Mārtiņš Nukša (29 September 1878 – 17 May 1942) was a Latvian diplomat and architect. He worked as an architect in Riga during the heyday of Art Nouveau architecture and from 1920 as a diplomat representing Latvia. He was arrested by Soviet authorities after the

occupation of Latvia Latvia has been occupied by military forces from other nations from time to time. Military occupations of Latvia have included: * Livonian Crusade (13th century) * Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 * Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941� ...

and executed in 1942.

Biography

Mārtiņš Nukša was born in Vidriži parish in present-day Latvia (at the time part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

). He studied architecture between 1900 and 1908 at the Riga Polytechnic Institute (present-day

Riga Technical University Riga Technical University (RTU) () is the oldest technical university in the Baltic countries established on October 14, 1862. It is located in Riga, Latvia and was previously known as Riga Polytechnical Institute and Riga Polytechnicum. In 1 ...

), and immediately after finishing his studies set up his own architectural firm in Riga. He also studied law abroad. During his career as an architect in Riga, he designed about 20 multi-storey apartment buildings in the city, most of them in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style. In 1915, he was working with railway construction in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Between 1916 and 1918 he was the City Architect of

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, and in 1919 he was appointed as assistant City Architect of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, France. From 1920 he worked as a diplomat for his newly independent homeland Latvia. His first assignment was in France. In 1921, he was appointed as

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to Poland, in 1922 to Romania and in 1925 to Austria, maintaining residence in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. In March 1930, he was appointed as ambassador to Sweden, Denmark and Norway with residence in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, but already in August the same year was transferred to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, where he worked as ambassador for Latvia to

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. In 1934, he was also again as ambassador to Romania (with continued residence in Prague). In 1939, he became secretary general at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. In addition to serving as a diplomat, he was engaged in charities and

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Latvian Farmers' Union The Latvian Farmers' Union (, LZS) is an agrarian political party in Latvia. Initially formed in 1917 during the period of Latvian War of Independence (as ), it was banned in 1934. It was re-established in 1990. It is positioned in the centre o ...

from 1933. On 13 August 1940 he was arrested in Riga by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

authorities, during the first Soviet occupation of Latvia. He was released on 18 August. Following the occupation, he naturally lost his job at the ministry (which in effect ceased to exist). From January 1941 he once more worked as an architect, employed by the Soviet authorities. He was however arrested again on 14 June 1941 and sent to a prison in

Solikamsk Solikamsk (, , also Соликамскӧй, ''Sovkamsköy'') is a town in Perm Krai, Russia. Modern Solikamsk is the third-largest town in the krai, with a population of History The earliest surviving recorded mention of Solikamsk, initially a ...

. Among the charges directed against him were accusations that he was "

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

" and a "

kulak Kulak ( ; rus, кула́к, r=kulák, p=kʊˈɫak, a=Ru-кулак.ogg; plural: кулаки́, ''kulakí'', 'fist' or 'tight-fisted'), also kurkul () or golchomag (, plural: ), was the term which was used to describe peasants who owned over ...

", as well as the claim that he was supporting

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

. His work as a diplomat representing his native country and the fact that he had been a member of a political party were used as evidence against him. He was convicted and shot to death by the Soviet authorities in Solikamsk on 17 May 1942. The

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

Supreme Court Criminal Case Panel annulled the criminal case on 23 August 1988. His wife, Marija Luīza Sostena, and son, Andris Jānis, emigrated to France in 1941.

Honours and awards

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

(Latvia) *

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(Norway) *

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(Poland) * Order of the Crown (Romania) *

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(Sweden)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuksa, Martins Architects from Riga 1878 births 1942 deaths Ambassadors of Latvia to Poland Ambassadors of Latvia to Romania Ambassadors of Latvia to Austria Ambassadors of Latvia to Norway Ambassadors of Latvia to Sweden Ambassadors of Latvia to Denmark Ambassadors of Latvia to Czechoslovakia Ambassadors of Latvia to Yugoslavia Riga Technical University alumni Art Nouveau architects Latvian people executed by the Soviet Union Diplomats from Riga