thank you for the reply.
I don’t know German, Russian or Latvian. Catholic Church birth records in the Latvian archives in Riga are in Latin, which I also don’t know. I know some French, which in not helpful in this situation.
Archivists in Riga searched the Catholic Church birth records and found no record of my subject there. An independent researcher searched Catholic and Lutheran birth records and found nothing for my subject. She also searched tax records for Mitau and found a family with one of the many names that might apply but no record for the correct time period or my subject’s given name.
I thought that perhaps by contacting an historian or genealogist in or near Mitau, I might be able to prove or disprove my subject’s claims of his heritage there. A man in Moscow wrote to me that there are many old mansions in Jelgava and people there who know the mansions’ ownership back to their origin.
My time period is the 1830s to 1860s. I have several names my subject used or were attributed to him in Latvia, Russia and Germany. I can provide them if you’re interested in pursuing the topic. I’m in the US and don’t know the languages or procedures there, which makes my doing the research frustrating to the point of impossible.
Please let me know.
Keenan
You may write a letter to the Jelgava history museum- muzejs@muzejs.jelgava.lv to find local historians and genealogists that might help you. You can provide the names if you want. What is your subject by nationality?
Thank you for that link. Does someone there know English?
The man I’m looking for said he was born in Riga in 1832. Latvia was then in Russia. His first language, and probably his heritage, was German, but he was a passionate czarist and Russian nationalist.
Older and middle age Latvian historians have problems with English because Soviet education pushed Russian and German language. Young generation historians know English because its now the first foreign language. If there some younger workers and I think there must be, they can understand English.
OK, thanks for that information. I posted my request to the Jelgava museum in English and am hoping that works.
No word from the museum yet. If I hear nothing after a few days, I’ll use Google Translate and post the same query in Latvian. Thanks for your help. Have a good trip.
I kind a mixed up the dates, I will going away the week after. I don’t know if the Google translator will do any good because its translation from English to Latvian is horrible. Its translates much better in Russian by my experience.
OK, unless I get a reply in English within a few days, I’ll post again in English, Russian and Latvian, the latter two translated by Google Translate. Is Babelfish better than Google Translate with Latvian?
I could not find an option in Babelfish for Latvian so I checked other translation sites, but quality is all the same. So is better to add Russian translation also because its much more better.
The museum in Jelgava replied in English! They found nothing on my subject, so I posted again with more identifying information. They suggested archives in Riga, so I posted there with the same identifying information. I had posted there months ago when I had a lot less knowledge about my subject, and they were unable to find anything. Maybe with the new identifiers, the museum or the archive will find him.
Hi, fellow Historian!!
I’m thinking about writing in my blog about a controversial Latvian historical figure: Herbert Cukurs. Do you know where can I find some information?
I know about the point of view about his involvement with the Holocaust in Riga, given by some international researches (Or, of course, what the Mossad had to say about it). However, an oppinion from a Latvian Historian would be more than interesting, indeed!
Thank you very much for your help! Paldies tev!!!
The most complete source about Holocaust in Latvia is in English is book written by Andrew Ezergailis The Holocaust in Latvia The Missing Center, where states that Cukurs played a leading role in 30,November atrocities in Riga Ghetto and Rumbula. However he admits that there are not enough proof that he was “Holocaust monster”, because by Latvian witnesses saw him mostly working in SD Commando garage. But Jewish witnesses say something else. A defender book of Cukurs is written by Baiba Šāberte can be still purchased in Jumava book magazine, its all in Latvian but you can ask your Latvian friends to translate the main points. Unfortunately she is not a historian. There is many internet sites like http://herberts-cukurs.blogspot.com/. Also its worth to search for Aivars Stranga the leading Jewish specialist what he has to say about it.
I personally think that Cukurs may share some extent of guilt, but not enough to be brutally killed without a trial. I have a book in Latvian written by be murderer of Cukurs, called “The death of Riga butcher” where he shows that he was killed without a proper proof. They knew that Uruguayan authorities wont handle him to Israel so they choose the brutal way. Its is also interesting detail that before the war Cukurs made a trip to Jerusalem and shared his experiences with Riga Jews in Jewish Club at Skolas street 6 where he was quite friendly to Zionism. What happened with him at the war time happened with many people who saw future in corporation with Germans. Naive ones hoped that Germans will give Latvia freedom, smart ones like Viktors Arājs saw good starting point for his carrier. He could be good NKVD officer as well as SD officer he may was not even anti-Semitic just did what Germans ordered him to. The same can go for Cukurs. Its must be understood that real perpetrators of Jewish killings were Germans and Latvians were just puppets for their work. I also recommend to search for book by Franks Gordons “The Jews and Latvians caught between Germany and Russia” where the Jewish patriot of Latvia shows how it happened. Good luck with the post I will want to read it in google translator when its published.
Thank you for you support. I have posts about Livonians, Latgallians, Jews and Baltic Germans.
http://latvianhistory.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/the-disappearin-nation-of-livonians/
http://latvianhistory.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/the-latgalians-an-distinct-latvians-or-an-different-nation/
http://latvianhistory.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/baltic-germans/
http://latvianhistory.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/the-jews-in-latvia/
I do not have any posts about Slavic minorities but I will post it sometime in future.
Russians are majority in Riga, Daugavpils and in Latgalian towns. They live in all largest Latvian cities because they prefer urban life than rural. Rural areas and small towns are more Latvian, but you can hear Russian language there too.
I actually specialize in minority question but I prefer the period between 1918-1940. when there was a much different situation. I work with Jewish organization where I will have publications about this matter.
As for present situation its the result of 50 year Soviet rule. In 1939. there were only 10% Russians. Soviet government enforced steady migration policy and in the result we have two sided society. It was a Soviet intention to quell national movement in occupied Baltic states. However it was also a responsibility of local Latvian communists who allowed this. In Lithuania local communists prevented the building of large factories that require workforce from the east and in so Lithuania is most ethnically unified country. Latvia and Estonia are prime examples of countries that gone trough forced migration.
As for citizenship it may be a mistake not to give citizenship to all people in 1992, however since Latvia joined EU and NATO the law has been eased and large numbers have got the citizenship. There is a lot of dark sides in this, since not all Russians are loyal to Latvia. In dates such as 9, May you can see people with flags of Russian Federation and Russia flags in their cars.
The national question here is difficult and will be the same in future. I glad that you are interested in this question its a controversial since its holds two opposite views- Russian and Latvian point of view. However not all Russians are enemies of Latvia, its a question of every man social and educational status.
Great blog Maris! It’s a very interesting site providing countless information about Latvia, a beautiful country! I’ll follow you from now on!