• Rīgas Jūrmala:
  Bulduri , Dzintari, Majori, Dubulti, Melluži, Asari...
• Auce

RĪGAS JŪRMALA

Already in tsarist times the seaside places west of Riga were very popular destination for leisure activities: a nice combination of beach and pine forest. But here the story has not ended: after the independence struggle, the guests have to return quickly to the Baltic Riviera. In a guide from the twenties - "Vadonis pa Rigas Jūmalas pilsētu" - you find an overview of the years 1920 and 1921 data (p. 17). 1920: Bilderingshof 6064, Edinburg-Majarenhof 6323, Dubbeln 497, Karlsbad 302, Assern 284,Total: 13.470

Map on the backside of a tourist brochure -in English- from the thirties [?]: 'Rigas Jūrmala : ideal bathing-place at the Baltic Sea'

The next year -1921 - a significant increase:
Bilderingshof 4984, Edinburg-Majorenhof 8115, Dubbeln 4172, Karlsbad 1599, Assern 1125, Total 19,995
The Guide "Der Rigasche Strand" (Thr Riga Beach) -a bit later in the Twenties (c. 1928) - speaks of 50 to 60.000 guests (10% foreigners).This is not yet the number of pre-war-120 000. From Riga to many trains ran during the summer, 36 to Rīgas Jūrmala and back daily. There was also a steamboat connection and a first class road between Riga and the beach.
The guide also provides general information for the -German- tourist and an extended description of the places on the "Baltic Riviera."
The rules described in this guide (p. 30): it seems in many respects to the bath-life in the tsars time.
So there were rules fot bathing with and without bathing-suit: "Das Kostümbaden in der See ist beiden Geschlechtern wochentags von 6-8 Uhr morgens gestattet; von 8.15-10 Uhr ist Herren-badestunde (ohne Kostüm); von 10,15-12 Uhr Damenbadestunde (ohne Kostüm). Von 12-24 Uhr Kostümbad für beide Geschlechter." [The costume swimming in the see is permitted both sexes during the week of 6-8 Clock in the morning, from 8.15-10 Clock is men's bathing time (without costume), and from 10.15 to 12 Clock woman bathing time (without costume). 12-24 Clock bathin with costume for both sexes.] Also it was not permitted for women from 8.15 to 10 hour to stay in the dunes, and so men not between 10.15 and 12 .
On Sundays and public holidays, the whole day alone bathing with bathing suit was allowed. There were also supplementary rules: forbidden to photograph during the bathing times and no binoculars in the dunes.
Visitors came in the open sea for the cold ocean baths, but there were also many bathing institutions for taking warm ocean baths. Sunbathing and 'air baths', sport and exercise, were regarded as beneficial.

The places successive according to the above directory: Bulli (Bullen), Bulduri (Bilderingshof), Edinburga (Edinburg), Majori (Majorenhof), Dubulti (Dubbeln), Mellu˛i (Karlsbad), Asari (Assern), Valtera Mui˛a (Waltershof) en Priedaine (Kiefernhalt) Bulli (Bullen), Bulduri (Bilderingshof) Edinburga (Edinburgh), Majori (Majorenhof) Dubulti (Dubbeln) Mellu˛i (Carlsbad), Asari (Assern), Valtera Muiza (Waltershof) and Priedaine (Kiefer Halt). Between brackets are indicated the old German names.




BULDURI
The first 'beach-station' of the railwayline from Riga was Bulli, 30 minutes (18 km) from Riga, one of the two stations of Bulduri. Two kilometre away the railway station Bulduri was located on this line.
Bulduri had good hotels, sanatoriums, hostels and public houses.
There was a post office opened in 1907. The Latvian post office was opened August 12, 1919.

On the postcard here is used the standard postmark of Latvian Bulduri. This postmark is known with two different letters, A (with seven stripes in the bars) and B (with 9 stripes in the bars). Original print size of this image: 13,674 x 8,780 cm (is something more as the postal item) This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg.

