LATVIA : INDEPENDENCE 1918-1940





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" (The Riga Beach) -a little 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), Melluži (Karlsbad), Asari (Assern), Valtera Muiža (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 21.06.1919. At first a postmark is used with the indication BILDERLIŅI. From 30.05.1920 the name of the post-office is Bulduri. Later the indication in postmarks becomes BULDURI.

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.


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

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). The postmark with serial letter A is reported with earliest date 19 V 21, latest reported date is 23 X 42.
This postmark is type 6: double circle, country name LATVIJA (with V) below, placename above, bars, datebridge with left stars and right serial letter.


In 1920, from August 6 to September 6, the first 'Baltic Conference' is held at Bulduri. It was organized by the Latvians and they invited not only Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland but also the Scandinavian countries.
The Scandinavian kingdoms did not answer. The Ukrainians and White Ruthenians arrived uninvited. The Ukrainian representatives were admitted on August 20, but not the White Ruthenians: Soviet Russia might be offended. In this time Soviet troops -two armies- tried to conquer Warsaw. At this time the Lithuanians were again in their old capital Vilnius, but the Poles did not accept this. Estonia and Lithuania had signed their peace treaties with Soviet Russia but Latvia signed hers during the conference, on August 11. Finland still had difficulties with the Russians over Karelia.
Proposals for cooperation were postal, telegraph, telephone and railroad conventions, economic cooperation, a convention on civil rights and more.
On August 31, 1920, a secret political treaty was agreed. See:





MAJORI

Here a postcard from Majori.



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


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.
Ober Ost post odffice was opened until 26.12.18. Some days they were working together with the Latvian Republic poststation, open 19.12.18 - 05.01.19.
Then the Bolshevik period poststation 05.01.19 until some time in late May 1919 (23.05.19 seen). So again Latvian Republic poststation from 14.06.19 but post and telegraph office from 09.04.20.

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 and data of Juris Mors, all these postmarks (codeletter A, B, C, D) are type 6.
Standard features of this type 6 postmark:
-Double-ring, datebridge with bars/lines in the arches above and below
-Place name at the top and country name below with a V, LATVIJA
-Codeletter on the right and left three stars


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- type 10-, arches without bars, place name at the top and country name below with a V, LATVIJA, codeletter on the right and left three stars (type 10) is used in Majori with codeletter 'E' (earlist reported date -5.7.38).
According Juris Mors is type 10 with codeletter A very short used in 1942.



MELLUŽI

Melluži, the former Karlsbad, could be reached by two railwaystations, Melluži I and Melluži II, respectively 27,5 and 29 km from Riga. The post office is opened August 25, 1919.


Original print size of this image: 13,547 x 8,746 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark type 6 is used (with bars/lines and V in Latvija) with codeletters A (9 lines), B (9 lines) and C (9 lines).
Also type 10 (without bars/lines, V in LATVIJA) is used -late, 1939- with codeletters A and B.


There exists also a very scarce postmark of MELLUŽI-STACIJA, type 6 with 9 bars and codeletter A. This post office is opened June 16, 1932 and closed March8, 1941.
The post office is renamed Pumpuri on 01.04.39.



ASARI

Asari, the former of АССЕРНЪ (ASSERN), is located -as you can see on the map above- in the west of Rigas Jūmala.

The postmark type 6 is used on this card (with bars/lines and V in Latvija) with codeletter A (9 lines). Also type 10 (without bars/lines, V in LATVIJA) is used in Asari with codeletter A.
The post office was open 25.08.1919 - 08.03.1941.

Original print size of this image: 14,207 x 9,127 cm (is something more as the postal item)

On the picture side of the card: a nice view on the beach.
Asari is mentioned in the travel guidefrom about 1928 - Der Rigasche Strand - Baltische Riviera (p. 27): the place had two railway stations, Asari I (30 km from of Riga) and Asari II (32,5 km from Riga). The place couls also be reached by boat: in 'Valtera muiža' was a steamer stop on the shore of the river Lielupe, south of Asari.

In 1938 when the Asari II railway station was renamed and the name of Vaivari appeared. The present railway station of Asari is an old building: one of the most beautiful of the baltic. Vaivari and Asari stations on a modern map: