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38-505: South Kurzeme is Latvia's largest municipality, covering an area of 3,591 square kilometres (1,386 sq mi). It is located in the southwestern part of the Courland region in western Latvia, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It borders Ventspils Municipality to the north, Kuldīga Municipality to the northeast, and Saldus Municipality to the east. It surrounds the port city of Liepāja in

76-619: A domestic industry. Iron and limestone were the chief minerals; a little amber was found on the coast. The only seaports were Liepāja, Ventspils and Palanga , there being none on the Courland coast of the Gulf of Riga. In 1870 the population was 619,154; in 1897 it was 674,437 (of whom 345,756 were women); in 1906 it was estimated at 714,200. Of the whole, 79% were Latvians , 8.4% Baltic Germans , about 8% Jews , 1.4% Russians , 1% Lithuanians , 1% Poles , and some Livonians . The chief towns of

114-505: A low position in the social scale. Agriculture was the chief occupation, with the principal crops being rye , barley , oats , wheat , flax , and potatoes . The large estates conducted agriculture with skill and scientific knowledge. Fruit grew well. Excellent breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs were kept. Liepāja and Jelgava operated as the principal industrial centres, with ironworks , agricultural machinery works, tanneries , glass and soap works. Flax spinning took place mostly as

152-578: A population of 292,659 making it the least populous of the provinces. ( occupation ) 1940-1941 The Soviet Army occupied Latvia in conformity with the terms of 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact on 17 June 1940. On 5 August 1940, the Soviet Union annexed the region along with the rest of Latvia which was made a constituent republic of the USSR , the Latvian SSR . At the start of Operation Barbarossa in

190-405: A population of 33,364 living in what is now South Kurzeme Municipality at the beginning of 2021. This represented a 28% decrease from an estimated population of 46,451 at the beginning of 2000, and a 13% decrease from an estimated population of 38,351 at the beginning of 2011. The municipal seat of Grobiņa had an estimated population of 3522 at the beginning of 2021. The largest town in the district

228-535: Is Aizpute, with an estimated population of 4036 at the beginning of 2021. Significant economic activities in South Kurzeme Municipality include tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishing. The municipality is served by national roads A9 , which connects Liepāja to Riga, and A11 , which runs from Liepāja to the Lithuanian border crossing near Rucava . The Jelgava–Liepāja Railway runs east to west through

266-658: Is fertile and densely inhabited, except in the north, and the eastern side, less fertile and thinly inhabited. Nearly one hundred rivers drain Courland, but only three of these rivers – the Daugava, the Lielupe and the Venta – are navigable. They all flow northwestward and discharge into the Baltic Sea . Owing to its numerous lakes and marshes, Courland has a damp, often foggy, and changeable climate; its winters are severe. In ancient times

304-417: Is made up of lakes. The landscape generally has a low and undulating character, with flat and marshy coastlands. The interior features wooded dunes, covered with pine , spruce , birch , and oak , with swamps and lakes, and fertile patches between. Courland's elevation never rises more than 213 metres (699 ft) above sea level. The Jelgava plain divides Courland into two parts, the western side, which

342-492: Is part of Latvian TEN-T road network. After Liepāja, the road turns in to Latvian A11 . The length of A9 in Latvian territory is 200 kilometers. Currently A9 has 1x1 lanes in all its length. The current speed limit is 90 km/h. It is planned that around year 2020 all at-grade intersections with A9, in the segment from Riga to Jaunbērze , would be removed, and two-level ones would be built instead, with an option to widen

380-775: The Baltic Sea , they remained trapped in what became known as the Courland Pocket , blockaded by the Red Army and by the Red Baltic Fleet. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian , the Chief of the German General Staff , pleaded with Adolf Hitler to allow evacuation of the troops in Courland by sea for use in the defense of Germany. Hitler refused and ordered the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine forces in Courland to continue

418-585: The Courland (Kurzeme) Planning Region , with an area of 13,596 square kilometres (5,249 sq mi) and a population of 301,621 in 2008, includes much of the traditional region. The remainder of Courland is part of the planning regions of Riga and Semigallia (Zemgale) . A9 road (Latvia) The A9 is a national road in Latvia connecting Riga to third largest city of Latvia , Liepāja through Skulte , also known as Liepāja highway in Latvia . The road

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456-601: The Curonians , a pagan tribe, inhabited Courland. The Brethren of the Sword , a German Catholic military order , subdued the Curonians and converted them to Christianity in the first quarter of the 13th century. Thus in 1230, the Curonian king Lammekinus  [ lt ] (Latvian: Lamekins) made peace directly with the papal legate . He accepted baptism , and became a vassal of

