LATVIA : SOVIET PERIOD : RIGA

After the war in Iraq we saw the pulling down of the statues of Saddam Hussein. Along with a change of power not an unusual picture: people will wipe out in the memory the old authorities. This also happened in the Baltic countries with the most recent great change of power, the recovered independence. On postal attioneries and other philatelic material from the Soviet period we meet many statues and monuments. A lot of these 'heroes' and old authorities are now disappeared from the city scene of the Baltic towns.



MAP OF RIGA



Also streets get their old names with the renewed independence. The map of Riga above is issued in Moscow, 1978, for Russian tourists. On the map we see the mainstreet (between the red arrows) with as name У.Л, the abrevation for УЛИЦА (ULITSA) = Street ЛЕНИНА (LENINA) = Lenin.



The main-street of Riga is still 'Lenin-street'.


On the map above we see also УЛ.РЕВОЛЮЦИЯС, more a transcription of the Latvian Revolūcijas iela, Revolution street. This 'Revolution street' you can also find on the Soviet postal stationery here, issued 2-2-1965.



On the postal item the 'Revolution street' is called -right according to the Russian gammar- УЛИЦА РЕВОЛЮЦИИ.
With the renewed independence the name of the street is changed in Matisa street, the same name as before World War II.


Original print size of this image: 15,985 x 11,362 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.









A nice modern postal stationery, issued 10-4-1956, with the indication 'РИГА [RIGA] КОМСОПОЛСКАЯ [KOMSOMOLSKAYA] НАБЕРЕЖНАЯ [NABERZHNAYA], the Komsomol Quay, and that sounds communistic.





That it is: named after the Communist Youth Association, Komsomol.


Original print size of this image: 16,264 x 11,616 cm (is something more as the postal item)



On the other side of the map of Riga is printed a more detailed map and you see the buidings, recognizable, three-dimensional. Here a detail of the map of old city on the river Daugava. On the map you see the Sovjet name of right quay of the ДАУГАВА, the Daugava.
Here the quay is indicated with КОМ`ЪЯУНАТНЕС [KOMYAUNATNES] КРАСТМАЛА [KRASTMALA] = Latvian for quay, so more a transcription from the Latvian: Komjaunatnes krastmala. This Latvian indication we find also on the postal stationery below.



In the twenties this mainstreet looks very different from now: landing stages and trade. Also the harbour and city market were on this place. In 1924-1939 the new market is built, the 'zeppelin-hangars', in Soviet time the 'Central Kolchosmarket'.


The parts of the quay had after the independence different street-names, and in 1930 these streets (Gutenberga, Mazā Peldu Street, Daugavas quay, Brěmiešu street and the old market united in one street, which in 1934 get the name '11 novembra krastmala' (11 november boulevard, quay). This day is a Latvian memory-day, 'Lāčplēša-day'. On 11 november 1919 the German were drived away after a bloody fight by the Latvian army and the Latvian flag was runned up above the Riga-castle. The memory-day, on which the heros of World War I and the Latvian freedom-fighters were commemorated, is named after the Latvian epic hero 'Lāčplēša.
In 1940 the street was renamed Daugavas Krastmala and later, during the German occupation, Daugavmale.

After the war the damaged harbour was rebuilt further from the old city, and the quay is in 1948 renemed Komjaunatnes Quay, honouring the youth who has worked to rebuilt the quay.
Also the in 1899 built pontoon bridge is then reconstructed. On the map you see also the 'October-bridge', built in the fifties.


Postal stationery, issued 12-2-1965, with the name of the quay in Russian and Latvian.



Resized 50%.



Original print size of this image: 16,112 x 11,514 cm (is something more as the postal item)



Now the 'October-bridge' is named Akmens Tilts. In 1990 the old name of the quay came back: 11 Novembra Krastmala.





In the beginning of УЛИЦА [ULITSA] = Street ЛЕНИНА [LENINA], Lenin Street, we see a great square.








Here a Memorial Museum and Monument to the Latvian Red Riflemen, a branch -that time- of the Museum of the Revolution of the Latvian SSR, was opened in 1970. On the map we see also the monumentto the Latvian Red Riflemen, put up in 1971 in front of the museum.
The monument is designed by D. Driba and sculpted by V. Ahlbergs.
We see the museum and monument many times on soviet postal stationeries. Here a postal stationery, issued 22-2-1990, with the museum and monument "Latviešu sarkano strēlnieku".
Original print size of this image: 16,188 x 11,642 cm (is something more as the postal item)



During the October Socialist Revolution the Latvian Riflemen were always on important places and they guarded the revolutionary headquarters, first in Petrograd, and later in Moscow.
In a brochure -in German, and in German it sounds better-, issued on occasion of the 60. Anniversary of the great Socialist Octoberrevolution, we read (p. 11) about them:
"Das Heldentum der Lettischen Schützen
In Riga, dort wo die W.-I.-Lenin-Straße zur Daugava führt, stehen auf einem Platz die gewaltigen granitenen figuren dreier Schützen. Es sind in Soldatenmäntel gekleidete revolutionäre Arbeiter. In den Tagen des Roten Oktober stellten sich 58000 lettische Schützen entschlossen auf die Seite der sozialistischen Revolution, nahmen aktiv an der Verteidigung der jungen Sowjetrepublik teil.
Die lettischen roten Schützen ließen die konterrevolutionären Einheiten nicht nach Petrograd durch. Das 6. Schützenregiment wurde zur Unterstützung der revolutionären Ordnung in Petrograd herangezogen und nahm an der Liquidierung konterrevolutionärer Aufstande teil. ….….Im Januar 1920 schrieb de "Iswestija': 'Die lettischen Schützen haben sich auch vor der Organisierung der heutigen Arbeiter-und-Bauern-Armee und in der ruhmreichen Roten Armee selbst durch ihren Mut und ihr Heldentum das Recht auf den Dank der russischen Arbeiterklasse und des Weltproletariats verdient…' Im Zentrum Rigas ragt jetzt das Monument auf, …."
This kind of brochures shall now not longer be written.

The 'Latvian Red Riflemen Museum' on the background is now renamed: 'Occupation Museum of Latvia'.



Postal stationery, issued 5-3-1975, on the backside is printed 5/III-75..
Original print size of this image: 16,493 x 11,794 cm (is something more as the postal item)




Also on other postal stationeries we find the monument:

  • issued 3-8-1978
  • issued 26-2-1986
  • issued 27-10-1989