LATVIA AS PART OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA

Already in tsaristic times the seaside places west of Riga were very popular destination for leisure activities: a nice combination of beach and pine forest.






Maps from 'Russland nebst Teheran, Port Arthur, Peking / von Karl Baedeker. - 1912. :
on this maps you see the places -with their German names- from west west to east: Bilderlingshof (in Latvian Bulduri), Edinburg (in Latvian Dzintari), Majorenhof (in Latvian Majori), Dubbeln (in Latvian Dubulti), Karlsbad (in Latvian Melluži), Assern (in Latvian Asari).


Baedeker









Jūrmala
The places on the maps here, from Bilderlingshof in the east to Assern in the west, now are part of the city Jūrmala. This name means 'beach' or 'seashore'. The area was formerly a part of Riga, and was also indicated as 'Rīgas Jūrmala', Riga-on-sea, in German Riga-strand. In 1959 the city of Jūrmala is composed of Kemeri, Jaunkemeri, Sloka and the places of Rīgas Jürmala. The town district Majori can you see as the centre.


Baedeker
On middle detail-card - from the Baedeker 1912 - we see the three little places, Majorenhof, Edinburg and Bilderlingshof lying, on a row, jammed in between the sea and the river the Aa.

The postmark, resized 50%











Card, written in Edinburg, the German name for the Latvian Dzintari.
The postmark is difficult to read, but must be of
БИЛЬДЕРЛИ НГСГОФЪ (BIILDERLINGSGOF). The Russian name is more a transcription of the German name, Bilderlingshof. The Latvian name is Bulduri.



Original print size of this image: 14,055 x 9,102 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.









, Edinburg, but in Latvia.
The nice picture side of the card with the txt "Mondnacht am Strande von Majorenhof" (Moon-night at the beach of Majorenhof'" . Majarenhof is the German indication for the Latvian Majori, also a health resort near Riga.
All the mentioned places, Edinburg (Dzintari), Bilderlingshof (Bulduri) and Majorenhof (Majori), are located on the map above near each other on the coast near Riga.













Card, with the double circle postmark of БИЛЬДЕРЛИ НГСГОФЪ (BIILDERLINGSGOF).

Original print size of this image: 13,928 x 9,077 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark, resized 50 %.




Card with the picture of the beach in Bulduri, here indicated with the German name Bilderingshof.


Original print size of this image: 13,699 x 8,848 cm (is something more as the postal item)


The postmark, resized 50%.

On the other side of the card is used the double circle postmark of БИЛЬДЕРЛИ НГСГОФЪ (BIILDERLINGSGOF).

A card with a picture from Edinburg, now Dzintari. In 1897 is build here a 'Kurhaus' and Sea pavillion. On the card you see the pavilion of Edinburg. On the picture the text: ЭДИНБУРГЪ (EHDINBURG) МОРСКОЙ ПАВИЛЬОНЪ (MORSKOI PAVILON), Edinburg - Sea Pavillion.



Original print size of this image: 13,877 x 8,898 cm (is something more as the postal item)





The card has as wriiten message: 'Sveicecus iz Edinburgas' - Greetings from Edinburg.



The postmark, РИГА - ТУККУМЪ (RIGA TUKKUM), Riga-Tuckums. resized 50 %.


Edinburg, now Dzintari, get this name in Honour of the prince of Edinburg, who married with the daughter of tsar Alexender II. The couple had elso visit the 'Edinburger Kurhaus'. On the card here below you see a picture of this building.

In 1877 the railway-line between Riga and Tuckums -via Majori- is completed and then the 'tourism' was well under way. Majori became one of the most lively centres on the coast.
On this card you see a nice picture of Majorenhof, the German name of Majori. This building is also shown in a photo-guide from this time. It is a sea-pavillion, build in 1909 and designed -in historicism style- by A. Medlinger.

