Latvia is a small country on the Baltic Sea with ancient history and traditions. If you want to enjoy nature, there is not only the serene Gulf of Riga and the open Baltic Sea, but also nature parks, lakes and beautiful forests. Old Riga offers not only fabulous architectural monuments, but also various nightclubs and pubs. According to legend, once every 100 years the devil rears his head from the waters of Riga’s River Daugava and asks whether Riga is ‘ready’ yet. If the answer is ‘yes’, the now nearly 900-year-old city will be condemned to sink into the waters.

Yet Latvia has resisted doom and disarray for centuries. The largest of the three Baltic Republics, Latvia has often been an important trading center and strategic pawn in the Baltic region. The various Latvian tribes were self-governing until the end of the 13th century when conquered by the German Teutonic Knights. Latvia was then subject to sporadic invasions by the Poles and the Swedes until the 18th century when Russia, under Peter the Great, emerged as a major European power and subsumed Latvian territory. The Bolshevik revolution of 1917 heralded the end of Russian suzerainty.

Once Germans were expelled too, Latvians asserted their independence for the first time in more than 600 years. However, WWII again threatened the country with foreign domination and, in 1940, the Russians took over once more. Latvia had, that same year, signed a bilateral non-aggression pact with the Germans and a pact with Moscow. The Russians were driven out by the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, but returned three years later, after which Latvia was incorporated into the Soviet Union along with Estonia and Lithuania as one of the 15 Soviet republics. The process that led eventually to Latvia’s present independence began with the accession of Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet leader in 1985.

What has remained since such recent times is a tricky relationship with the Russian Federation, which is shown in microcosm via ethnic Russians who live in Latvia. The suppression of Latvian language and culture during the Soviet era has left a legacy of hostility which is only gradually being overcome, but Russians now feel subject to discrimination in certain areas.

For now, however, there is no chance of Latvia being ’ready’ to sink. Long the Baltic favorite, Latvia is now also beginning to emerge as a tourist destination further afield, championed as one of Europe’s hidden treasures. Those who visit will appreciate the small picturesque medieval towns, country castles, museums and folk parks, ruined fortresses and, occasionally, grand palaces. They will also appreciate the little Latvian quirks still entrenched in customs, crafts and culture.

Geography
Latvia is situated on the Baltic coast and borders Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, the Russian Federation in the east and Belarus in the southeast. The coastal plain is mostly flat but, inland to the east, the land is hilly with forests and lakes. There are about 12,000 rivers in Latvia, the biggest being the River Daugava. The ports of Riga and Ventspils often freeze over during the winter.