Valmiera () is the second largest city of the historical

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 ...

region,

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 ...

, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020, it was at 24,879. It is a state city, and is the seat of the

Valmiera Municipality Valmiera Municipality () is one of the 35 Municipalities of Latvia, municipalities established in Latvia in 2021, located approximately west of the national capital Riga. Its first elected municipal council took office on 1 July 2021. Its seat i ...

. Valmiera is one of the oldest cities in Latvia; it was a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. According to the ethnic composition, Valmiera has the largest proportion of ethnic Latvians among the state cities. Valmiera lies at the crossroads of several important roads, to the north-east 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, and south of the border with

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. Valmiera lies on both banks of the

Gauja The Gauja River (, ) is a river in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the only large river of Latvia that begins and ends its flow in Latvia. Its length is 460 km, of which 93.5 km (approximately one-fifth) are in Gauja National P ...

River.

Names and etymology

The name was derived from the

Old German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

given name or the

Slavic name Given names originating from the Slavic languages are most common in Slavic countries. The main types of Slavic names: * Two-base names, often ending in mir/měr (''Ostromir/měr'', ''Tihomir/měr'', '' Němir/měr''), *voldъ (''Vsevolod'', ...

. The town may have been named after the

kniaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical context and the potentia ...

of the

Principality of Pskov The Pskov Land () was a historical region in the north-west of medieval Russia centred around the city of Pskov. It was a vassal state of various Rus' states and had a measure of independence as Pskov Republic before being annexed by the Grand Duchy ...

Vladimir Mstislavich, who became a vassal of

Albert of Riga Albert of Riga or Albert of Livonia ( – 17 January 1229) was the third Catholic Bishop of Riga in Livonia. As the Bishop of Livonia, in 1201, he founded Riga, the modern capital city of Latvia, and the city was later made a bishopric. The bu ...

in 1212, and for a short time, it was a vogt of

Tālava Tālava (; ) was a Latgalian country in the northern Vidzeme and northern Latgale region of modern-day Latvia. It was bordered by the Latgalian Principality of Jersika to the south, the Livonian counties of Metsepole and Idumeja to the west, th ...

, Ydumea and Autīne. In another version, it may have been named after the

King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe Is ...

Valdemar II Valdemar II Valdemarsen (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious () and Valdemar the Conqueror, was King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. In 1207, Valdemar invaded and conquered Lybeck and Hol ...

, who allied with the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theode ...

in the

Livonian Crusade The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Crusade, Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Pope, Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12th–13th century. Overview Historic ...

. In the second half of 13th century, 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 castle which they called in German. 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 ...

, the town was known in Russian as (), but during the period 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 ...

, it was known as (Wolmar).

History

Valmiera and its surroundings have been one of the longest-inhabited regions of Latvia. Archeological evidence indicates the site was inhabited 9,000 years ago. In 1224 after partition of

trade roads along the

river became property of

who erected a castle which is today known as Valmiera Castle. After the

Battle of Saule The Battle of Saule (; ; ) was fought on 22 September 1236, between the Livonian Brothers of the Sword and pagan troops of Samogitians and Semigallians. Between 48 and 60 knights were killed, including the Livonian Master, Volkwin. It was the ea ...

in 1236 Valmiera Castle and nearby lands became the property of the newly established Livonian Order. Valmiera was first mentioned as a town in a chronicle dating back to 1323. The actual founding of the town probably occurred at least 40 years earlier when the master of the

Wilken von Endorp constructed a castle (''Wolmar'') and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church on the banks of the river Gauja. Valmiera was a member of the

from the 14th–16th centuries. Involvement in the Hansa brought significant trade and movement into the town's life. During the 14th–16th centuries several regional assemblies (

landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...

s) were held in Valmiera. After the

in 1583 Valmiera was heavily devastated and was incorporated into the

Duchy of Livonia The Duchy of Livonia, also referred to as Polish Livonia or Livonia, was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that existed from 1561 to 1621. It corresponds to the present-day areas of northe ...

as part of

Wenden Voivodeship Wenden Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was formed in 1598 by King Sigismund III Vasa, out of Wenden Presidency (Province), whi ...

. After the

Polish-Swedish war This is a List of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to ...

in 1622 Valmiera was managed by the

Lord High Chancellor of Sweden The Lord High Chancellor () was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1538 until 1799, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council. From 1634, the Lord High Chancellor was on ...

