Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of

Zemgale Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

(Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795–1918). Jelgava is situated on a fertile plain rising only

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

on the right bank of the river

Lielupe The Lielupe ( in Latvian literally: ''Large River'', lt, Lielupė, german: Kurländische Aa) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area o ...

. At high water the plain and sometimes the town as well can be flooded. It is a railway center and is also host to

Jelgava Air Base Jelgava Airfield is an airfield in Latvia located on the north border of Jelgava, a city in Latvia. During Soviet times, it was a military forward deployment attack base, but now is used by general aviation. Latest update on airfield conditio ...

. Its importance as a railway centre can be seen by the fact that it lies at the junction of over 6 railway lines connecting Riga to Lithuania, eastern and western Latvia, and Lithuania to the Baltic sea.

Name

Until 1917, the city was officially referred to as Mitau. The name Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian word ''jālgab'', meaning "town on the river." The origin of the German name ''Mitau'' is unclear, although it is suggested that it came from the Latvian words ''mīt'' or ''mainīt'', meaning "to exchange" or "to trade," thus making it "trading-place." An alternate explanation is that ''Mitau'' came from ''Mitte in der Aue'', German for "the middle of the Aa", referring to the Lielupe River, formerly known as the Courland Aa (''Kurländische Aa'' in German). In Yiddish, the city was known as מיטאַווע (''Mitave'') or מיטאַו (''Mitar''). In publications dating from the Soviet period, the city name was occasionally spelled in English as "Yelgava", a back-transliteration from Russian ''Елгава''.

History

The Livonian settlement began developing in the Mitau locality between the rivers Lielupe and Driksa during the 10th century. Led by the Grand Master , the crusading Livonian Order constructed the castle in Mitau on a natural island fortification (''Pilssala'') in 1265–1266. Using Mitau as a southern fortress, the German knights subdued the surrounding Livonians and Semigallians by 1290. The town rose in importance as a defensive fixture against the Lithuanians to the south, who succeeded in plundering Mitau in 1345. As a result of the fall of the Livonian Order in the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...

of 1558-1583, Mitau became a town of the

Duchy of Courland The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

in 1561. Mitau received city rights in 1573, and became the capital of the united duchies of Courland and Semigallia in 1578. When the Duchy of Courland split in 1596, Mitau became the residence of Duke

Friedrich Kettler Friedrich Kettler ( Latvian: Frīdrihs Ketlers, 25 November 1569 in Mitau (now Jelgava) – 17 August 1642) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia (Latvian: ''Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste'', now part of Latvia) from 1587 to 1642. He was the son ...

of Semigallia. The city again became the capital of the united duchies in 1617. Because the duchy became a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

from 1561, Mitau was also referred to by the Polish name ''Mitawa''. The Commonwealth's repeated wars with Sweden subjected Mitau to several sieges. Despite the wars, the city grew as a center for trade and industry. As Courland's neighbors increased in strength, however, the duchy and Mitau began to fall under Russia's

sphere of influence In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence (SOI) is a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity. While there may be a formal a ...

. The

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

of Russia, Peter the Great, received a promise from duke Friedrich Wilhelm that he would marry one of the daughters of the tsar's late half-brother. In 1710, Friedrich Wilhelm married

Anna Ioannovna Anna Ioannovna (russian: Анна Иоанновна; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much ...

(later Empress of Russia), but on his way back from St Petersburg, he took ill and died (1711). Anna ruled as the duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730. Academia petrina

The penultimate duke of Courland,

Ernst Johann von Biron Ernst Johann von Biron (german: Ernst Johann von Biron; russian: link=no, Эрнст Иоганн Бирон; (german: link=no, Bühren); ) was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1737–1740 and 1763–1769) and briefly regent of the Russian E ...

, expanded the cultural aspects of Mitau. He constructed the ducal palace and opened the first public library in the city. In 1775 the last Duke of Courland,

Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last Duke of Courland and Semigallia, from 1769 to 1795. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava (german: Mitau) as the oldest son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Cou ...

