(Click picture to enlarge) Street marker for Auseklis Street in LielvÄrde. Made out of wood, it features the traditional Auseklis pattern. LielvÄrde is home to the traditional “LielvÄrde belt” that is iconic among Latvian traditional dress, and motifs from this
Tombstone Tuesday – KÄrlis and Anna BrÄ“kis
In this series, I am providing pictures of tombstones from Latvian cemeteries, all with death dates prior to 1945. I do not have any further information on the people mentioned. Photo taken by me, December 2014. Click to enlarge. Top
WW1 Diary – August 31, 1918
Seventy-sixth installment from the diary of my great-grandfather’s sister Alise, written during the First World War. When the diary starts, she is living just a few miles from the front lines of the Eastern Front, and is then forced to
Mappy Monday – Ancient Names for Latvian Territory
Latvia wasn’t always called Latvia – and for most of history, you won’t have found a place called “Latvia” on a map. Only in the 20th century did Latvia become an independent country. This also means that if you are
Surname Saturday – Latvian Surname Project Update, August 29, 2015
New format of Surname Saturday here on Discovering Latvian Roots – if you want surname meanings, go check out the Facebook and Twitter pages, here on the blog it will be a summary of what’s new on the Latvian Surname
Finnic Influences in Latvia: Language and Vocabulary
This is the last post in a series on Finnic influences in Latvia. You can also read the other posts in the series about Finnic influence on place names and personal names, as well as read about population crossover at
Wordless Wednesday – LielvÄrde Castle Ruins
(Click picture to enlarge) LielvÄrde Castle ruins, LielvÄrde. Photo taken by me, August 2015.
Tombstone Tuesday – Minna Dalbiņš, 1868-1919
In this series, I am providing pictures of tombstones from Latvian cemeteries, all with death dates prior to 1945. I do not have any further information on the people mentioned. Photo taken by me, November 2014. Click to enlarge. Name:
Mappy Monday – The River Gauja
A lot of attention is paid to the Daugava, the biggest and longest river in Latvia, that goes through the middle of the country – but few outside of Latvia know about the Gauja river, which is the longest river
Surname Saturday – Latvian Surname Project Update, August 22, 2015
New format of Surname Saturday here on Discovering Latvian Roots – if you want surname meanings, go check out the Facebook and Twitter pages, here on the blog it will be a summary of what’s new on the Latvian Surname