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (; 1583–1654) was a Swedish statesman and Count of Södermöre. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of ...

View of Valmiera by Johans Kristofs Broce in 1795

During the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

Valmiera was again destroyed and burned down in 1702. It was further devastated by plague. During the first half of the 18th century Valmiera was on the decline. In 1738 M.E. von Hallart opened the first seminary of the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

in Valmiera, a movement which played an important role in the history of Vidzeme. In 1785 Valmiera became the centre of a district. The town saw rapid development in the 19th century. First it was stimulated by the building of the first bridge over the river Gauja in 1865. Later the building of the Riga-St.Petersburg railway line through the town in 1899 also played a major role. Many new factories were built in the town and new settlements were growing on both banks of the river Gauja. During 1911–12 a narrow gauge railway line

Ainaži Ainaži (; is a Latvian port town by the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Administratively, it is part of the Limbaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is located on the south side of the Estonia-Latvia international border, on ...

-Valmiera-

Smiltene Smiltene () is a town in the Vidzeme region in northern Latvia, 132 km northeast of the capital Riga, and the administrative centre of Smiltene Municipality. It has a population of 5,536 (2015). Name Its original name was Smiltesele (the end ...

was built thus making Valmiera a major transport hub. In 1906 Municipal elections were held and Valmiera was one of the few towns in Latvia where Latvians won the majority of seats (18 of 24). As a result, local doctor Georgs Apinis was elected as mayor. During the first quarter of the 20th century Valmiera also became a centre of culture and education as many schools were opened in the town. Among them were the Vidzeme teachers seminary, women gymnasium and merchant school. During

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 ...

, Valmiera was captured by troops of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...

on 4 July 1941 and placed under the administration of

Reichskommissariat Ostland The (RKO; ) was an Administrative division, administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. It served as the German Civil authority, civilian occupation regime in Lithuania, La ...

. In October 1941, 209 Jews from Valmiera and surrounding areas were murdered in local forests. The city was recaptured on 24 September 1944 by troops of the 3rd Baltic Front of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

during the Riga Offensive. During the war almost all buildings at the center of Valmiera were destroyed. The

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Liepas Air Base was located nearby. Version 2.2 of the open source mapping application

QGIS QGIS is a geographic information system (GIS) software that is free and open-source. QGIS supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports viewing, editing, printing, and analysis of geospatial data in a range of data formats. Its name comes from ...

was named in honor of Valmiera.

Development

Valmiera's municipality has been involved a variety of projects to improve the quality of life in the region. ;Projects implemented lately * Reconstruction of Valmiera Pārgauja State Gymnasium * Reconstruction of Valmiera Viestura Secondary school * Dwelling house of various social groups * Pedestrian track and watch terrace * Construction of Māris Štrombergs BMX track “Valmiera” * Construction of Valmiera Western Industrial highway * Co-creation workshop “DARE” * Reconstruction of Jānis Daliņš Stadium and construction of light athletics hall * Valmiera Old Town development – Ziloņu Street * Hybrid buses in the city * Construction of woodchip boiler house ;Ongoing projects * Dormitory for pupils * Valmiera Old Town development – Valmiera Palace cultural center * Recreational and playground areas * Two electric buses in the city *Construction of Valmiera Southern Industrial highway * Career Development Support Program * Renovation of Valmiera Drama Theater Valmiera is an important industrial centre. The dominating economic branches in Valmiera are the

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

production,

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...

wood processing Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing. The major wo ...

and

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

production. TOP 5 companies by turnover (Lursoft, 2018) * “Valmieras Glass Group” JSC * Cooperative “VAKS” * "Valmieras piens" JSC * “Dizozols”, Ltd * Cooperative society of agricultural service dairy farmers “PIENA LOĢISTIKA”

Education

A full cycle education is provided in Valmiera – starting from pre-schools until higher education and lifelong education institutions. City provides full-range of education: * 8 Kindergartens * 2 Primary Schools * 4 Secondary Schools, including special education for disabled children * 2 State Gymnasiums * Valmiera Music School * Valmiera Sports School * Valmiera Youth Centre "Vinda" * Valmiera School of Design and Art * Valmiera Vocational Education and Training School * Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences * Lifelong learning In the academic year of 2019 and 2020, 1625 children attended preschool educational institutions in Valmiera and 4084 students attended general education institutions. The local government invests significantly into the development of the educational infrastructure. More than 50% of Valmiera annual budget is spent on a development of education in the city. In 2016, Valmiera was included in UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (UNESCO GNLC). Its aim is to jointly seek for solutions to globalization, urbanization, demographics and other 21st century urban development challenges.

