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Saldus
Saldus (ⓘ; German: Frauenburg, Yiddish: פֿרויענבורג, romanized: Froienburg) is a Latvian town and the center of Saldus Municipality, located in the Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme) region. The name Saldus has been noted in historical sources as far back as the mid-13th century, but the founding year for the establishment of the town is considered to be 1856, with the settlement gaining town rights in 1917.
The town is located in between Riga and Liepāja (slightly closer to Liepāja (100 km) than Riga (119 km). The Ciecere River flows through Saldus, and it is a tributary to one of Latvia’s biggest rivers, the Venta.
The city is often referred to as "the Bowl of Courland" because of a famous quote by Māris Čaklais: "A drop of honey in the bowl of Courland". The reasoning behind the quote is the fact that from a high point, the city looks like a crater.
As of January 2025, Saldus is the 18th-largest city in Latvia according to population data. In 2025, the town had a population of 9,553.
According to archeological research, the whole territory that is now Saldus was inhabited by the Baltic tribe Couronians in the 20th century BC. The centre of defence at the time, Saldus Castle, was located by Lake Saldus until the 13th century,
1856 is considered the year Saldus was founded, when the Board of Domens decided to establish a trade center. Although there was an active economy by the end of the 19th century, and Saldus was the cultural center of the region, it was not officially recognized as a town until 1917.
One of the oldest buildings in the town is Saldus St.John's church. Documents from 1461 mention a wooden church. It has been reconstructed several times. The tower, bombed in 1944, was rebuilt in 1981–82.
Prior to invasion by the Nazis, Saldus had a large Jewish population. Nazi troops entered the city on 29 June 1941, and subsequently arrested around 100 Jewish men from the population, who were later shot and killed in the Veide forest, around 1 km from Saldus. Following the initial arrests, around 200 more were imprisoned in the local synagogue and prison, where they were transported to Baltezers Lake (4 km from Saldus) and shot by Sicherheitsdienst, helped by local non-Jewish residents.
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Saldus AI simulator
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Saldus
Saldus (ⓘ; German: Frauenburg, Yiddish: פֿרויענבורג, romanized: Froienburg) is a Latvian town and the center of Saldus Municipality, located in the Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme) region. The name Saldus has been noted in historical sources as far back as the mid-13th century, but the founding year for the establishment of the town is considered to be 1856, with the settlement gaining town rights in 1917.
The town is located in between Riga and Liepāja (slightly closer to Liepāja (100 km) than Riga (119 km). The Ciecere River flows through Saldus, and it is a tributary to one of Latvia’s biggest rivers, the Venta.
The city is often referred to as "the Bowl of Courland" because of a famous quote by Māris Čaklais: "A drop of honey in the bowl of Courland". The reasoning behind the quote is the fact that from a high point, the city looks like a crater.
As of January 2025, Saldus is the 18th-largest city in Latvia according to population data. In 2025, the town had a population of 9,553.
According to archeological research, the whole territory that is now Saldus was inhabited by the Baltic tribe Couronians in the 20th century BC. The centre of defence at the time, Saldus Castle, was located by Lake Saldus until the 13th century,
1856 is considered the year Saldus was founded, when the Board of Domens decided to establish a trade center. Although there was an active economy by the end of the 19th century, and Saldus was the cultural center of the region, it was not officially recognized as a town until 1917.
One of the oldest buildings in the town is Saldus St.John's church. Documents from 1461 mention a wooden church. It has been reconstructed several times. The tower, bombed in 1944, was rebuilt in 1981–82.
Prior to invasion by the Nazis, Saldus had a large Jewish population. Nazi troops entered the city on 29 June 1941, and subsequently arrested around 100 Jewish men from the population, who were later shot and killed in the Veide forest, around 1 km from Saldus. Following the initial arrests, around 200 more were imprisoned in the local synagogue and prison, where they were transported to Baltezers Lake (4 km from Saldus) and shot by Sicherheitsdienst, helped by local non-Jewish residents.