494-455: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of 3 March 1918, the new Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic formally relinquished control of Courland to Germany. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was proclaimed on 8 March 1918 by a Baltic German Landesrat , who offered the crown of the duchy to German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Wilhelm recognised the duchy as a German vassal that same month. However, the duchy

532-701: The Tsardom of Russia during the Livonian War . The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a semi-independent duchy that existed from 1561 until 1795, encompassing the areas of Courland and Semigallia. Although nominally a vassal state of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , the dukes operated autonomously. In the 18th century, Russia acquired great influence over the Duchy; the future Empress Anna of Russia served as regent there from 1711 until her accession to

570-444: The A9 to 2x2 lanes in further future. from Riga until Jaunbērze , The average AADT of A9 in 2015 was 5,379 cars per day. 56°41′18″N 22°30′13″E  /  56.688456°N 22.503638°E  / 56.688456; 22.503638 This European road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Latvian location article is

608-575: The Latvian SSR within the Soviet Union following World War II. Courland was no longer an administrative unit under the Soviets. Liepājas apgabals (1952-1953), one of three oblasts in Latvia, roughly corresponded to Courland. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Courland became part of independent Latvia once more and it remains so to this day. Although Courland is not an administrative entity today,

646-627: The Russian throne in 1730. After the last of the ducal line into which she had married died in 1737, she arranged for the Duchy to be given to her lover, Ernst Johann von Biron instead. The Duchy was one of the smallest European nations to colonize overseas territories, establishing short-lived outposts on the Caribbean islands of Tobago and Trinidad and at the mouth of the Gambia River in Africa on what

684-682: The aid of German forces pushed back and took back Courland by April. Throughout the Latvian War of Independence , much of Courland remained a German stronghold. Latvia eventually signed a cease-fire with Germany on 15 July 1920, and the Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty of 11 August ended the war. After World War I, Courland became one of five provinces of the newly formed nation of Latvia . These provinces corresponded to Latvia's four traditional regions plus Riga. In 1935, Courland had an area of 13,210 square kilometres (5,099 sq mi) and

722-547: The coast. The coast south of Liepāja features sandy beaches and dunes, behind which are lagoons and marshy plains. The largest of the lagoons are Lake Liepāja and Lake Tosmare  [ lv ] on the municipality's border with Liepāja, and Lake Pape near the Lithuanian border. The Rietumkursa Upland  [ lv ] rises east of the coastal lowlands, its highest point being Krievukalns  [ lv ] at 190 metres (620 ft) in Embūte Parish . Rivers in

760-459: The commander of the Leningrad Front (reinforced by elements of the 2nd Baltic Front ) on the Courland perimeter. At this time the group consisted of the remnants of some 31 divisions. After May 9, 1945, approximately 203,000 troops of Army Group Courland began to be moved to Soviet prison camps to the east. The majority of them never returned to Germany (Haupt, 1997). Courland remained part of

798-637: The control of the Imperial German Army 's Ober Ost commander in the person of Paul von Hindenburg , a Prussian military hero. (The Russian authorities of the Courland Governorate were exiled to Tartu , never to return.) With large territories coming under the Ober Ost's administration as a result of military successes on the Eastern Front, General Erich Ludendorff was charged with managing

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836-546: The defense of the area. Germany’s naval capacity to evacuate these forces was restricted as it needed the majority of its transport ships to evacuate troops from East Prussia and maintain vital trade with Sweden. On January 15, 1945, Army Group Courland ( Heeresgruppe Kurland ) formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic . The blockade by elements of the Leningrad Front remained until May 8, 1945, when Army Group Courland, then under its last commander, Colonel-General Carl Hilpert , surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov ,

874-574: The former Liepāja District as it existed from 1991 to 2009. In the 2009 territorial reforms, Liepāja District was divided into the municipalities of Aizpute , Durbe , Grobiņa , Nīca , Pāvilosta , Priekule , Rucava , and Vaiņode . In 2020, the Saeima approved reducing the number of administrative divisions at the municipal level from 119 to 42, including rejoining the aforementioned municipalities to form South Kurzeme Municipality. Elections for Latvia's new municipal councils were held on 5 June 2021, and

912-454: The large area now under its jurisdiction. Courland District (which included parts of Semigallia) was made one of three districts of the region, which also came to be known as Ober Ost . As Russian rule in the rest of what is now Latvia began collapsing at the end of World War I, Baltic Germans began a process of forming provincial councils between September 1917 and March 1918, competing with ethnic Latvians ' moves toward independence. With

950-608: The municipality include the Bārta which flows from its headwaters in Lithuania into Lake Liepāja; and the Durbe  [ lv ] and Tebra , which join to form the Saka  [ lv ] at the village of the same name . The Saka drains into the Baltic Sea at Pāvilosta . Pape Nature Reserve covers 10,853 hectares (26,820 acres) and protects Lake Pape and the surrounding land areas. It forms