Culture

;Culture facilities in Valmiera * Valmiera Drama Theatre * Valmiera Culture centre * Cinema "3D CINEMA" (kino "Gaisma") * Concert hall "Valmiera" * Valmiera Integrated library * Valmiera Museum * Art „Gallery Laipa” * Gallery „Leduspagrabs” ;Festivals and annual events in Valmiera * International Winter Music Festival * International competition for young pianists * Valmiera Summer Theatre Festival * Valmiera City Festival * Simjūds’ Fair * Summer concerts by the Valmiera Music School * cinema festival "Kino Pedālis" * Art month of Valmiera * etc.

Sports

In Valmiera, sports and an active lifestyle have historically been one of the city's main priorities. Over 40 sports organisations operate in Valmiera representing more than 30 different sports. The Valmiera Children's Sports School with over 1,200 pupils is the fourth biggest sports school in Latvia. In the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

in Los Angeles,

Jānis Daliņš Jānis Daliņš (5 November 1904 – 11 June 1978) was a Latvian race walker. Competing in the 50 km event he won a silver medal at the 1932 Olympics, becoming the first athlete to win an Olympic medal competing for Latvia. He also won the 193 ...

won a silver medal – the first ever Olympic medal won by Latvia. In honour of the athlete's achievements, in 1938 Valmiera Stadium was named after Jānis Daliņš. Many Olympians have come from Valmiera including BMX riders

Ivo Lakučs Ivo Lakučs (born 4 March 1979) is a Latvian cyclist. He has competed at two Summer Olympics – 2000 Summer Olympics in the track cycling and in 2008 Summer Olympics in the BMX. As of 2012, he is Māris Štrombergs' coach. Lakučs was born in V ...

, Edžus Treimanis,

Rihards Veide Rihards Veide (born 1 November 1991) is a Latvian BMX racer. He qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, finishing in 7th place in the final. Veide has won the bronze medal at 2011 European Championships. He was born in Valmiera, Latv ...

and a two-time Olympic champion

Māris Štrombergs Māris Štrombergs (born 10 March 1987) is a Latvian former professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in Cycling at the Summer Olympics, BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World ...

. In turn, Jolanta Dukure, Arnis Rumbenieks and Aigars Fadējevs are race walkers, whose sporting roots can be found in Valmiera, as is the case with the initial sporting careers of bobsleigh racers

Oskars Ķibermanis Oskars Ķibermanis (born 4 April 1993) is a former Latvian bobsledder. He competed at the FIBT World Championships 2013 in St. Moritz, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from &n ...

and

Oskars Melbārdis Oskars Melbārdis (born 16 February 1988) is a former Latvian bobsledder who has competed since 2006. He is the most successful bobsledder in the history of his country, having won one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. He also earned the first ...

. Biggest sports teams: * Valmiera Basketball Club – 2015/2016

Latvian Basketball League Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language, also referred to as Lettish **Latvian cuisine **Latvi ...

Champions * Valmiera Floorball Club – 2017/2018 Floorball Latvia League runners-up * Valmiera Football Club – 2022 Latvian Higher Football League Champions * Valmiera Glass ViA – competing in Latvian-Estonian Basketball League Extensive sports infrastructure is available in Valmiera, including Jānis Daliņš’ Stadium, Māris Štrombergs’ BMX "Valmiera" track, the Vidzeme Olympic Centre, "Krāces" rowing base, Valmiera Swimming Pool and outdoor running and Nordic walking tracks. Annually, the biggest sports events held in the city are as follows: * the State President's Athletics Competition * Valmiera Marathon * MTB Marathon * “Rīga-Valmiera” Running and Walking Race * Latvian Open Floorball Tournament * the European Championship Qualification Games in Men's Handball The biggest sport events to be held in Valmiera are: * 2011 FIBA Basketball World Championship U-19 Junior Sub-Group Games * 2014 Davis Cup Group Ties in Tennis * 2018 IFF World Championship Men's Floorball Qualification Tournament * BMX European Championships 2019

Twin towns – sister cities

Valmiera is twinned with: *

Solna Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna i ...

