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Valmiera (; german: link=no, Wolmar; pl, Wolmar see other names) is the largest city of the historical
Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', liv, Vidūmō) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in ...
region,
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020 – 24 879. It is a state city the seat of
Valmiera Municipality Valmiera Municipality ( lv, Valmieras novads) is one of the 35 municipalities established in Latvia in 2021, located approximately west of the national capital Riga. Its first elected municipal council took office on 1 July 2021. Its seat is the ...
. Valmiera lies at the crossroads of several important roads, to the north-east from
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...
, the capital of Latvia, and south of the border with
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
. Valmiera lies on both banks of the Gauja River.


Names and etymology

The name was derived from the Old German given name or the Slavic name . The town may have been named after the kniaz of the
Principality of Pskov The Pskov Land (russian: Псковская земля, Pskovskaya zemlya) was a historical region in the north-west of the medieval Russia centred around the city of Pskov. It was a vassal state of various Rus' states and had a measure of independe ...
Vladimir Mstislavich who became a vassal of Albert of Riga in 1212 and for a short time was a vogt of Tālava, Ydumea and Autīne. Another version, it may have been named after the
King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alre ...
Valdemar II Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Soph ...
who allied with the
Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...
in Livonian Crusade. In the second half of 13th century
Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after th ...
built a castle which they called in German. During the Livonian War the town was known in Russian as (), but during the period of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
it was known as (Wolmar).


History

Valmiera and its surroundings have been one of the longest-inhabited regions of Latvia. Archeological evidence indicates 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 The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...
who erected a castle which is today known as Valmiera Castle. After the
Battle of Saule The Battle of Saule ( lt, Saulės mūšis / Šiaulių mūšis; german: Schlacht von Schaulen; lv, Saules kauja) was fought on 22 September 1236, between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and pagan troops of Samogitians and Semigallians. Betwe ...
in 1236 Valmiera Castle and nearby lands became the property of the newly established Livonian Order. Valmiera was first mentioned as a town in 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 The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after th ...
Wilken von Endorp Wilken is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aud Wilken (born 1965), Danish singer * Charles Wilken (1866–1956), Danish actor * Claudia Ann Wilken (born 1949), United States federal judge * Dorothy Wilken, American politic ...
constructed a castle (''Wolmar'') and
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church on the banks of the river Gauja. Valmiera was a member of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
from the 14th–16th centuries. Involvement in the Hansa brought significant trade and movement into the town's life. During the 14th–16th centuries several regional assemblies (
landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...
s) were held in Valmiera. After the Livonian War in 1583 Valmiera was heavily devastated and was incorporated into the
Duchy of Livonia The Duchy of Livonia ( or ; lt, Livonijos kunigaikštystė; la, Ducatus Ultradunensis; et, Liivimaa hertsogkond; lv, Pārdaugavas hercogiste; german: Herzogtum Livland), also referred to as Polish Livonia or Livonia ( pl, link=no, Inflanty) ...
as part of Wenden Voivodeship. After the Polish-Swedish war in 1622 Valmiera was managed by the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...
. 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-Swe ...
Valmiera 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 The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...
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 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 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 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Valmiera was captured by troops of the
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 ...
Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...
on 4 July 1941 and placed under the administration of
Reichskommissariat Ostland The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initi ...
. 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 The 3rd Baltic Front (russian: 3-й Прибалтийский фронт) was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after a series of campaigns in the Baltic sta ...
of the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
during the Riga Offensive. During the war almost all buildings at the center of Valmiera were destroyed. The
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
Liepas Air Base was located nearby. Version 2.2 of the open source mapping application
QGIS QGIS is a free and open-source cross-platform desktop geographic information system (GIS) application that supports viewing, editing, printing, and analysis of geospatial data. Functionality QGIS functions as geographic information system (GIS) ...
was named in honor of Valmiera.


Development

Valmiera's municipality has been involved a variety of projects to improve the quality of life in the region. ;Projects implemented lately * Reconstruction of Valmiera Pārgauja State Gymnasium * Reconstruction of Valmiera Viestura Secondary school * Dwelling house of various social groups * Pedestrian track and watch terrace * Construction of Māris Štrombergs BMX track “Valmiera” * Construction of Valmiera Western Industrial highway * Co-creation workshop “DARE” * Reconstruction of Jānis Daliņš Stadium and construction of light athletics hall * Valmiera Old Town development – Ziloņu Street * Hybrid buses in the city * Construction of woodchip boiler house ;Ongoing projects * Dormitory for pupils * Valmiera Old Town development – Valmiera Palace cultural center * Recreational and playground areas * Two electric buses in the city *Construction of Valmiera Southern Industrial highway * Career Development Support Program * Renovation of Valmiera Drama Theater Valmiera is an important industrial centre. The dominating economic branches in Valmiera are the
food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...
, fibreglass production,
metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
, wood processing and
furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks) ...
production. TOP 5 companies by turnover (Lursoft, 2018) * “Valmieras Glass Group” JSC * Cooperative “VAKS” * "Valmieras piens" JSC * “Dizozols”, Ltd * Cooperative society of agricultural service dairy farmers “PIENA LOĢISTIKA”


Education

A full cycle education is provided in Valmiera – starting from pre-schools until higher education and lifelong education institutions. City provides full-range of education: * 8 Kindergartens * 2 Primary Schools * 4 Secondary Schools, including special education for disabled children * 2 State Gymnasiums * Valmiera Music School * Valmiera Sports School * Valmiera Youth Centre "Vinda" * Valmiera School of Design and Art * Valmiera Vocational Education and Training School * Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences * Lifelong learning In the academic year 2019/2020, 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 is spent on a development of education in the city. In Year 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.


