Bishop Albert and the
Teutonic knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
destroyed the village while conquering Metsepole, and built a castle, around which formed the new city, ''Lemsahl''.
Medieval Limbaži
Until the beginning of the 16th century, Lemsahl could be reached by seagoing vessels travelling up the Svētupe. Ships came from as far as
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...
and
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
to trade for honey, wax, lumber, grain, and furs. The small trading camp surrounding the castle grew into a large town, and was admitted to the
Hanseatic League. Each year, Lemsahl hosted a conference attended by barons from all over Livonia, and the city hosted at least three other fairs throughout the year as well. During these fairs, the town may have held as many as 20,000 people at once. In addition, the
Archbishops of Riga made Lemsahl his spring residence, which became a walled city to protect both the bishop and the trading center. At the time, in population Lemsahl was second only to
Riga. The Limbaži Castle is one of the oldest fortified buildings in Latvia.
By 1500, however, the Svētupe became too shallow to navigate. Goods were sent elsewhere, and Lemsahl began a century long decline. During the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...
,
Ivan the Terrible's forces burned down Lemsahl in 1558, while its residents fled to the nearby forests and marshes for shelter. The city was burned down by the Swedes in 1567, and again by the Russians in 1575. In 1602, the Swedes and Poles fought yet again for the city, completely demolishing its fortifications and walls. By the time the wars had ended, the city was so demolished, only three houses and a handful of residents remained.
18th and 19th centuries
While under
Swedish rule, the village was renamed Limbaži sometime in the 17th century. During the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
, Vidzeme was totally ravaged by
Peter the Great's forces. But, as the story goes, while searching for Limbaži, the Russian army got lost in a heavy fog. After repeatedly going around in circles, the soldiers began to believe such a village may not exist after all, and moved on. Limbaži survived the war unscathed.
The city completely burned down again in 1747, after which today's city layout began to develop. In the 19th century, the city began to grow again. In 1821 there were 674 inhabitants, but by 1900 there were about 2000. In 1876, hat-maker A. Tīls opened "Limbažu filcs" (Limbaži
Felt
Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...
), the town's oldest company, which also secured jobs for generations of the city's inhabitants. The first town library was built in the late 19th century, and several publishing houses were opened, the largest of which was K. Paucīsis Press.
Twentieth century
After World War I Limbaži continued to grow as a center of commerce and crafts. The long-awaited rail line to Riga opened in 1934, and a 50-bed hospital opened in 1936. The House of Unity () cultural center was unveiled in 1939. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Limbaži was under
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
occupation from 4 July 1941 until 26 September 1944. During the
Soviet occupation
During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...
the population increased to 8,000, with many five-storey Soviet-style apartments appearing in the 1960s. During the Soviet period, Limbaži became a factory-town with the "Lauktehnika" farm machinery center, "Limbažu filcs" felt hat factory and "Limbažu piens" – one of the largest milk processors in Latvia – all based there.
Demographics
Notable residents
*
Kārlis Baumanis
Kārlis Baumanis (11 May 1835 – 10 January 1905), better known as Baumaņu Kārlis, was an ethnic Latvian people, Latvian composer in the Russian Empire. He is the author of the lyrics and music of '' Dievs, svētī Latviju! '' (“God bless La ...
(May 11, 1835 – January 10, 1905), composer of the Latvian national anthem, "
Dievs, svētī Latviju!
"" (; "God Bless Latvia!") is the national anthem of Latvia. Created in 1873 as a patriotic song, it did not gain official status until 1920.
History and composition
The music and lyrics were written in 1873 by Kārlis Baumanis, a teacher wh ...
"
Notable locations
*Limbaži Old Town, with remains of the town wall
*Ruins of the Archbishop's castle
*Limbaži History Museum
*Livonian hill-fort at Ķezberkalns
*St. John Lutheran Church ()
*
Kārlis Baumanis' grave and monument
*Limbažu Lielezers (Lake Limbaži)
*The national Olympic training center for
canoeing and kayaking
The following outline is provided as an overview of canoeing and kayaking:
Canoeing – recreational boating activity or paddle sport in which you kneel or sit facing forward in an open or closed-decked canoe, and propel yourself with a ...
is situated in Limbaži
Twin towns – sister cities
Limbaži is
twinned with:
*
Alver, Norway
*
Anklam
Anklam [], formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the ''Kleines Haff'', the western ...
, Germany
*
Klippan, Sweden
*
Luninets
Luninets ( be, Лунінец, russian: Лунине́ц, pl, Łuniniec, lt, Luninecas, yi, לונינייץ, Luninitz BGN/PCGN romanization: ''Luninyets'') is a town and administrative centre for the Luninets district in Brest Region, Belarus. ...
, Belarus
*
Panevėžys District Municipality, Lithuania
*
Sande, Norway
*
Volkhov
Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is an industrial town and the administrative center of Volkhovsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the river Volkhov east of St. Petersburg. Population:
It was previously known as ''Zvan ...
, Russia
See also
*
Auseklis Limbaži Theatre
References
Further reading
Limbaži history (Latvian)*Turlajs, Jānis, ed. Latvijas Ceļvedis. 2nd ed. Riga, Latvia: Jāņa Sēta, 2007. 200-01.
*Latvijas Pilsētas. Riga, Latvia: Preses Nams, 1999. 284-291.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Limbazi
Populated places established in the 13th century
Castles of the Livonian Order
Towns in Latvia
1385 establishments in Europe
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Kreis Wolmar
Limbaži Municipality