Latvians

Categories / Population/Ethnic Groups
LATVIANS, an ethnic community forming a part of the St. Petersburg population. The Latvian language belongs to the Baltic group of Indo-European language family. Believers are Lutherans and Catholics. The Latvian community in St. Petersburg was formed in the 19th century. In 1869, about 2,800 Latvians lived in St. Petersburg, mainly soldiers (including retired people) and petty bourgeoisie, in 1910 - 18,500 people (the number of workers had increased considerably). Many Latvians came to the Russian capital in search of work and returned home after a few years. The settling of Latvians in St. Petersburg was dispersed. In 1845 the Latvian Pray Hall was opened (the corner of Zagorodny Avenue and Vereiskaya Street), in 1849 on the same location the Latvian Church of Christ the Saviour was constructed (not preserved), on the premises of which two trade schools and charity establishments functioned. In 1862-65, Latvian public figures A. Waldemar, Y. Alunan and K. Barons published in St. Petersburg the newspaper Peterburgas avizes (Petersburg Newspaper), distributed in Latvia as well. In 1878, the Latvian Charitable Society of Petersburg was established. In the 1920s-30s, the Latvian House of Education (10 Nekrasova Street), the Latvian Pedagogical Technical School (8 Second Krasnoarmeiskaya Street) and the Latvian Department of Herzen Pedagogical Institute functioned in Leningrad. They were abolished in 1937-38. In 1989, the Petersburg Latvian Society, involved in preserving Latvian language and culture, was formed, in 1999 - the Petersburg Latvian National and Cultural Autonomy. Services in Latvian are held in the Church of St. Catherine (1 Bolshoy Avenue, Vasilievsky Island).

Reference: Юхнева Н. В. Латыши в Петербурге // Этнография Петербурга - Ленинграда. СПб., 1994. Вып. 3. p. 33-49.

A. Y. Chistyakov. Alunan Yuris
Barons Krisjanis
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich
Waldemar A.
2nd Krasnoarmeiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 8
Bolshoy Ave of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city, house 1
Nekrasova St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 10
Vereiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Zagorodny Avenue/Saint Petersburg, city
Юхнева Н. В. Латыши в Петербурге // Этнография Петербурга - Ленинграда. СПб., 1994 Military Personnel
Bourgeoisie
Labourers