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29-615: Valmiera ( pronunciation ) is the second largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia , with a total area of 19.35 square kilometres (7 square miles). As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020, it was at 24,879. It is a state city , and is the seat of the Valmiera Municipality . Valmiera is one of the oldest cities in Latvia; it was a member of the Hanseatic League . According to

58-526: A chronicle dating back to 1323. The actual founding of the town probably occurred at least 40 years earlier when the master of the Livonian Order Wilken von Endorp constructed a castle ( Wolmar ) and Catholic church on the banks of the river Gauja. Valmiera was a member of the Hanseatic League from the 14th–16th centuries. Involvement in the Hansa brought significant trade and movement into

87-560: A great period of growth in the 1870s when its history of shipbuilding and seafaring began. In the 19th century, Vidzeme and Courland were covered with vast forests of pine trees. Ainaži's strategic position on the sea and proximity to lumber made it a perfect place for shipbuilding. In 1864, Krišjānis Valdemārs sponsored the first naval school in Livonia (today Latvia ), training young Estonian and Latvian farmers to become ship captains for free. The school stood for 50 years until it

116-537: A major transport hub. In 1906 Municipal elections were held and Valmiera was one of the few towns in Latvia where Latvians won the majority of seats (18 of 24). As a result, local doctor Georgs Apinis was elected as mayor. During the first quarter of the 20th century Valmiera also became a centre of culture and education as many schools were opened in the town. Among them were the Vidzeme teachers seminary, women gymnasium and merchant school. During World War II , Valmiera

145-750: Is a Latvian port town by the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea . Administratively, it is part of the Limbaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is located on the south side of the Estonia -Latvia international border, on the site of an ancient Livonian fishing village. The name Ainaži may be derived from the Estonian language word heina(s)-tee 'hay-road'. Other possibilities include

174-517: Is provided in Valmiera – starting from pre-schools until higher education and lifelong education institutions. City provides full-range of education: In the academic year of 2019 and 2020, 1625 children attended preschool educational institutions in Valmiera and 4084 students attended general education institutions. The local government invests significantly into the development of the educational infrastructure. More than 50% of Valmiera annual budget

203-613: Is spent on a development of education in the city. In 2016, Valmiera was included in UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (UNESCO GNLC). Its aim is to jointly seek for solutions to globalization, urbanization, demographics and other 21st century urban development challenges. In Valmiera, sports and an active lifestyle have historically been one of the city's main priorities. Over 40 sports organisations operate in Valmiera representing more than 30 different sports. The Valmiera Children's Sports School with over 1,200 pupils

232-476: Is the case with the initial sporting careers of bobsleigh racers Oskars Ķibermanis and Oskars Melbārdis . Biggest sports teams: Extensive sports infrastructure is available in Valmiera, including Jānis Daliņš’ Stadium, Māris Štrombergs’ BMX "Valmiera" track, the Vidzeme Olympic Centre, "Krāces" rowing base, Valmiera Swimming Pool and outdoor running and Nordic walking tracks. Annually,

261-627: Is the fourth biggest sports school in Latvia. In the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Jānis Daliņš won a silver medal – the first ever Olympic medal won by Latvia. In honour of the athlete's achievements, in 1938 Valmiera Stadium was named after Jānis Daliņš. Many Olympians have come from Valmiera including BMX riders Ivo Lakučs , Edžus Treimanis , Rihards Veide and a two-time Olympic champion Māris Štrombergs . In turn, Jolanta Dukure , Arnis Rumbenieks and Aigars Fadējevs are race walkers, whose sporting roots can be found in Valmiera, as

290-546: The Livonian words āina 'hay' or āinagi 'lonely, only'. Historically, the German language variants of the same name (e.g., Haynasch) , were used in most written records from the late Middle Ages until the first half of the 20th century. Ainaži existed for centuries as a Livonian fishing village. The town itself was first mentioned in 1564, and through the ages, changed hands among various barons and estates. Ainaži entered

319-920: The Livonian War , part of the Livonian Confederation on the right bank of the Daugava river and the Patrimony of Riga was ceded to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Duchy of Livonia (the left bank forming the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia ). Afterwards, the region was invaded by Sweden in 1600 , 1617 and 1621 . After the Polish-Swedish War concluded by the Truce of Altmark in 1629, Sweden acquired

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348-771: The Slavic name Vladimir . The town may have been named after the kniaz of the Principality of Pskov Vladimir Mstislavich , who became a vassal of Albert of Riga in 1212, and for a short time, it was a vogt of Tālava , Ydumea and Autīne . In another version, it may have been named after the King of Denmark Valdemar II , who allied with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Livonian Crusade . In

377-467: The biggest sports events held in the city are as follows: The biggest sport events to be held in Valmiera are: Valmiera is twinned with: Vidzeme The historic Governorate of Livonia is also larger than Vidzeme, since it corresponds roughly to Swedish Livonia . In ancient times, the territory of Vidzeme was inhabited by Latgalians and Livs (near the coast of the Gulf of Riga and along

406-573: The center of Valmiera were destroyed. The Cold War Liepas Air Base was located nearby. Version 2.2 of the open source mapping application QGIS was named in honor of Valmiera. Valmiera's municipality has been involved a variety of projects to improve the quality of life in the region. Valmiera is an important industrial centre. The dominating economic branches in Valmiera are the food industry , fibreglass production, metalworking , wood processing and furniture production. TOP 5 companies by turnover (Lursoft, 2018) A full cycle education

