Ropaži Municipality () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. The municipality was formed in 2005 with the reorganization of Ropaži parish. The administrative centre is

Ulbroka Ulbroka is a village in Stopiņi Parish, Ropaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative center of Stopiņi Parish and municipality. The village is crossed by two first category roads Rīga- Ērgļi (P4) and Rīga- ...

. The population in 2020 was 6,835. On 1 July 2021, Ropaži Municipality was enlarged when

Garkalne Municipality Garkalne Municipality () was a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2007 by reorganization of Garkalne Parish. The seat of the council of the municipality is situated extraterritorially in Berģi, Riga. The population ...

, Stopiņi Municipality and

Vangaži Vangaži () is a town in Ropaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. History The name Vangaži () was first mentioned in the 17th century as the name of a local manor. The name itself is a combination of two words in the Livonian lang ...

town were merged with it. The entire territory of Ropaži Municipality is defined by Latvian law as a part of the region of

. The center of Ulbroka is 14 km from

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, the capital of Latvia.

Statistics

Territory: 322 km². Population: 6.832 inhabitants. As of 1 January 2002 the largest villages are: *

Ropaži Ropaži () is a village in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, the administrative centre of Ropaži Municipality. The village located approximately 36 km from the capital Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cit ...

– 1900 inhabitants, *

Zaķumuiža Zaķumuiža () is a village in Ropaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estoni ...

– 1221 inhabitants, * Silakrogs – 779 inhabitants, * Mucenieki – 689 inhabitants, * Tumšupe – 633 inhabitants, * Kākciems – 513 inhabitants, * Augšciems – 372 inhabitants.

History

The territory of the Ropaži Municipality has been inhabited since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

–

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

era (3,000 years B.C.). 4 ancient cemeteries and stone objects have been discovered here. The first written evidence of Ropaži and its inhabitants go back to 1205, when

Henry of Livonia Henry of Latvia (; ; ; ; 1187 – ), also known as Henry of Livonia, was a priest, missionary and historian. He wrote the '' Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' which describes the evangelization of the regions which are now part of Estonia and Latvi ...

mentioned Ropaži in the '' Indriķis Chronicles''. Ethnographer Augusts Bīlenšteins considered the inhabitants of the district to be

Livs The Livonians, or Livs, are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to the Livonian Coast, in northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian, a Uralic language closely related to Estonian and Finnish. It was believed that the last person ...

of the

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

. In about 1320 the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

built a stone castle at Ropaži which served as the centre of the district administration. The castle was destroyed during the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Terra Mariana, Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom ...

in the 17th century. In the 16th century one of the most important routes of

led through Ropaži. In the 18th century the baronial Berg family obtained Ropaži manor and carried out large construction works. The gardener Daniel Ebel formed one of the first garden parks of Latvia. In an area of 93,000 square metres 29 species of trees and bushes were planted. In reports of 1736 we can find information about the education of children. In 1766 the parish school “Pārupes” was established. Two famous Latvians worked there: the writer and translator Augusts Kažoks, an adherent of "The New Current", and the poet Doku Atis. On 18 August 1804 the clergyman C. von Walter described Professor Robertson's flight from Riga to Ropaži in a

hot-air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

. In 1855 Ropaži manor became the property of Baron Victor von Wolf. At the beginning of the 19th century the Ropaži manor burned down. Ropaži was seriously affected by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1949 over 150 inhabitants suffered in Soviet repressions. In 1936 Ropaži 7–grade Primary School was built; in 1960 it was transformed into a secondary school. In Ropaži are many significant cultural and natural features: *Kangari Hills – 65 m above sea level, and a restricted nature area of 6.72 km² *Lielkangari Marsh - 8.32 km² *Ancient cemetery – Stone Age File:Ropažu novads COA 2012-2021.svg, alt=, Coat of arms of Ropaži Municipality (2012–2021) File:Ropažu novads Flag.png, alt=, Flag of Ropaži Municipality (2012–2021) File:LVA Ropažu pagasts flag.png, alt=, Flag of Ropaži Parish (until 2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ropazi Municipality Municipalities of Latvia