Culture

;Culture facilities in Valmiera * Valmiera Drama Theatre * Valmiera Culture centre * Cinema "3D CINEMA" (kino "Gaisma") * Concert hall "Valmiera" * Valmiera Integrated library * Valmiera Museum * Art „Gallery Laipa” * Gallery „Leduspagrabs” ;Festivals and annual events in Valmiera * International Winter Music Festival * International competition for young pianists * Valmiera Summer Theatre Festival * Valmiera City Festival * Simjūds’ Fair * Summer concerts by the Valmiera Music School * cinema festival "Kino Pedālis" * Art month of Valmiera * etc.


Sports

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 is the fourth biggest sports school in Latvia. In the
1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...
in Los Angeles,
Jānis Daliņš Jānis Daliņš (5 November 1904 – 11 June 1978) was a Latvian people, Latvian race walker. Competing in the 50 km event he won a silver medal at the 1932 Olympics, becoming the first Latvian to win an Olympic medal. He also won the 1934 Euro ...
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 Māris Štrombergs (born 10 March 1987) is a Latvian former professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships. In 2012 he pro ...
. In turn, Jolanta Dukure, Arnis Rumbenieks and Aigars Fadējevs are race walkers, whose sporting roots can be found in Valmiera, as is the case with the initial sporting careers of bobsleigh racers
Oskars Ķibermanis Oskars Ķibermanis (born 4 April 1993) is a Latvian bobsledder. He competed at the FIBT World Championships 2013 in St. Moritz, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest ...
and
Oskars Melbārdis Oskars Melbārdis (born 16 February 1988) is a former Latvian bobsledder who has competed since 2006. He is the most successful bobsledder in the history of his country, having won one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. He also earned the first- ...
. Biggest sports teams: * Valmiera Basketball Club – 2015/2016
Latvian Basketball League Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language Latvian ( ), also known as Lettish, is an Easter ...
Champions * Valmiera Floorball Club – 2017/2018 Floorball Latvia League runners-up * Valmiera Football Club – finished 4th in the 2019 Latvian Higher Football League * Valmiera Glass ViA – competing in Latvian-Estonian Basketball League 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, the biggest sports events held in the city are as follows: * the State President's Athletics Competition * Valmiera Marathon * MTB Marathon * “Rīga-Valmiera” Running and Walking Race * Latvian Open Floorball Tournament * the European Championship Qualification Games in Men's Handball The biggest sport events to be held in Valmiera are: * 2011 FIBA Basketball World Championship U-19 Junior Sub-Group Games * 2014 Davis Cup Group Ties in Tennis * 2018 IFF World Championship Men's Floorball Qualification Tournament * BMX European Championships 2019


Twin towns – sister cities

Valmiera is twinned with: * Solna, Sweden (1991) *
Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...
, Estonia (1992) * Gütersloh (district), Germany (1994) * Høje-Taastrup, Denmark (1995) *
Zduńska Wola Zduńska Wola is a city in central Poland with 40,730 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of Zduńska Wola County in the Łódź Voivodeship. The city was once one of the largest cloth, linen and cotton weaving centres in Poland and is the birt ...
, Poland (2001) *
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
, Russia (2002) *
Barysaw Barysaw ( be, Барысаў, ) or Borisov (russian: Борисов, ) is a city in Belarus near the Berezina River in the Minsk Region 74 km north-east from Minsk. Its population is around 145,000. History Barysaw is first mentioned in ...
, Belarus (2010) *
Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...
, Germany (2011) * Siyazan, Azerbaijan (2014) * Vallefoglia, Italy (2016) * Cherkasy, Ukraine (2022)


Gallery

Bridge over Gauja river.JPG, Bridge over Gauja river Rigas Iela, summer 2013.JPG, Riga street in the city centre Valmiera muuseum.JPG, Valmiera city museum Valmiera Old Pharmacy in Castle ruins.JPG, Castle ruins Valmiera railway station 2.JPG, Railway station Valmiera Sv Simana baznica.jpg, St. Simon Lutheran church


Notable people

* Velta Ruke-Dravina (1917–2003), Latvian-born Swedish linguist, folklorist, professor *
Dāvis Bertāns Dāvis Bertāns (born 12 November 1992) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Latvian Laser", he also represents the Latvian national team. He was the 42 ...
(1992–), basketball player in NBA *
Dairis Bertāns Dairis Bertāns (born September 9, 1989) is a Latvian professional basketball player for Real Betis of the Spanish Liga ACB. Bertāns also plays for the Latvia national basketball team. He is the older brother of Dāvis Bertāns. Professional ca ...
(1989–), former basketball player in NBA *
Arturs Maskats Arturs Maskats (born 20 December 1957 in Valmiera) is a Latvian composer and since 1996 artistic director of the Latvian National Opera. His orchestral composition, ''Tango'', received international exposure as one of the finalist works of the th ...
(1957–), composer.


See also

* Valmiera Drama Theatre


References

{{Authority control Cities in Latvia Republican cities of Latvia Castles of the Teutonic Knights Valmiera Municipality Kreis Wolmar Vidzeme