, founded the Academia Petrina, which became a cultural center for the country. The duke also encouraged theatrical performances at his court. With the outbreak of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

in 1789, the citizens of Mitau clamored for more rights. Later, Imperial Russia annexed the city as part of Courland in 1795 during the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

. As the seat of the

Count of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

, the palace of Mitau was the residence (1798–1801 and 1804–1807) of

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

before he became the French king in 1814. Although the city was occupied by Prussian troops during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, it was largely spared destruction. Latvian city Jelgava (Mitau) in 1935

Mitau further expanded after the construction of its railway in 1868. The development of its infrastructure encouraged rural Latvians to migrate to the city, as merchants, craftsmen, teachers, and officials. By 1914 Mitau had over 45,000 inhabitants. However, Mitau suffered considerably after the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914. The spirited defence of Mitau by two battalions of the Latvian Home Guard in 1915 helped inspire the formation of the Latvian Rifles. German troops occupied the city during the war, and British prisoners of war, sent there as forced labour, suffered atrocious conditions and treatment. After the war, in 1919, Mitau became a battleground between

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

, German paramilitaries, and Latvian freedom-fighters. After the victory of the latter group in November 1919, Mitau, renamed to Jelgava, became an important city in independent Latvia. In 1925 a sugar factory was built in Jelgava, the first such factory in Latvia. In 1939

Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies ( lv, Latvijas Biozinātņu un tehnoloģiju universitāte (''LBTU'')), previously Latvia University of Agriculture (LUA; (''LLU'')), is a university in Jelgava, Latvia, specializing in agric ...

opened in the

Jelgava Palace Jelgava Palace ( lv, Jelgavas pils) or historically Mitau Palace ( lv, Mītavas pils, german: Schloss Mitau) is the largest Baroque-style palace in the Baltic states. It was built in the 18th century based on the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli a ...

. As a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, Jelgava was occupied and annexed with the rest of Latvia by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1940. Many of the city's remaining German population were resettled into the territory of German-occupied Poland during the

Nazi–Soviet population transfers The Nazi–Soviet population transfers were population transfers of ethnic Germans, ethnic Poles, and some ethnic East Slavs that took place from 1939 to 1941. These transfers were part of the German '' Heim ins Reich'' policy in accordance with ...

. German forces from

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...

occupied Jelgava from 1941 to 1944 until the capture of the city by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, German police along with Latvian auxiliary police murdered the Jewish inhabitants of the city during a series of mass shootings (see Jelgava massacres). The main synagogue was burned to the ground. 19440816 soviet soldiers attack jelgava

In late July 1944, the Soviet

Red army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

launched an attack from the south in the direction of Jelgava and

Tukums Tukums (; german: Tuckum; liv, Tukāmō) is a town in the Zemgale region of Latvia. History The historical center of Tukums developed between trade routes leading from the mouth of the Daugava River to Prussia. The oldest part is today's Ta ...

to encircle the German

. Jelgava was declared a fortress (''Festung'') however, there were only a few scattered German and Latvian units in the city. From 30 July until 7 August, after heavy street fighting and several air raids, the Red Army managed to occupy the left bank of the Lielupe river. In late August, the German army launched a counterattack on Jelgava from the north but it failed to drive back the Soviets. Jelgava remained on the frontline until 10 October when the German army retreated to Courland. The city's historic centre, industry, rail network, and public buildings were heavily damaged by the fighting, with almost 90% of the city destroyed. Among lost buildings was famous Kurland Provincial Museum and Athenaeum. Jelgava was rebuilt in typical Soviet style after

as part of the Latvian SSR. Jelgava became home to several big factories. Among them were the sugar factory, which was heavily expanded from 1975

assembly line An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a ''progressive assembly'') in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the parts are added in se ...

