River Daugava towards Old Riga

The photograph on the card was taken sometime in 1890. It shows shipping in the river Daugava towards old Riga. The River Daugava (in Latvian) or Western Dvina, not to be confused with Northern Dvina, is a river rising in the Valdai Hills, Russia, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia, draining into the Gulf of Riga in Latvia, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The total length of the river is 1,005 km (624 mi): 325 km (202 mi) in Russia, 328 km (204 mi) in Belarus, and 352 km (219 mi) in Latvia. In the 19th century, it was connected by a canal to the Berezina and Dnieper rivers (the canal is currently not functioning). The Daugava forms part of the international border between Latvia and Belarus.

Thank you Merja for this nice card.

Treasures of Latvia

This picture postcard is one of 8 of the Postcard collection ”Latvian Treasures” which has opened a small peephole in the window of the indescribably rich collection of the Latvian museum. Collection of eight postcards are made, using materials from the museum exhibitions and storage and trying to show variety of culture and styles in the territory of Latvia. This card concentrates on Women’s jewelry of Latvia during the 6–13th centuries. Thank you Maija, who sent me this card from Riga.

Latvia - Art Nouveau movement in Europe

The architectural and artistic answer to the literary Modernist movement that began in the late 19th century was the Art Nouveau movement in Europe. The Art Nouveau movement reached its peak in the early 20th century, which is when the majority of Riga’s Art Nouveau houses were built, beginning in 1899. Riga’s term for the movement, Jugendstil, comes from the German and Scandinavian movement named after the avant-garde periodical Jugend (“Youth”). Unlike the stiffer sensibilities of Victorian style, Art Nouveau stressed a complete creative freedom, mixing fantastic elements with a tendency to show all utilitarian construction elements as artistic value, with very characteristic elements such as dynamic, undulating, and flowing lines and geometrical ornaments. In Riga, Art Nouveau could be split into two main directions, decorative and romantic-nationalistic Art Nouveau. Vera sent this historical card to me.