Original print size of this image: 13,953 x 9,127 cm (is something more as the postal item)







Cards from Majori and other bathing resorts in this area have more often a railway postmark. This card has been given on with the mail wagon of the train Riga-Tuckums, the line along the coast direction Riga, and has the postmark РИГА - ТУККУМЪ (RIGA TUKKUM), Riga-Tuckums. The card goes to Riga and has a 4-lines machine arrival postmark of Riga.
Here below, the postmark, resized 50%:




From a photo-guide -in Russian.
ВИДЬЫ РИЖСКАГО ВЗМОРЬЯ [Pictures of the coast-area near Riga]
2th Ed. - Riga : Ernst Plates, ca. 1910.
From the -Russian- introduction: 'The fame of the area is steady growing for anybody, who is known with the healthiness of the sea water and sea air.'

A famous guest of the pavillion was King Gustav V of Sweden, who came on a visit in the summer of 1929. The building is still there -Tirgonu Iela 1- and is now a private house.

The transscription of the text under the photo: MAIORENGOF . MORSKOI PAVILON, Majorenhof, Sea Pavillion. The photo-guide -in Russian- speaks about Majorenhof: a very nice sea pavillion with a beautiful view on the sparkling sea.




Card with a picture of the beach of Majorenhof / Majori.

Original print size of this image: 13,952 x 8,974 cm (is something more as the postal item)

End of the 19th century men generally used no bath clothing. Women carried a hemd, which covered the body from the neck to the ankles. From a beach-coach one entered the water.
Men and women were separated with bathing: on the beach of Majori, and the other bathing resorts, times were detemined for bathing.


On the other side a machine postmark of Riga.
In Baedeker (German edition, 1912, p. 61 we read:
without bath clothing men to 10 o'clock, women from 10 to 1.
With bath clothing men 1-3 o'clock, women 3 to 5.30
Bath 10 kop.. The beach-promenade is released from 1 afternoon.

On the beach were also huts for clothing and piers for entering easy the water.

According Baedeker 1912 the area between Bilderingshof and Assern has every year 80.000 visitors from June to end of August.




Christmas-card with the two circle arrival-postmark of МАIОРЕНГОФЪ (MAIORENGOF), also with the indication of the government.
Original print size of this image: 14,080 x 8,949 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark, resized 50 %

On the map above you see the places Dubbeln, Karlsbad and Assern. These places, west of Majorenhof/Majori. On the map the German indications are used: Dubbeln is the Latvian Dubulti, Karlsbad is the Latvian Melluži and Assern is the Latvian Asari.

Cover, sent from Dubulti, and in the one circle postmark is indicated: ДУББЕЛЬНЪ (DUBBELN). The russian name is more a transscription of the German name.
The cover is sent to Riga (arrival postmark on the backside).

Original print size of this image: 14,664 x 11,566 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark, resized 50 %.
Baedeker -English version 1914- about Dubulti:
"Dubbeln, the oldest of the Riga bathing resorts, is (like Majorenhof) very noisy; among the visitors are many Jews. The Kurhaus is the centre of activity."



Card with an arrival postmark, double circle, of
ДУББЕЛЬНЪ (DUBBELN) and the indication of the government ЛИФЛ. (LIFL.), Livland. The card is send from Riga.

Original print size of this image: 13,902 x 9,127 cm (is something
more as the postal item)



The postmark, resized 50 %.
The picture-side of the card







A landscape and poem in Latvian. If someone can translate: welcome!

Karlsbad -also a place with Kurhaus- is now the Latvian Melluž.

Cover with the postmark -double circle- of АССЕРНЪ (ASSERN), the Latvian Asari. In the postmark is also indicated the government: ЛИФЛ. (LIFL.), Livland.

Original print size of this image: 14,969 x 9,864 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The double circle postmark, resized 50%.

In the postmark on the backside is the indication of the place Stockmanshof, in Latvian Plavinas.

• De Baltische Riviera : deel 1 / Jan Kaptein [in Dutch: The Baltic Riviera : part 1]. - In: Het Baltische Gebied 2008 ; 53, - p. 4-15
• Russia with Teheran, Port Arthur, and Peking : handbook for travellers / by Karl Baedeker. -A facsimile of th original 1914 edition. - New york : Random House, 1971. - Origal print 1914.