Jurmala

The first bathing spots were organized in Dubbeln (now Dubulti , the administrative center of the modern city). Another old part of Jurmala is the former Slok (Sloka) , which received the status of a place in 1785, and in 1878 became an independent city. Kemmern (modern Kemeri ) became the state resort of the Russian Empire in 1838, after the discovery of mud and mineral springs there.

In the 19th century, after Dubbelnoye and other fishing villages in the present territory of Jurmala became resorts. Their past German names differed from the real ones: Lielupe was called Bullen, Bulduri - Bilderinghof, Dzintari from 1907 - Edinburgh II (Edinburgh-I from 1907 was the village of Avota that later merged with Dzintari, this station existed until 1964) , Maiori - Mayorengofom, Dubulti - Dubbelny-I, Jaundubulti - Dubbelny-II, Pumpuri since 1914 - Karlsbad-I, Melluzhi since 1914 - Carlsbad-II, Asari - Assernom-I (in 1927-1938 - Asari-I). In 1927, the Asari-II station was opened (Vaivari since 1938), Sloka was called Slok, and Kemeri - Kemmern.

At the beginning of the resorts, communication with Riga was only equestrian. The regular ferry line from Riga to Lielupe was opened in 1833, and the Riga-Dubulti railway line in 1843. This allowed to open new places for swimming in 1848 in Dzintari, Majori, Melluzi and Asari. They became even more accessible with the opening in 1877 of the Riga- Tukkum railway and the highway from Riga in 1905 ^[5] .

The Government of Latvia on March 2, 1920 united resort villages in the city of Riga Seaside ( Latvian: Rīgas Jūrmala ). At the beginning of 1946, Jurmala was included in Riga as a separate district, to which Priedain was annexed in 1949. However, on November 11, 1959, the Supreme Council of the Latvian SSR decided to create a separate city of Jurmala, which included the Jurmala district of Riga, as well as Sloka and Kemeri.

In the 2000s, many wealthy Russians acquired dachas in Jurmala: “This is a whole colony, essentially the third wave of emigration. Entrepreneurs of the middle hand and wealthy people who are looking for a quiet and comfortable place to live in Latvia ” ^[6] .

As of January 1, 2015, according to the Central Statistical Bureau, the population of the city was 49,646 residents ^[7] or 57,671 people according to the Register of Residents (Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs) ^[8] .

In recent decades, the population of Jurmala has been decreasing due to the natural decline in the population.

Ethnic composition

The national composition of the city according to the censuses of 1989 and 2011 ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]} :

An electrified railway line Tornakalns - Tukums II passes through Jurmala. 14 stations on this line are located within the city of Jurmala; in fact, the electric train in Jurmala is regular intercity transport. A ticket from Priedaine to ериemeri costs 1.40 euros ^[15] . Stations and platforms:

Also, buses and fixed-route taxis regularly follow in Jurmala.

• One of the two residences of the President of Latvia
• Brezhnev's Cottage (State Cottage No. 2) - Museum ^[16]
• Rainis -Museum of Rainis and his wife, poetess Aspazia

Since the Soviet era, musical and humorous festivals have been held in the Dzintari Concert Hall, focused mainly on the Russian-speaking audience.

So, in 1986-1993. in Jurmala, an all-union competition of young performers was held , after the collapse of the USSR, it moved to Yalta . In 2002, he was replaced by the contest " New Wave " under the patronage of Igor Krutoy . In the 2000s, the Comedy Club Week of High Humor festival, KVN music festival , Full House performances, and other concerts and festivals took place here.

Since 2015, due to the introduction by Latvia of a ban on the entry of some Russian performers who supported Russia 's policy towards Ukraine , most Russian-language festivals have been moved from Jurmala to Russian territory ^{[17] [18]} .

• See Category: Persons: Jurmala

• Official site
• Information about Jurmala in the toponymic database (Latvian)