Iecava
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Iecava () () is a town on the
via Baltica European route E 67 is an E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic to Estonia and by ferry to Finland. It goes via Prague, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki. The route is known as the Via Baltica ...
in
Bauska Municipality Bauska Municipality () is a municipality in Zemgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Brunava parish, Ceraukste parish, Code parish, Dāviņi parish, Gailīši parish, Īslīce parish, Mežotne parish, Vecs ...
, 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 southern
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 ...
. The town has a population of around 9700 people. Iecava lies 40 km south of
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
and 23 km north of
Bauska Bauska () is a town in its Bauska Municipality, eponymous municipality, found in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on t ...
and was mentioned in historical documents as early as 1492. Until the 2021 Latvian administrative reform took into force on 1 July 2021, Iecava was a village and the center of
Iecava Municipality Iecava Municipality () is a former municipality in the historical region of Semigallia, and the Zemgale Planning Region in Latvia. The municipality was formed 2003 by a reorganization of Iecava Parish. The administrative centre was Iecava. The ...
.


History

Iecava was first mentioned in 1492, 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 thei ...
,
Johann Freytag von Loringhoven Johann Freitag von Loringhoven (c. 1430 - 26 May 1494), also known as Johann Freytag von Loringhoven, and Johann Fridach van Loringhoffe, was a knight of the Teutonic knights and a member of the Freytag von Loringhoven family. Most notably, from ...
, issued a document regarding the duties of peasants from Iecava and
Mežotne Mežotne () is a village in the Mežotne Parish of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia, 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It is located on the left bank of the Lielupe river near ...
regarding the local estate. There is earlier proof of inhabitants of
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 ...
settling the area. Today, in the center of Iecava, there was a camp, in which there have been found many items even from the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
such as war hammers and work hammers. Two early tombs of the
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
were also explored. In the 14th century Iecava was subordinated into the Livonian Order. From mid 16th century to end of 18th century the town was part of the
Duchy of Courland The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy in the Baltic region, then known as Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1569 as a nominal vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently made part of the Crown of the Polish Kingd ...
. In 1567, with the order of the Duke of Courland, a separate Iecava-Lambarte congregation was founded, for which the Lutheran Church began to be built in 1641. During the Duchy of Courland in 1652.-1845. Iecava became a local industrial center with copper, tar, lime, brick and coal kilns, dolomite quarries, paper mills, flax and monochrome weave weaver, and stud workshops. Cannons (two of them are displayed in the center of Iecava), cannon balls, ship nails, and boilers were produced. After adding Courland to
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, Iecava became a crown manor. In 1795, the estate was acquired by Count Peter von der Paul, to whom the Russian Empress
Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...
donated the previously rented Lieliecava Manor, and came to Paul's "eternal ownership". Count Paul's reign brought Iecava a lively boom - Iecava Castle was built in 1795-1890 and an English-style landscape park of 17.2 hectares with a large variety of native tree species and exotic species was created. During the
Napoleon's invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...
in 1812, significant clashes took place in Iecava. During the French invasion, Colonel de Tolly, the brother of the famous Russian officer Michael Barclay de Tolly, died here. Legends say that several bullets fired during the campaign have left marks still visible on the walls of Iecava Church. On July 7, 1812, the Battle of Iecava took place, where the French army, led by generals von Grawert and Kleist von Nollendorf, defeated Russian troops. In the 19th century there were 16 manors in the territory of Iecava (Branti, Briede, Grienvalde, Misa, Zorģe manor, etc.). In 1827 the Dzimtmisa School was opened, 1858. - the Iecava School, 1864. - the Misa School. At the end of the 19th century, the rapid development of capitalism and the geographical position of Iecava contributed to the development of the village and its administrative center. In 1869 a parish house was built, in 1876 - the school of Iecava parish. In 1885, a pharmacy was opened in Iecava, which is still in operation in this building. In 1891, the new Peace Court building, including customs, police, post office (now houses a cultural house), was completed. During this time, too, Craftsmen's House (now - post office). During the first world war, two years in the vicinity of the frontline, Iecava was hit hard. Iecava Palace was destroyed in 1915 with the deportation of the Russian army from Riga. From the palace complex, the library housing of the Earl Leonid von der Pahlen, the horse stables, and the three park guards' houses have remained. Although Iecava suffered greatly 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 ...
- there were only 43 homes with 139 inhabitants in the 1920s - it quickly recovered due to convenient traffic and fertile soils. At the time of the first Republic of Latvia, 17 000 ha of the land of the Lieliecava Manor was divided into new holdings, while the manor was converted into a village with 400 building blocks. In 1935, there were 709 residents in the village. In the second half of the 1930s, Iecava had two schools, three libraries, a hospital, many commercial and industrial companies, and several associations. On 23 August 1936, the Freedom Monument was built in Iecava Park. The monument was carved from Latvian granite by artist Pēteris Banders.