, and administration buildings for the

Riga Autobus Factory The Riga Autobus Factory (RAF; ) was a factory in Jelgava, Latvia, making vans and minibuses under the brand name Latvija. History Origins, Riga period During the Soviet period, RAF and UAZ were the only producers of vans and minibuse ...

(RAF). Following Latvian independence, Jelgava has slowly regained its original Germanic heritage and is now a popular tourist site. Owing to Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, many of Jelgava's inhabitants are students or people connected with education. For this reason Jelgava is sometimes called the ''Student capital of Latvia''.

Climate

Demographics

As of 1 January 2022, the city had a population of 54,694.

Sights

Jelgava before the Second World War had regular, broad streets lined with the mansions of the

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

nobility who resided at the former capital of Courland. The old castle (1266) of the dukes of Courland, situated on an island in the river, was destroyed by Duke Biren, who had a spacious palace erected (1738–1772) by

Bartolomeo Rastrelli Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (russian: Франче́ско Бартоломе́о (Варфоломе́й Варфоломе́евич) Растре́лли; 1700 in Paris, Kingdom of France – 29 April 1771 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Emp ...

at the bridge across the Lielupe. The palace contains the

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

of almost all of the Curonian dukes, except the last one. The future

sojourned in the palace between 1798 and 1800. It now functions as

. Other landmarks include the Baroque church of (Liela Street 22a), the tower of the destroyed Jelgava St. Trinity Church (Akadēmijas Street 1), and two handsome structures: the and the Academia Petrina. In addition the following cultural and historical objects can be seen:

(Lielā Street 2), Jelgava Old Town, Cathedral of the Immaculate Virgin Mary (Katoļu Street 11), St Simeon and St Anne's Cathedral (Raina Street 5), (Jāņa Street 1), Jelgava Baptist Church (Matera Street 54), Love Alley (Dobele highway), (Rīgas Street 22),

Jelgava Station Jelgava Station is a railway station on the Riga – Jelgava, Jelgava – Liepāja, Jelgava – Meitene, Tukums II – Jelgava and Jelgava – Krustpils railways. References Buildings and structures in Jelgava Railway stations ...

(Stacijas Street 1).

Culture

Jelgava regularly hosts an international

Ice Sculpture Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events becaus ...

festival, Student Folk Festival, Easter Walk, Latvian Plant Days, Business Days, Jelgava City Festival, Summer

solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

in Jelgava, medicine market, International Cat Show "Jelgava Cat", Sports Day, International

Sand Sculpture Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as sand brushing, sand sculpting, sand painting, or creating sand bottles. A sandcastle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle. The dr ...

Festival, and Milk Packet Boat Regatta, Beginning of the School Year, Metal Festival, Azemitologa Festival, Autumn fair " Miķeļdienas waiting", Latvian Amateur Theater Festival "Jokes come from the actor", Student Days,

Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia is celebrated annually on 18 November. It marks the anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of Latvia by the People's Council of Latvia in 1918. Observances Various public events take place ...

s celebrations, New Year's Eve. The following museums operate in the city: Jelgava History and Art Museum, , historical expositions tower, , museum exposition in Jelgava Castle "Tombs of the Dukes of Kurzeme and Zemgale", Latvian Railway Museum Jelgava exposition, psychiatric hospitals "" museum, exposition. Libraries: (Akadēmijas Street 26), Pārlielupe Library (Loka highway 17), Miezīte Library (Dobele highway 100), children's library "Zinītis" (Lielā Street 15).

Parks

Green territories and parks: Jelgava Castle Park, Station Park, Rainis Park, Duke Jacob's Square, Square in Mātera Street, Alunāns Park, Svētbirze, Ozolpils Park, Valdeka Park, Ozolskers, Victory Park, Jelgava Psychoneurological Hospital Park, Lielupe floodplain meadows, Grēbner Park, forest near RAF residential area, forest near Jelgava bypass.

