Tukuma Pilsdrupas (Johans Kristofs Broce; 1792)
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Tukums (; ; ) 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
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 ...
and serves as the administrative center of
Tukums Municipality Tukums Municipality () is a Latvian municipality situated partly in the region of Semigallia, partly in Courland and partly in Vidzeme. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Degole Parish, Džūkste Parish, Irlava Parish, Jaunsāti P ...
. It is located in the eastern part of the historical region of
Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...
, and with more than 16,000 inhabitants Tukums is the 13th largest settlement in Latvia. It is also an important
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
junction, connecting the town with
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 ...
,
Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...
and
Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...
. It has two railway stations — Tukums I and Tukums II.


History

The historical center of Tukums developed between trade routes leading from the mouth of the
Daugava River The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
to
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
. The oldest part is today's Talsi Street that originated at the river named Zvirgzdupite where there used to be a castle mound with a wooden castle. From 1253 Tukums was ruled by 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 ...
. A masonry castle was built on the bank of the
Slocene Slocene is a river in Zemgale, historical region of Latvia. It flows through the Tukums municipality and Engure municipality into the Lake Kaņieris within the territory of the Ķemeri National Park. Chemical and ecological status The Slo ...
river at the end of the 13th century. The castle was surrounded by settlements of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
tradesmen and craftsmen. A marketplace was formed in front of the castle and some new streets appeared later running in various directions from the marketplace. With the development of trade in the 16th century a new straighter trade route to Prussia was built along a new street that is called Liela (large) Street today which had an important role in the life of the settlement. As a result, public buildings, major businesses, workshops and small shops were built around the street making it the unofficial
high street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
of the area. After the disintegration of the Livonian Order a new state, the
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy in the Baltic states, 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 th ...
was established. Like many other settlements Tukums had suffered greatly the numerous feudal wars. Under the rule of Duke Jacob (1642–1682) Tukums experienced a rapid economic boom. At the time, a new trade route was built from Tukums to
Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...
, the capital of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. It was opened along today's Jelgavas Street and another route towards today's Raudas Street. Inhabited by only 800 people at that time, the first
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
was built and a lake made near the road to
Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...
which was followed by a
flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
and copper-making furnace which was then exported to foreign countries. The new adornment of Tukums were the lake and the church spire which were added to the skyline in 1687. After 1795, Courland was incorporated into the
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 ...
. In November of the same year the Russian Tsaritsa Katherine signed a document to divide Courland into regions and to grant regional center rights to several urban settlements, Tukums being one of them. The town borders were marked in 1800 and the first urban map was made two years later. The town continued growing as it became home to 6 pubs and 131 private houses with around 690 male and 832 female inhabitants. In 1806, the first school was opened while the street pavement was introduced in 1860. In 1875, street lighting were started with more rapid developments of the town being observed after the opening of the Riga-Tukums railway line in 1877. It is one of the lines connecting Tukums with neighboring town
Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...
. There were 24 known enterprises functioning in Tukums in 1897 including
tanneries Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
, wood-
carding In Textile manufacturing, textile production, carding is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web or sliver (textiles), sliver suitable for subsequent processing. This is achieved by passi ...
mills,
glue Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...
plants, potteries,
food production The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the World population, world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from sm ...
facilities and the two
windmills A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern periods; ...
which are thought to have brought out the uniqueness of the townscape. The town eventually grew along with the rapid growth and development of these industries. The rich are known to have built their houses in the eastern part around Elizabetes, Pils and Baznicas Streets, but the workers settled more to the West, forming an area of small houses surrounded by gardens. These areas of Tukums were further developed during the year in 1935. In the beginning of the 1930s, there were 8000 inhabitants and 73 functioning industrial enterprises in Tukums. In 2019, the town becomes home to the second largest tire recycling plant in Latvia.