435-548: The ethnic composition, Valmiera has the largest proportion of ethnic Latvians among the state cities. Valmiera lies at the crossroads of several important roads, 107 kilometres (66 miles) to the north-east from Riga , the capital of Latvia, and 50 km (31 mi) south of the border with Estonia . Valmiera lies on both banks of the Gauja River. The name was derived from the Old German given name Waldemar or

464-595: The history of the school and the tradition of shipbuilding along the Vidzeme coast. Ainaži has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ). The most important industries are forestry, woodworking, and trade. In addition, its location at the Latvia-Estonia border on the A1 road (Latvia) , which is part of the Via Baltica international highway, favors transit/transport industries. The population of Ainaži and

493-526: The local German Baltic nobility through a feudal Landtag . After the end of World War I it was split between the newly independent countries of Latvia and Estonia. During World War II , the region was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940, and then by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. The territory of the region of Vidzeme is defined by Latvian law as follows: Aina%C5%BEi Ainaži ( Estonian : Heinaste ; Livonian : Āinast)

522-565: The lower reaches of the Daugava and Gauja rivers). Until the German conquest in the 13th century the Daugava, which now forms the south-east border of Vidzeme, was the boundary between the lands of the Livs and Latgalians on the right bank and those of the Semigallians and Selonians on the left bank of the river. The most notable Latgalian region in today's Vidzeme was Tālava . After

551-645: The second half of 13th century, the Livonian Order built a castle which they called Wolmar in German. During the Livonian War , the town was known in Russian as Володимерец ( Volodimirec ), but during the period of the Russian Empire , it was known as Вольмар (Wolmar). Valmiera and its surroundings have been one of the longest-inhabited regions of Latvia. Archeological evidence indicates

580-504: The site was inhabited 9,000 years ago. In 1224 after partition of Tālava trade roads along the Gauja river became property of Livonian Brothers of the Sword who erected a castle which is today known as Valmiera Castle. After the Battle of Saule in 1236 Valmiera Castle and nearby lands became the property of the newly established Livonian Order. Valmiera was first mentioned as a town in

609-635: The town's life. During the 14th–16th centuries several regional assemblies ( landtags ) were held in Valmiera. After the Livonian War in 1583 Valmiera was heavily devastated and was incorporated into the Duchy of Livonia as part of Wenden Voivodeship . After the Polish-Swedish war in 1622 Valmiera was managed by the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden Axel Oxenstierna . During the Great Northern War Valmiera

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638-869: The western part of the Duchy of Livonia roughly as far as the Aiviekste River , since then forming Vidzeme's eastern border. During the course of the Great Northern War , Swedish Livonia was conquered by the Russian Empire and ceded to Russia at the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. In place of Livonia the Russians created the Riga Governorate, but in 1796 the Riga Governorate was renamed the Governorate of Livonia , administered autonomously by

667-453: The years of independent Republic of Latvia (1918–1940) Ainaži was revitalized. The Ainaži fleet, sunken in the war, had completely barricaded the harbor and had to be removed. The harbor was then deepened, and the port was rebuilt in 1923 with new breakers. In 1930 the Ainaži lighthouse was built. In World War II , however, Ainaži was destroyed again. The second naval academy burned down, the port

696-485: Was again destroyed and burned down in 1702. It was further devastated by plague. During the first half of the 18th century Valmiera was on the decline. In 1738 M.E. von Hallart opened the first seminary of the Moravian Church in Valmiera, a movement which played an important role in the history of Vidzeme. In 1785 Valmiera became the centre of a district. The town saw rapid development in the 19th century. First it

725-593: Was bombed, and the warehouses were plundered. Though the port was partially rebuilt after the war, Ainaži was overshadowed by nearby Pärnu , and lost its fish-processing factory to Salacgrīva . After Latvia's independence was restored in 1991, a wind turbine was built in Ainaži, as well as a customs house on the Estonian border. Today, the building of the naval school hosts the Museum of Ainaži Naval School  [ lv ] ( Ainažu jūrskolas muzejs ), dedicated to

754-595: Was captured by troops of the German Army Group North on 4 July 1941 and placed under the administration of Reichskommissariat Ostland . In October 1941, 209 Jews from Valmiera and surrounding areas were murdered in local forests. The city was recaptured on 24 September 1944 by troops of the 3rd Baltic Front of the Red Army during the Riga Offensive . During the war almost all buildings at

783-544: Was destroyed in World War I . With the opening of the school and shipbuilding industry, Ainaži grew for the rest of the 19th century. From 1857 to 1913, over 50 seaworthy vessels were built in the town, and in 1902 a working port and railway station opened. By World War I, Ainaži was the fourth-largest port in all of Latvia and chief in Vidzeme, overtaking neighboring Salacgrīva . The town also had its own windmills, fish-processing plant, and brick kiln. In World War I Ainaži

812-518: Was heavily damaged. The port was ruined and the entire shipping fleet destroyed. In February 1919, the Estonian army drove the Germans from Ainaži and subsequently occupied it. After the war, Ainaži became part of Latvia after its inhabitants voted for Latvia in a referendum, but Estonia 's troops remained stationed there until 1920 and Estonia kept the northern section of the town, the Ikla village. In

841-456: Was stimulated by the building of the first bridge over the river Gauja in 1865. Later the building of the Riga-St.Petersburg railway line through the town in 1899 also played a major role. Many new factories were built in the town and new settlements were growing on both banks of the river Gauja. During 1911–12 a narrow gauge railway line Ainaži -Valmiera- Smiltene was built thus making Valmiera

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