Sports

The city's main football team,

FK Jelgava FK Jelgava is a Latvian football club that is based in Jelgava. The club plays its home-matches at the Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs stadium with capacity of 1,560 people. Early years Until 2004 two Jelgava football clubs FK Viola and RAF ...

, plays in the

Latvian Higher League Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is O ...

and has won the Latvian Football Cup four times.

Notable people

Aleksejs Auziņš Aleksejs Karlis Auziņš (7 August 1910 in Jelgava, Russian Empire – 25 April 1997 in Riga, Latvia) was a Latvian football midfielder, manager and also an ice hockey player. Football playing career Auziņš was born in the provincial city of J ...

(1910–1997) – footballer, coach, ice hockey player * Johann Heinrich Baumann (1753-1832) - painter * August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein (1826–1907) – linguist, folklorist, ethnographer *

(1724-1800), Duke of Courland * Vilnis Edvīns Bresis (1938-2017), politician * Jan Krzysztof Damel (1780-1840), painter * Andrejs Dūda (born 1981), swimmer *

Karl Eichwald ), present-day Latvia , death_date = , death_place = St. Petersburg, Russia , citizenship = Russian Empire , nationality = Baltic German , fields = GeologyMedicine , workplaces = Kazan University, V ...

(1795–1876), geologist, paleontologist and physician * Johannes Engelmann (1832-1912), jurist *

Ieva Gaile Ieva Gaile (born 26 January 1997) and her twin sister Kristine Gaile are Latvian figure skaters. She was born in Jelgava, Latvia, where she started her skating career at the age of 4. After two years she changed her coaches and started trainin ...

(born 1997), figure skater *

Kristīne Gaile Kristīne Gaile (born 26 January 1997) with her twin sister Ieva Gaile are Latvia, Latvian figure skaters. She was born in Jelgava, Latvia, where she started her skating career at the age of four. After two years she switched her coaches and star ...

(born 1997), figure skater *

Kaspars Gerhards Kaspars Gerhards (born 7 February 1969 in Jelgava, Latvia) is a Latvian politician of the TB/LNNK (2008–11), respectively National Alliance (since 2011) party. He was the economy minister from 2007 to 2009, minister of transport A minis ...

(born 1969), politician * Johannes von Guenther (1886–1973), writer *

Joseph Hirshhorn Joseph Herman Hirshhorn (August 11, 1899 – August 31, 1981) was an entrepreneur, financier, and art collector. Biography Born in Mitau, Latvia, the twelfth of thirteen children, Hirshhorn emigrated to the United States with his widowed moth ...

(1899–1981), entrepreneur,

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

and

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

* Olga Jakušina (born 1997), ice dancer *

Elise von Jung-Stilling Elise von Jung-Stilling (german: Elise von Jung-Stilling, lv, Elīze Junga-Štilinga, 9 September 1829 – 10 July 1904) was painter and founder of private painting school in Riga. Latvijas Enciklopēdija. Rīga. SIA «Valērija Belokoņa izde ...

(1829-1904), painter *

Edijs Jurēvics Edijs Jurēvics (sometimes anglicized as Eddie Jurevics; born 18 December 1989 in Jelgava) is a Latvian rock singer, guitarist, clarinetist, pianist and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the Latvian rock band Crow Mother. He began his music c ...

(born 1989), rocksinger and guitarist *

Renārs Kaupers Renārs Kaupers (sometimes anglicised as Reynard Cowper; born 1 September 1974, in Jelgava) is a Latvian pop/rock singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter who is the vocalist of the band Prāta Vētra (known internationally as Brainstorm). Bio ...

(1974), Latvian singer *

(1569-1642), Duke of Courland *

Frederick Casimir Kettler Frederick Casimir Kettler (German: ''Friedrich Casimir Kettler''; 6 July 1650 – 22 January 1698) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1682 to 1698. Frederick Casimir was the son of Jacob Kettler and Louise Charlotte of Brandenburg. In his re ...