After some increase with the computer, in the stamp the letter A you can see. The postmark resized 50 %:

On the picture-side of this card a view on the beach of Rīgas Jūrmala

MAJORI

Original print size of this image: 13,860 x 8,645 cm (is something more as the postal item)

Here a postcard from Majori. The railwaystation of Majori station Majori is over 24 km from Riga. The place, center of the spa life, was also to reach by steamboat from Riga. Even now, in the season - May 1 to September 30, one can make a ride on the steamer between Riga and Majori. The Latvian Post Office was opened December 27, 1918. Majori was in the interwar period central to the spa-life of the Rigas beach. Here were the best hotels, sanatoria, boarding houses. There were also facilities such as bars with music. At the seaside were institutions with warm sea-water and bathing cabins. In Majori ware used more Latvian standard postmarks: codeletters A and B, both with seven lines in the bars . Furthermore, also postmarks with codeletter C and D are used, each with nine lines in the bars. In the Handbook of Harry v. Hofmann, all these postmarks (codeletter A, B, C, D) are type 6 (see literature).

Standard features of this stamp postmark: -Double-ring with bars/lines in the arches above and below -Place name and country name at the top with a V, LATVIJA -Codeletter on the right and left three stars The postmark, resized 50%:

There is also an older type postmark with bard, but with country name at the top with a W, LATWIJA
(type 5 in the book of v. Hofmann), but this is not used in Majori.

The later type postmark, arches without bars, place name and country name at the top with a V, LATVIJA
, codeletter on the right and left three stars (type 10) is used in Majori with codeletter 'E'

Literature:

Lettland : Handbuch Philatelie und Postgeschichte : Die Stempel / Harry v. Hofmann. - 1988

MELLUŽI

Melluži, the former Karlsbad, could be reached by two railwaystations, Melluži I and Melluži II, respectively 27,5 and 29 km from Riga. Probably the post office is opened October 1, 1920 (?). The postmark type 6 is used (with bars/lines and V in Latvija)is used with codeletters A (9 lines), B (9 lines) and C (9 lines). Also type 10 (without bars/lines, V in LATVIJA) is used with codeletters A, B, and V. Original print size of this image: 13,547 x 8,746 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark, resized 50%: There exists also a very scarce postmark of MELLUŽI-STACIJA, type 6 with 9 lines in the bars and codeletter A. This post office is opened October 1, 1932 (?) and closed April 15, 1939.

Literature

De Baltische Riviera : deel 2 / Jan Kaptein. - In: Het Baltische Gebied 2009 ; 1. - p. 4-23. - [The Baltic Riviera, Part 2, article in Dutch]

Latvia : the Baltic Riviera : health resort and watering places. - Riga : Bernhard Lamey Publisher, 1920. - 51 p. - Complete as pdf-file on internet: www.archive.org/details/exts , search for 'latvia baltic'and you find it

Der Rigasche Strand - Baltische Riviera : illustrierter Führer durch Die Badeorte des Rigaschen Strandes. - Herausg. - [Riga] : Kulturverein des Rigaschen Strandes, [1928?]

Das schoene Letland, - Riga : Bernhard Lamey Verlag, [1930?]

Vadonis pa Rigas Jūrmalas pilsētu = Fūhrer durch den Rigaschen Strand mit Plan. - [1922?]. - 24 p. : krt.. - Bilingual, Latvian and German.

AUCE

Postcard, sent from Auce. The post office is opened October 2, 1924. Here are postmarks of type 6 used with codeletters A, B, C, D (all 9 lines in bars), and also type 10 (without bars) with codeletter D. Original print size of this image: 13,826 x 9,051 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark is type 6 (with 9 lines in bars, V in LATVIJA) with codeletter A, resized 50 %

Continued: machine postmarks

First postage stamp, Riga, machine postmarks