Places near Tukums

The Engure parish by the city was host to the
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
Tukums air base. It was converted into a civilian airport.
Jaunpils Castle Jaunpils Castle (; ) is a castle in Jaunpils Parish, Tukums Municipality in the Semigallia region of Latvia. More of a manor house than properly a fortified castle, it has now been converted into a hotel. History The castle in Jaunpils is fir ...
is the only fortified castle of the Order of Livonia that remains in Latvia. It was built in 1301. An exhibition hall and museum are located there on the history of the district. Jaunpils Lutheran Church which was built in 1592 is located near the castle. Jaunmoku Palace (1901), from Tukums, surrounded by the Courlands hills, hosts an exhibition on forestry. Jaunmoku Palace is a combination of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
elements and
Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
forms and was built as the country residence of George Armitstead, mayor of Riga (1901–12). Durbe manor house, () rebuilt in 1820, is a classical style palace, surrounded by a landscaped park. A stone bridge across the ravine and a rotunda are located near the manor house. The Schlokenbeck estate ensemble in Milzkalne, dating from the 15th century, is the only fortified
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
in Latvia. A museum on the history of broad building techniques and an exposition of horse gear is set up there. In Zante region there is the highest peak of Tukums district – Smiltinkalns (153m); in the center of Zante there is a Red Army tank, commemorating the battles in "
Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...
" from 1944 to 1945 inclusive. The country of Zentene and Seme has the northern landscape of Courland – hills, curved roads, objects of nature and places of culture history. The seashore of Tukums district has a length of , where old fishermen's huts alternate with modern villas, and sandy beaches interchange with rocky shores and meadows.
Kandava Kandava (; ; ) is a town in Tukums Municipality, in the Courland region of Latvia. It had a population of 3,656 people as of January 2020. History Livonian Crusade The territory of modern Kandava was inhabited by Finnic tribes until the 10th ce ...
was the capital of the ancient Couronian state of Vanema. In the beginning of the 13th century, German knights built their castle there, though not much has been preserved from that time. In the Middle Ages, Kandava underwent numerous wars, fires and plague epidemics. The Kandava hills are covered with dense forests and the
Abava Rapids The Abava is a river in Latvia and the largest tributary of the Venta. It flows through Tukums, Talsi and Kuldiga districts. Fifty percent of the Abava basin is covered by forests. Its valley was submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO World H ...
of the
Abava River The Abava is a river in Latvia and the largest tributary of the Venta. It flows through Tukums, Talsi and Kuldiga districts. Fifty percent of the Abava basin is covered by forests. Its valley was submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO World H ...
. Kandava marks the beginning of the run of the
Abava Valley The Abava Valley is the valley of the Abava River in Talsi, Tukums, and Kuldīga municipalities, Latvia, in the historical Kurzeme region. Following inclusion on the World Monuments Fund's Watch List of endangered heritage sites, on 20 June 1 ...
, which is often locally referred to as "Switzerland of Courland" in as early as the 19th century. Since January 2011, the valley has been on Latvia's Tentative World Heritage List, according to World Monuments Fund.


Places in Tukums


Museums

* Castle Tower of Tukums – Brivibas Square 19a * Durbe Manor house – M.Parka Street 7 * Jaunmokas Palace Museum – Jaunmokas * Jaunpils Museum – Jaunpils * Pastariņš Museum – Bisnieki, Zentene * Šlokenbeka Manor – Milzkalne * Tukums Museum – Harmonijas Street 7