(1650-1698), Duke of Courland *

Ferdinand Kettler Ferdinand Kettler (November 1, 1655 - May 4, 1737) was the Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1730 to 1737. He was married to Johanna Magdalene of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1730. Early life Ferdinand Kettler was the son of Jacob Kettler and Louise ...

(1655-1737), Duke of Courland *

Frederick William, Duke of Courland Frederick William (german: Friedrich Wilhelm; 19 July 1692 – 21 January 1711) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1698 to 1711. Frederick Wilhelm was the son of Friedrich Kasimir Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia and Princess Eli ...

(1692-1711), Duke of Courland *

Maria Amalia of Courland Princess Maria Anna Amalia of Courland (12 June 1653 – 16 June 1711) was Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel through her marriage to Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. She was the child of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia and Mar ...

(1653-1711), Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel *

Wilhelm Kettler Wilhelm Kettler (20 June 1574 – 7 April 1640) was the Duke of Courland, a Baltic German region in today's Latvia. Wilhelm ruled the western Courland portion of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, while his brother Friedrich ruled the ea ...

(1574-1640), Duke of Courland * Adolph Theodor Kupffer (1799-1865), chemist, and physicist *

Dzintars Lācis Dzintars Lācis (18 May 1940 – 17 November 1992) was a Latvian cyclist. He had competed at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics in the 4 km team pursuit and finished in fifth and fourth place, respectively. He had been part of the Soviet ...

(1940-1992), cyclist *

Natalia Laschenova Natalia Vasiliyevna Laschenova (russian: Наталья Васильевна Лащенова) (born September 16, 1973 in Jelgava, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union) is a retired Soviet gymnast. Laschenova competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the ...

(1973) Olympic team gold medalist (gymnastics) * Max Lazerson (1887-1951), politician * Friedrich Ludwig Lindner (1772-1845), German writer, journalist and physician *

Jānis Lūsis Jānis Lūsis (19 May 1939 – 29 April 2020) was a Latvian track and field athlete who competed in javelin throw. Biography Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society. He competed in four Sum ...

(1939–2020), Latvian (and Soviet) athlete — javelin thrower * Paul von Medem (1800-1854), diplomat *

Friedrich von der Pahlen Friedrich Alexander Graf von der Pahlen (russian: Фёдор Петрович Пален, Fyodor Petrovich Palen; September 2, 1780 in Mitau – January 8, 1863 in Saint Petersburg) was a Baltic German diplomat and administrator. Biography F ...

(1780-1863), diplomat and administrator. *

Elza Radziņa Elza Radziņa (1917, Kharkiv, Russian Empire — 2005, Riga, Latvia) was a Soviet Latvian theater and cinema actress, and a master of the spoken word (reader). She received People's Artist of the USSR award in 1976 and the Order of the Three Sta ...

(1917–2005), Latvian actress *

Johann Friedrich von Recke Johann Friedrich von Recke (1 August 176413 September 1846) was a senior public official in the Baltic Germans Duchy of Courland. He is remembered now, primarily, for his activities as an antiquarian and collector. Following his withdrawal fro ...

(1764-1846), senior public official in the Baltic Germans Duchy of Courland. *

Einars Repše Einars Repše (born 9 December 1961) is a Latvian physicist, financier and politician, chairman of the Association for Latvian Development. Biography Einars Repše graduated from Latvia State University (now known as University of Latvia) in ...

(1961), Latvian politician * Friedrich von Rüdiger (1783-1856), Baltic German military officer in service of the Russian Empire and a general of the Imperial Russian Army. *

Princess Pauline, Duchess of Sagan Luise ''Pauline'' Maria Biron, Princess of Courland, Duchess of Sagan (19 February 1782 – 8 January 1845) was the Duchess Regnant of Sagan between 1838 and 1845.Rudolf Žáček: Dějiny Slezska v datech. Praha 2004, ISBN 80-7277-172-8 She wa ...