988-488: The municipality. Liepāja International Airport is located in South Kurzeme Municipality at Cimdenieki just east of Liepāja. Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia . Courland's largest city is Liepāja , which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were formerly held by

1026-428: The new municipalities including South Kurzeme will go into effect on 1 July 2021. The municipal council of South Kurzeme currently comprises 19 councillors. The municipality is to form joint authorities with the city of Liepāja for the administration of civil protection, education, and waste management. The municipality is subdivided into five towns and 26 parishes: The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia estimated

1064-532: The north, Courland's coast lies along the Gulf of Riga . On the west it is bordered by the Baltic Sea , and on the south by Lithuania . It lies between 55° 45′ and 57° 45′ North and 21° and 27° East. The name is also found in the Curonian Spit and Lithuanian Karšuvos giria - the Courland wood. The area comprises 27,286 square kilometres (10,535 sq mi), of which 262 square kilometres (101 sq mi)

1102-584: The pope. In 1237 the area passed into the rule of the Teutonic Order owing to the amalgamation of this order with that of the Brethren of the Sword. The Livonian Confederation was a loosely organized confederation formed by the German-led Livonian Order and various bishoprics that encompassed much of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It existed from 1228 to the 1560s, when it was dismembered by

1140-567: The prevailing denomination, Lutheranism ; the rest belonged to the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. There was a small but vigorous Jewish population. During World War I , Courland formed part of the Eastern Front theatre of operations that saw fighting primarily between forces of the Russian and German Empires . Following Russia's Great Retreat of 1915, Courland came under

1178-465: The same duke . The literal meaning of the name is "Land of Curonians ". Situated in western Latvia , Courland roughly corresponds to the former Latvian districts of Kuldīga , Liepāja , Saldus , Talsi , Tukums and Ventspils . When combined with Semigallia and Selonia, Courland's northeastern boundary is the Daugava River, which separates it from the regions of Latgale and Vidzeme . To

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1216-706: The summer of 1941, the German Wehrmacht's Army Group North headed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb overran Courland, along with the rest of the Baltic littoral. During the German occupation Courland was administered as Liepāja County area ( Kreisgebiet Libau ). In 1944 the Red Army lifted the siege of Leningrad and re-conquered the Baltic countries along with much of Ukraine and Belarus . However, some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland. With their backs to

1254-413: The ten districts were Jelgava (Mitau), Courland's capital (pop. 35,011 in 1897); Liepāja (Libau) (pop. 64,500 in 1897); Bauska (6,543); Jaunjelgava (Friedrichstadt) (5,223); Kuldīga (Goldingen) (9,733); Grobiņa (1,489); Aizpute (Hasenpoth) (3,338); Ilūkste (Illuxt) (2,340); Talsi (Talsen) (6,215); Tukums (Tuckum) (7542); and Ventspils (Windau) (7,132). 75% of the population belonged to

1292-507: The terrestrial component of the Pape Wetland Complex Ramsar site , which also covers the adjacent marine area and has a total area of 51,725 hectares (127,820 acres). Bernāti Nature Park  [ lv ] protects Cape Bernāti and Pūsēnu Hill, Latvia's highest sand dune at 37 metres (121 ft). Grīņu Nature Reserve is located in the northern part of the municipality. South Kurzeme Municipality corresponds in extent to

1330-520: The time of the Northern Crusades in the early 13th century, most land was owned by nobles descended from the German invaders. In 1863, the Russian authorities issued laws to enable Latvians, who formed the bulk of the population, to acquire the farms which they held, and special banks were founded to help them. By this means, some occupants bought their farms, but the great mass of the population remained landless, and lived as hired labourers, occupying

1368-555: The west. It also borders the Lithuanian counties of Klaipėda and Telšiai to the south and southeast respectively. The westernmost point of Latvia is located at Cape Bernāti in Nīca Parish south of Liepāja. The coastline of South Kurzeme Municipality is over 100 kilometres (62 mi) long. Erosion of the coast north of Liepāja has been accelerated because breakwaters at Liepāja's seaport intercept sand drifting northward along

1406-523: Was absorbed on 22 September 1918 by the United Baltic Duchy . On 18 November 1918, Latvia proclaimed its independence and on 7 December 1918, the German military handed over authority to the pro-German Latvian Provisional Government headed by Kārlis Ulmanis . By January 1919, much of Courland had been overrun by the Bolsheviks' Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic , but the provisional government with

1444-648: Was then known as James Island . In 1795, the last Duke, Peter von Biron , ceded the Duchy to the Russian Empire . The former Bishopric of Courland was directly incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as the District of Pilten of the Wenden and later Inflanty Voivodeship . After annexation by the Russian Empire , the territory of the former Duchy formed the Courland Governorate . From

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