Soviet occupation

The end of the first year of the Soviet occupation of Latvia (1940–41) is dramatic for Latvia as a whole and also for Iecava - a large part of the population of the parish was deported. The second wave of
deportations Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
over Iecava came in 1949. Only a portion of the deported returns. On June 14, 1990, at Iecava station, the sculptor Mārtiņš Zaurs designed monument was discovered to the victims of Stalinist repression, “The pain
semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...
.” The years of Soviet occupation are marked by forced collectivization. After World War II, more than 10
kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz. These were the two components of the socialized farm sector that began to eme ...
es were established in Iecava territory, combined in the 1970s in the “Iecava” kolhoz (a/s “Rakmente”, etc., founded in the early 1990s), p/s “Progress” (several companies were created in the early 1990s, including co-operative societies “Ikstrums” and “Rosme”, SIA, Iecava) and p/s Zālīte In 1958, by decree of the Supreme Council of the
Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation of the Bal ...
, the heavily populated area “Iecava” is transformed into a working village. There are 1242 residents in the village this time around. By the end of the 1950s, the food industry began to grow in Iecava. A distillery was reconstructed in 1957, a dairy combined in 1962, a bakery was built in 1961. In 1968, a combined feed plant started production, in 1973 the Iecava Poultry Factory was created (now a/s “ Balticovo”, the largest producer of eggs in the Baltics). On 1 February 1963, the village of Iecava workers was transformed into a city village. In the 1980s, a strong agrarian complex base has developed in Iecava's urban village and its surroundings. The Iecava station contains an intermediate-Republican fertilizer base, a combined forage plant, and an asphalt-concrete plant. The area comprises an Iecava bird factory, an distillery, a dairy and other businesses. Large agricultural production companies were here. The overall atmosphere was affected by the former presence of three parts of the USSR rocket bases.


After independence

In the early 1990s, with the recovery of Latvia's independence and rapid changes in economic life, Iecava and its surroundings also changed. Some of the Soviet troops were leaving and there was a change in the legal status of many companies in the area. In 1990, the Council of Members of the People of Iecava chose in favour of the parish when examining the question of changing the status of the village as a part of the 1990 Latvian administrative reform. The village became a part of
Iecava Parish Iecava Parish () is one of the subdivisions of Bauska Municipality in its northern part. It surrounds the city of Iecava, which serves as the extraterritorial parish center. It is bordered by Code, Dāviņi, Mežotne, Stelpe and Vecumnieki ...
, Bauska district. On 12 August 2003, the deputies of Iecava parish council unanimously decided to establish the Iecava Municipality within the administrative territorial borders of the civil parish of Iecava and, on the basis of regulation 708, adopted by the Cabinet on 16.12.2003, “Provisions on the establishment of the Municipality of Iecava of the Bauska district”, thus Iecava Parish became the
Iecava Municipality Iecava Municipality () is a former municipality in the historical region of Semigallia, and the Zemgale Planning Region in Latvia. The municipality was formed 2003 by a reorganization of Iecava Parish. The administrative centre was Iecava. The ...
(1 January 2004). After the 2009 Latvian administrative reform, districts were abolished and Iecava Municipality became a first-level administrative unit of the country. During the 2021 administrative reform, this was de facto reverted and Iecava Municpality was merged into
Bauska Municipality Bauska Municipality () is a municipality in Zemgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Brunava parish, Ceraukste parish, Code parish, Dāviņi parish, Gailīši parish, Īslīce parish, Mežotne parish, Vecs ...
as the town of Iecava and
Iecava Parish Iecava Parish () is one of the subdivisions of Bauska Municipality in its northern part. It surrounds the city of Iecava, which serves as the extraterritorial parish center. It is bordered by Code, Dāviņi, Mežotne, Stelpe and Vecumnieki ...
.


Notable people

Prominent Latvians born in Iecava include Friedrich Wilhelm Matisohn (1871-1913), (1893–1958), Esmeralda Ermale,
Arvīds Pelše Arvīds Pelše (, Arvid Yanovich Pelshe; – 29 May 1983) was a Latvian Soviet politician, functionary, and historian. Career Pelše was born into a peasant family, in Mazie farm near Zālīte, Iecava in Bauska district, Latvia to Johan P ...
.


See also

* Battle of Ekau


References

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Bauska Municipality Bauska Municipality () is a municipality in Zemgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Brunava parish, Ceraukste parish, Code parish, Dāviņi parish, Gailīši parish, Īslīce parish, Mežotne parish, Vecs ...
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Bauska Bauska () is a town in its Bauska Municipality, eponymous municipality, found in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on t ...
* Iecava , group2 = Parishes , list2 = *
Bārbele parish Bārbele Parish () is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia 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, a ...
* Brunava parish * Ceraukste parish * Code parish * Dāviņi parish * Gailīši parish *
Iecava parish Iecava Parish () is one of the subdivisions of Bauska Municipality in its northern part. It surrounds the city of Iecava, which serves as the extraterritorial parish center. It is bordered by Code, Dāviņi, Mežotne, Stelpe and Vecumnieki ...
* Īslīce parish * Kurmene parish *
Mežotne parish Mežotne () is a village in the Mežotne Parish of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia, 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It is located on the left bank of the Lielupe river near ...
*
Rundāle parish Rundāle Parish () is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia 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, a ...
*
Skaistkalne parish Skaistkalne Parish () is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Prior to the 2009 administrative reforms it was part of Bauska district. History The present territory of Skaistkalne Parish is located ...
* Stelpe parish *
Svitene parish Svitene Parish () is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia 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, al ...
* Valle parish * Vecsaule parish * Vecumnieki parish *
Viesturi parish Viesturi Parish () is an administrative unit of Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia 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, ...
Populated places in Bauska Municipality Cities and towns in Semigallia