(1782-1845), Duchess of Sagan *

Princess Wilhelmine, Duchess of Sagan Katharina Friederike ''Wilhelmine'' Benigna, Princess of Courland, Duchess of Sagan (born 8 February 1781 in Mitau, Duchy of Courland and Semigallia); died 29 November 1839 in Vienna, Austrian Empire) was a German noble from the ruling family of ...

(1781-1839), Duchess of Sagan * Vitālijs Samoļins (born 1990), chess player *

Igors Šaplavskis Igors Šaplavskis (born 21 January 1968) is a Latvian boxer. He competed in the men's light middleweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de ...

(born 1968), boxer *

Carl Christian Joseph of Saxony , image = Carl Christian Joseph of Saxony.jpeg , caption = Portrait by Pietro Rotari , succession = Duke of Courland and Semigallia , reign = 1758–1763 , coronation = , predecessor = Louis Ernest , succ ...

Duke of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

(1759–1763) *

Paul Schiemann Paul Schiemann ( lv, Pauls Šīmanis; 17 March 1876 – 23 June 1944) was a Baltic German journalist, editor and politician who was known for his commitment to minority rights. Biography Carl Christian Theodor Paul Schiemann was born in M ...

(1876–1944), journalist, editor and politician * Carl Schmidt (1822-1894), chemist *

Artūrs Skrastiņš Artūrs Skrastiņš (born 18 September 1974) is a Latvian actor. In the theater, since 1996 he has worked for Dailes teātris. He also has taken part in several films. In 1998 he received the Latvian National Film Prize Lielais Kristaps Th ...

(1974), stage and film actor * Gatis Sprukts (born 1996), ice hockey player * Mamert Stankiewicz (1889–1939), the captain of the Polish merchant marine *

Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky Feodor Stepanovich "Rojan" Rojankovsky (russian: Фёдор Степанович Рожанковский) (December 24, 1891 – October 12, 1970), also known as Rojan, was a Russian émigré illustrator. He is well known both for children's boo ...

(1891–1970), illustrator *

Eduard Totleben Franz Eduard Graf von Tottleben (russian: Эдуа́рд Ива́нович Тотле́бен, tr. ; – ), better known as Eduard Totleben in English, was a Baltic German military engineer and Imperial Russian Army general. He was in char ...

(1818–1884), Russian military engineer *

Ernst Rudolf von Trautvetter Ernst Rudolf von Trautvetter (20 February 1809, in Jelgava – 24 January 1889, in St. Petersburg), was a Baltic German botanist, specialising in the flora of the Caucasus and central Asia. He was the son of Ernst Christian Johann von Trautvette ...

(1809-1889), botanist * Gunars Upatnieks (born 1983), musician * Inese Vaidere (born 1952), politician * Johann Walter-Kurau (1869-1932), painter * Kaspars Znotiņš (1975), stage and film actor

Twin towns – sister cities

Jelgava is twinned with: *

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet ...

, Estonia (1957) *

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different la ...

, Lithuania (1960) *

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and th ...

, Denmark (1992) * Białystok, Poland (1994) * Xinying (Tainan), Taiwan (2000) *

Alcamo Alcamo (; scn, Àrcamu, italic=no) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distan ...

, Italy (2002) * Baranavichy, Belarus (2003) * Hällefors, Sweden (2004) * Nacka, Sweden (2004) *

Rueil-Malmaison Rueil-Malmaison () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 78,152. It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of P ...

, France (2006) * Magadan, Russia (2006) * Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (2007) *

Nova Odessa Nova Odessa (lit., New Odessa) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas. The population is 60,956 (2020 est.) in an area of 73.79 km². Nova Odessa was founded on May 24, 1905, ...

, Brazil (2007) *

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...

, Italy (2016)

References

External links

Map of Jelgava

City paper
{{Authority control Capitals of former nations Cities in Latvia Republican cities of Latvia Doblen County Semigallia Holocaust locations in Latvia Populated places established in the 10th century