2023-11-09 15:35:00
The Courland region
Dramatic cliffs. Lonely sandy beaches. Kilometers of dunes. Pine and deciduous forests. Ice Age lakes and moors. The hills of Courland Switzerland. This is the mosaic of the landscapes of Courland (Latvian: Shorte) – a piece of Latvia that a Baltic holidaymaker dreams of.
The historic region directly on the Baltic Sea in the far west of the country is also culturally exciting and varied: many influences shaped the land of the Kuren, a Baltic people whose name derives from the Indo-European krs should be derived, which means something like “fast at sea”.
In the 13th century, the Kuren were subjugated by the Christian Order of the Sword Brothers and the Teutonic Knights, thus beginning centuries of German aristocratic rule. The Kuren, who spoke their own language, made up the simple rural population for a long time, while German was the language of the upper class until the 20th century.
Today Latvian is spoken in Courland. Many towns still have a historic German name, such as Jeglava (Mitau), which was Courland’s capital until 1919, when Latvia became independent. The residence there is the largest baroque palace in the Baltics and, like numerous other mansions, is a legacy of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, which was under the feudal rule of Poland-Lithuania from 1561 to 1795.
Source: Infographic WELT
In the course of the Third Partition of Poland, the Russian Empire annexed the region, but the Baltic German nobility continued to have the say in the Courland Governorate. During the World Wars, Courland was occupied by Germany and was heavily contested, with many Latvians joining German troops and fighting against the Red Army in World War II. Bloody battles raged in the Courland Pocket until May 1945.
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Today, travelers find silence and untouched nature, beautiful country estates and towns – and something unique: in Alsunga you can get to know the way of life of the Suiti, a Catholic minority who had isolated themselves from their Protestant neighborhood since the 17th century. Their ancient dances and songs have been protected as a world cultural heritage since 2009.
Salmon jump up the waterfall
The Ventas Rumba rapids in the medieval town of Kuldiga (Goldingen) are 249 meters wide – a record in Europe. Although it is barely two meters high, it is a popular photo backdrop, especially since one of the longest brick bridges in Europe spans the river in the background.
It’s not easy for them: salmon have to overcome the waterfall against the current
Quelle: Getty Images/500px Plus/500px
In autumn, the waterfall offers the spectacle of flying fish: salmon jump up to migrate upstream to spawn. In spring the show is repeated with a species of carp. Under Duke Jakob, who was born in Goldingen in 1610, thousands of them were caught in baskets; today they are protected during the spawning season.
Kuldiga, once the largest trade and cultural center in the Kurens, the residence and temporary capital of the Duchy of Courland in the 16th century, is also worth a visit because of the picturesque old town.
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The colony in the Caribbean
The Great Courland Bay on Tobago and a Latvian postage stamp from 2001 are reminiscent of times when the Caribbean island off South America was called New Courland. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, the smallest European country with colonies in America and Africa, had conquered Tobago in 1654 with the “Coat of Arms of the Duchess of Courland”.
On board: cannons, officers, soldiers and 80 families who were supposed to set up plantations for sugar, cotton, coffee and other colonial goods. Jacobstadt was created, named after the busy duke on the stamp. He had previously tried in vain to conquer Tobago against the resistance of the Caribs.
To do this, in 1649 he managed to build a base in the African Gambia River: Jacobs Island, today Kunta Kinteh. His capture by the Swedes from 1658 onwards in the Second Northern War heralded the end of colonial dreams. The African Courland branch was captured by the English in 1661, and Tobago by the Dutch.
A Latvian postage stamp from 2001 commemorates the time when the Caribbean island of Tobago was called New Courland
Tens of thousands of migratory birds attract birdwatchers
At Cape Kolka, the northernmost point of the Courland Peninsula, where the open Baltic Sea meets the waters of the Gulf of Riga, you can admire both the sunrise and the sunset over the sea – and now in autumn another natural spectacle: tens of thousands of migratory birds fly over every day the sky.
The Slītere National Park, which surrounds the cape and extends to the Blue Mountains, is considered by experts to be a top destination for birdwatchers who position themselves on the beach with cameras and thick binoculars.
Especially since the diverse landscape of coast, lagoons, swamps and forests is also the breeding ground for 125 species, including rarities such as capercaillie and black grouse, black storks, eagle owls, ospreys, short-toed eagles and golden eagles. Moose, wolves and lynx are also at home here, as are rare plants.
Slītere National Park is a top destination for birdwatchers in autumn because of the many migratory birds
Quelle: Lauku Celotajs
The service of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin
Noble austerity as a timeless cult: The Kurland service from the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin has been popular for 230 years. Under the name “Service with antique Kanthe”, the KPM designed it in 1790 for Peter von Biron, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, who wanted the tableware for his Berlin residence at Schloss Friedrichsfelde. It was later renamed “Kurland” in honor of the Duke.
Anyone who buys the classicist design icon with a mint green background and 24-carat gold decoration today (salad bowl: 396 euros) is dining like Friedrich Wilhelm II, Thomas Mann and Joseph Beuys, to name just a few of the prominent fans. Over the years, numerous (including cheaper) variants were added, in plain white or painted with flowers. The Kurland-to-go cup has been a bestseller as a single item for two years.
The Kurland service from the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin has been popular for 230 years
Quelle: KPM Berlin
Latvia has the northernmost vineyard in the world
Wine tourism in Latvia? That’s surprising. In fact, the Sabile vineyard is a small miracle: according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the northernmost vineyard in the world. Its origins go back to the time of German rule from the 14th century. Under Duke Jakob (1610–1682), new varieties were planted and the strong, sour wine was popular at court.
Today around 30 varieties grow on the 1.5 hectare mountain, most of which were bred by the Latvian luminary Pauls Sukatnieks (1914-1989) specifically for the harsh climate, such as the red Zilga grape.
The wine is also strange because you can’t buy it: the vineyard is the property of the city and the state, which is not allowed to trade in alcohol by law. You can only taste it once a year, at the wine festival at the end of July.
But you can enjoy other wines on wine tours in the region – and become a winemaker yourself: The wine town of Sabile has a tourist offer where you can plant your own grapes and visit them at any time.
Source: Infographic WELT
The quote
“As if the individual wave voices could be distinguished as they called to each other and fell into each other’s words.”
In his novel “Waves” (1911), Eduard Graf von Keyserling, born in 1855 on a manor in Courland, raves about the Baltic Sea – at the same time he paints an ironic portrait of the Baltic German estate nobility, who no longer had anything to report after the First World War.
The author, himself a scion of that aristocratic society, moved to Munich in 1894. Suffering from syphilis and spinal cord atrophy, he dictated the novel to his sisters there, already blind, and died alone in 1918. One of the later fans of the writer, who was praised as the “Baltic Fontane,” was Marcel Reich-Ranicki, who particularly liked “the fabulous dialogues” in “Waves.”
The book became one of the most important novels of impressionism, which also offers a lot of insight into the old Courland: “Small and dark, the fishermen’s houses sat on the pale dunes, here and there a yellow dot of light awoke in them, blinking myopically into the rising night. “
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Bizarre, record-breaking, typical: You can find further parts of our regional studies series here.
This text is from WELT AM SONNTAG. We will be happy to deliver them to your home regularly.
Source: Welt am Sonntag
This article was originally published in November 2020.
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