, Sweden (1991) *

Viljandi Viljandi (, , , , ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major ...

, Estonia (1992) *

Gütersloh (district) Gütersloh () is a Kreis (district) in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Osnabrück, Herford, district-free Bielefeld, Lippe, Paderborn, Soest and Warendorf. History It was created in 1973 in the reo ...

, Germany (1994) * Høje-Taastrup, Denmark (1995) *

Zduńska Wola Zduńska Wola is a city in central Poland with 40,730 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of Zduńska Wola County in the Łódź Voivodeship. The city was once one of the largest cloth, linen and cotton weaving centres in Poland and is the birthpla ...

, Poland (2001) *

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

, Russia (2002) *

Barysaw Barysaw or Borisov (, ; , ) is a city in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Barysaw District. It is located on the Berezina, Berezina River and north-east from the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 1 ...

, Belarus (2010) * Halle, Germany (2011) * Siyazan, Azerbaijan (2014) * Vallefoglia, Italy (2016) *

Cherkasy Cherkasy (, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy serves as the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast as well as Cherkasy Raion within the oblast. The city has a population of Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial centre ...

, Ukraine (2022)

Gallery

Bridge over Gauja river.JPG, Bridge over Gauja river Rigas Iela, summer 2013.JPG, Riga street in the city centre Valmiera muuseum.JPG, Valmiera city museum Valmiera Old Pharmacy in Castle ruins.JPG, Castle ruins Valmiera railway station 2.JPG, Railway station Valmiera Sv Simana baznica.jpg, St. Simon Lutheran church

Notable people

Jāzeps Vītols Jāzeps Vītols (; 26 July 1863 – 24 April 1948) was a Latvian composer, pedagogue and music critic. He is considered one of the fathers of Latvian classical music. Biography Vītols, born in Valmiera the son of a schoolteacher, began hi ...

(1863–1948), composer *

Velta Ruke-Dravina Velta Ruke-Dravina (Velta Rūķe-Draviņa; 25 January 1917 – 7 May 2003) was a Latvian-born Swedish linguist and folklorist, as well as a professor in Baltic languages at Stockholm University. Ruke-Dravina's research interests included children ...

(1917–2003), Latvian-born Swedish linguist, folklorist, professor * Maija Einfelde (1939–), composer *

Andris Piebalgs Andris Piebalgs (born 17 September 1957) is a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as European Commissioner for Development at the European Commission from 2010 until 2014. Between 2004 and 2009 he served as Commissioner for Energy. Betw ...

(1957–), politician, diplomat * Arturs Maskats (1957–), composer *

Ģirts Ķesteris Ģirts Ķesteris (born 14 February 1964) is a Latvian actor. He is employed by the Valmiera Drama Theatre. In 1994 he won the Spēlmaņu nakts gada aktieris award for best actor. Selected filmography References

Living people 1964 birth ...

(1964–), actor *

Ainārs Ķiksis Ainārs Ķiksis (born 10 February 1972) is a Latvian former track cyclist. He competed at the 1992, 1996 and the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000 ...

(1972–), cyclist *

(1979–), cyclist * Mārcis Rullis (1979–), bobsledder * Jolanta Dukure (1979–), athlete *

(1987–), BMX racer * Edžus Treimanis (1988–), BMW racer * Arnis Rumbenieks (1988–), athlete *

(1988–), bobsledder *

Dairis Bertāns Dairis Bertāns (born 9 September 1989) is a Latvian professional basketball player for VEF Rīga of the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. Bertāns also plays for the Latvia national basketball team. He is the older brother of Dāvis Bert� ...

(1989–), basketball player *

Dāvis Bertāns Dāvis Bertāns (born 12 November 1992) is a Latvian professional basketball player for Dubai Basketball of the ABA League. Nicknamed the "Latvian Laser", he also represents the Latvian national team. He was the 42nd pick in the 2011 NBA draft ...

(1992–), basketball player *

Rolands Šmits Rolands Šmits (born June 25, 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. At a height of , and a weight of 107 kg (235 lbs), he primarily plays at the power forward ...

(1995–), basketball player * Agate Caune (2004–), athlete

References

{{Authority control State cities of Latvia Cities and towns in Vidzeme Populated places in Valmiera Municipality Valmiera county