Notable people

*
Ronalds Arājs Ronalds Arājs (born 29 November 1987 in Tukums) is a Latvian athlete. Arājs is the current Latvian record holder in the 100 metres sprint, having a personal best of 10.18 seconds. His personal record in the 200 metres is 20.75 seconds. Arā ...
, Latvian athlete *
Kristaps Blanks Kristaps Blanks (born 30 January 1986) is a Latvian football coach and former player who played as striker. He is a first-team coach at Riga FC Riga Football Club, commonly referred to as Riga FC, is a Latvian Association football, football ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
striker,
Skonto FC Skonto FC was a Latvian professional Association football, football club, active from 1991 until 2016. The club played at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's resumption (15 in total), and o ...
and Latvia national football team player *
Ādolfs Bļodnieks Ādolfs Bļodnieks (24 July 1889 – 21 March 1962) held the office of Prime Minister of Latvia from 24 March 1933 – 16 March 1934, for the New Farmers-Small Landowners Party, New Farmers' Party. Published ...
,
Prime Minister of Latvia The prime minister of Latvia () is the most powerful member of the Government of Latvia, who presides over the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers. The officeholder is nominated by the president of Latvia, but must be able to obtain the support of a p ...
from 1933 – 1934 *
Līga Kļaviņa Līga Kļaviņa (born January 27, 1980, in Tukums) is a female heptathlete from Latvia, who began her career as a high jumper. She competed for her native Baltic nations, Baltic country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Achievement ...
, Latvian heptathlete * Žoržs Tikmers, sports executive *
Viktor Tsoi Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (, ; 21 June 1962 – 15 August 1990) was a Russian singer-songwriter and actor who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and influential bands in the history of Russian music. Born and raised in Leningrad (mode ...
,
Soviet Rock Russian rock music originated in the Soviet Union in the 1960s based on the influence of Western rock music and bard songs, and was developed by both amateur bands and official VIA. The "golden age" of Russian rock was during the 1980s (esp ...
band Kino leader died near Tukums. * Dainis Kūla,
javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...
er and 1980 Olympic champion * Jevgēņijs Kosmačovs,
FK Ventspils FK Ventspils was a Latvian professional football club based at Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions in Ventspils. It was one of the most prominent football clubs in the country. The club played in the Latvian Virslīga since 1997. It folded in July ...
and Latvia national football team midfielder *
Joe Magidsohn Joseph Magidsohn (December 20, 1888 – February 14, 1969) was an American football player and official. He played Halfback (American football), halfback for the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines football, Wolverines in 1909 and 1910 an ...
, Latvian-born
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
football player *
Kaspars Ozers Kaspars Ozers (born 15 September 1968, in Tukums) is a former Latvian professional cyclist who had a brief professional career during the 1990s. He took part in the Tour de France twice, as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. In 1995 one of his teammat ...
, cyclist * Jānis Roze, Latvian biologist and philosopher * Otto August Rosenberger, astronomer * Samanta Tīna, Latvian singer of
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
descent * Georgs Andrejevs, politician *
Mārtiņš Staķis Mārtiņš Staķis (born 4 July 1979) is a Latvian politician and businessman, Mayor of Riga from 2020 to 2023. He served as a Deputy (legislator), deputy of the 13th Saeima, the Latvian parliament, until he resigned on 5 June 2020. On 29 August ...
, politician * Artis Kampars, politician * Christopher Zarins, Latvian-born surgeon, professor * Bertrams Zariņš, Latvian-born orthopedic surgeon at
Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...
and
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
* Adolf Behrman, Latvian painter *
Mordechai Nurock Mordechai Nurock (, , 7 November 1879 – 8 November 1962) was a Latvian-born Israeli who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services, though he only held the post for less than two ...
, politician


Twin towns — sister cities

Tukums is twinned with: *
Andrychów Andrychów () is the largest town in Wadowice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located in the Little Beskids, in the historical region of Lesser Poland, on the river Wieprzówka. It has been situated in the Lesser Poland Vo ...
, Poland *
Bnei Ayish Bnei Ayish () is a town and local council in the Central District of Israel. Located around ten kilometers from Ashdod and adjacent to Gedera, it had a population of in . History The town was founded in 1957. Before 1948, the area had served a ...
, Israel * Chennevières-sur-Marne, France *
Izium Izium or Izyum (, ; ) is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of Izium Raion and Izium urban hromada. It is about southeast of the city of Kharkiv, the oblast's administrative cen ...
, Ukraine * Karelichy, Belarus * Krasnogorsk, Russia *
Plungė Plungė (; Samogitian: ''Plongė''; ) is a city in Lithuania with 17,252 inhabitants. Plunge is the capital of the Plungė District Municipality which has 33,251 inhabitants (2022). Two parts of the city are separated by the Babrungas River and ...
, Lithuania *
Scheeßel Scheeßel (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Scheeßl'') is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Wümme, approx. 10 km northeast of Rotenburg, 45 km east of Bremen, and 70 km sou ...
, Germany *
Tidaholm Tidaholm () is a locality and the seat of Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland Province within Västra Götaland County, Sweden, consisting of 520 square kilometers, or a little more than 200 square miles. It is located on the Tidan River, t ...
, Sweden


Newspapers

* ''
Neatkarīgās Tukuma Ziņas Neatkarīgās Tukuma Ziņas () is a Latvian language local newspaper, targeted at the residents of the towns of Tukums and Kandava, as well as the rest of Tukums municipality in the western region of Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic ...
'' * '' Tukuma Ziņotājs''


References


External links


Tukums City Official WebsiteTukums Tourist Information CenterWorld Monuments Fund
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Courland 1795 establishments in Europe Tukums county 18th-century establishments in Latvia Populated places in Tukums Municipality