Dobele (; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the

Semigallia Semigallia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tri ...

region of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. It is located near the center of Latvia on the banks of the river Bērze. It received

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in 1917 whilst being a part of the German occupied

Courland Governorate Courland Governorate, also known as the Province of Courland or Governorate of Kurland, and known from 1795 to 1796 as the Viceroyalty of Courland, was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As of 2020, the population was 8,856.

Name origin

In a German document from 1254 a place name ''Dubelene'' or ''Dubelone'' has been used. Later the names ''Doblene'', ''Doblenen'' and ''Doblen'' also have been used for this inhabited location. The original place name can be reconstructed as ''Dobelene'' or ''Dobeliene'', but its origins are linked to the place name ''duobe'' (pit or delve) and ''duobele'' (dip, dimple). Most likely, the reconstructed place name ''Dobelene'' meant 'populated area in a dimple'.

History

Dobele is first mentioned in historical sources in 1254; however, at that time it was only a wooden fortress which was destroyed during the Semigallian War of Independence (1279–1290), the final phase of the

Northern Crusades The Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were Christianization campaigns undertaken by Catholic Church, Catholic Christian Military order (society), military orders and kingdoms, primarily against the paganism, pagan Balts, Baltic, Baltic Finns, ...

in Latvia. On its spot, a new stone

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

was erected in 1335 and a small settlement grew up around it. The ruins of this fortress are still visible and are in the process of being restored. The original church was constructed in 1495, and eventually, the fortress developed into a trading post. In the 17th century, a watermill, sawmill, a cardigan mill, and a vinegar-works were constructed during the reign of duke

Jacob Kettler Jacob Kettler (; ; 28 October 1610 – 1 January 1682) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1642 to 1682. Under his rule, Courland and Semigallia became more independent of its Polish suzerain, reached its peak in wealth, and even engage ...

. In 1927, the

Jelgava–Liepāja Railway The Jelgava–Liepāja Railway is a long, gauge railway built in the 20th century to connect the cities Jelgava and Liepāja, Latvia. References

Railway lines in Latvia Jelgava Transport in Liepāja Railway lines opened in 1929 1929 ...

connected the city to other important towns and a period of development resulted.

Industry

Dobele is the home of many large enterprises, such as mills, the "Seal" chemical plant, and the "Baltic Candles" candle factory.

Schools

Dobele State Gymnasium Dobele State Gymnasium (()) is a gymnasium (school), gymnasium (a pre-university high school) in Dobele, Latvia, founded in 1922. The official language of the school is Latvian, and students can also study English, Russian, and German. Student ...

Culture

The town of Dobele has a Cultural Centre as well as a museum. The town is also the location of 8 nationally protected monuments, such as the old castle, church, and town hall. There are several annual festivals and holidays celebrated including the ''Ielīgosim Jāņus'', the Midsummer celebration, and the ''jubileja'', or festival, which changes yearly.

Climate

Dobele has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'').

Demographics

ns make up 75.5% of the population while

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

ns, at 14%, are a significant minority. Other groups include

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ians - 3.3%,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

ns - 2.3%,

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

-1.8%,

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

- 1.5%, and 1.6% are of other nationalities.

Gallery

File:Dobeles Luteriskā baznīca 2.jpg, Dobele Lutheran church (1495) File:Dobeles katolubaznica.JPG, Catholic church (2003) File:Dobeles stacija 04.JPG, Dobele Railway Station File:Dobele, the city square.jpg, The main square File:Dobele, houses on the city square.jpg, 19th-century buildings in the city center

Notable people

* Oskars Bārs (1848–1914), architect *

Gunārs Saliņš Gunars Saliņš (21 April 1924 – 29 June 2010) was a Modernism, modernist poet within the Latvian literature, Latvian lyric poetry tradition. He became a leading voice of the "Hell's Kitchen artists" (Elles ķēķis)—a Latvian emigre artist ...

(1924–2010), modernist poet *

Alexei Kudrin Alexei Leonidovich Kudrin ( rus, Алексе́й Леони́дович Ку́дрин, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej lʲɪɐˈnʲidəvʲɪtɕ ˈkudrʲɪn; born 12 October 1960) is a Russian liberal politician and economist. Previously he served as the C ...

(born 1960), politician, economist *

Linda Mūrniece Linda Mūrniece (''née'' Linda Mūrniece; born 28 January 1970 in Dobele) is a Latvian politician and journalist. She is a member of Unity, and has served as both the Minister for the Interior as well as the Minister for Defence of Latvia. ...

(born 1970), politician, journalist *

Uldis Augulis Uldis Augulis (born 16 March 1972) is a Latvian politician and a member of the Union of Greens and Farmers. He holds a bachelor's degree in financial management from the University of Latvia. He was the former Welfare Minister from 2009 to ...

(born 1972), politician *

Viktors Ščerbatihs Viktors Ščerbatihs (born 6 October 1974 in Dobele) is a former Latvian weightlifter, politician and a three-time Olympian for his native country. He is 181 cm tall. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, he won the silver medal in the +105 kg ...

(born 1974), weightlifter, Olympic silver-medalist * Andris Naudužs (born 1975), racing cyclist * Gatis Eglītis (born 1978), politician *

Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks (born July 11, 1979) is a Latvians, Latvian pop music singer, songwriter, television host and actor. He has graduated from Jelgava Music college, studied communication science at the University of Latvia and trained as an actor in L ...

(born 1979), musician *

Andrejs Šeļakovs Andrejs Šeļakovs (born November 8, 1988) is a Latvian basketball player, who plays the center position. He is currently playing for BK Jūrmala of the Latvian league. Pro career Andrejs Šeļakovs started his pro career in 2006-2007 with ASK ...

(born 1988), basketball player *

Māris Bogdanovičs Māris Bogdanovičs (born 19 November 1991 in Dobele) is a Latvian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . Major results ;2014 : 3rd Mayor Cup : 7th Central European Tour Budapest GP : 7th Banja Luka–Belgrade II ;2015 : 9th ...

(born 1991), cyclist *

Emīls Liepiņš Emīls Liepiņš (born 29 October 1992 in Dobele) is a Latvian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . In October 2020, he was named in the startlist for the 2020 Vuelta a España. Major results ;2012 : 3rd Jurmala Grand Prix ;2014 : 3rd ...

(born 1992), cyclist *

Ritvars Suharevs Ritvars Suharevs (born 11 January 1999) is a Latvian weightlifter, and Junior World Champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categor ...

(born 1999), weightlifter *

Kristers Tobers Kristers Tobers (born 13 December 2000) is a Latvian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen and captains the Latvia national team. Career Club career In January 2020, he ...

(born 2000), football player *

Daniela Ivanova Daniela Ivanova is a Latvian weightlifter. She won the silver medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2022 European Weightlifting Championships held in Tirana, Albania. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76kg event at the 2023 European Weig ...

(born 2002), weightlifter

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Dobele Municipality Cities and towns in Semigallia 1917 establishments in Latvia Populated places established in 1917 Dobele county