Jelgava

Until 1917, the city was officially referred to as Mitau. The name of Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian word jālgab, meaning "town on the river."{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Am-_PBCqIUcC&q=jelgava+name+meaning&pg=PA124|title=Latvia as an Independent State|first=Alfred|last=Bilmanis|date=1 November 2008|publisher=Read Books|isbn=9781443724449|via=Google Books}} 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, which is German for "the middle of the Aa", referring to the Lielupe River, formerly known as the Courland Aa (Kurländische Aa in German). {{Citation needed|reason=This whole section does not cite any references or sources.|date=October 2008}}

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.

{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

{{stack|File:Biron_Rezidenz.jpg at the heart of Jelgava, completed in 1772]]}}

Settlement began developing in the Mitau locality between the rivers Lielupe and Driksa during the 10th century. Led by the Grand Master {{ill|Konrāds fon Manderns|lv|lt=Konrad von Mandern}}, 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 of 1558-1583, Mitau became a town of the Duchy of Courland 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 of Semigallia. The city again became the capital of the united duchies in 1617. Because the duchy became a vassal of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 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.

The Tsar 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 (daughter of Tsar Ivan V ({{reign | 1682 | 1696}}), and herself 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.

File:Academia petrina.jpg, established by Duke Peter von Biron in 1775]]

The penultimate duke of Courland, Ernst Johann von Biron ({{reign | 1737 | 1740}} and 1763–1769), 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 ({{reign | 1769 | 1795}}), 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 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 Count of Provence lived at the palace of Mitau (1798–1801 and 1804–1807) before he became the French king Louis XVIII in 1814. Although the city was occupied by Prussian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it was largely spared destruction.

File:Latvian city Jelgava (Mitau) in 1935.jpg

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 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.Meeting the Enemy by Richard Van Emden. After the war, in 1919, Mitau became a battleground between Bolshevik Red Guards, 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 Jelgava Academy of Agriculture opened in the Jelgava Palace.

As a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, Jelgava was occupied and annexed with the rest of Latvia by the Soviet Union 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. German forces from Army Group North occupied Jelgava from 1941 to 1944 until the re-capture of the city by the Red Army. During World War II, 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.

File:19440816 soviet soldiers attack jelgava.jpg fight in the streets of Jelgava in the summer of 1944]]

In late July 1944, the Soviet Red army launched an attack from the south in the direction of Jelgava and Tukums to encircle the German Army Group North. 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 World War II 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, and administration buildings for the Riga Autobus Factory (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.

Jelgava has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

{{Weather box

|location = Jelgava (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1867−present)

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 10.7

|Feb record high C = 13.5

|Mar record high C = 19.7

|Apr record high C = 27.4

|May record high C = 30.0

|Jun record high C = 32.8

|Jul record high C = 36.0

|Aug record high C = 33.7

|Sep record high C = 30.1

|Oct record high C = 23.4

|Nov record high C = 17.0

|Dec record high C = 11.6

|year record high C = 36.0

|Jan high C = -0.3

|Feb high C = 0.3

|Mar high C = 4.9

|Apr high C = 12.4

|May high C = 18.1

|Jun high C = 21.3

|Jul high C = 23.9

|Aug high C = 23.1

|Sep high C = 17.8

|Oct high C = 10.8

|Nov high C = 4.8

|Dec high C = 1.1

|year high C = 11.5

|Jan mean C = -2.7

|Feb mean C = -2.7

|Mar mean C = 0.7

|Apr mean C = 6.7

|May mean C = 12.0

|Jun mean C = 15.5

|Jul mean C = 17.9

|Aug mean C = 17.0

|Sep mean C = 12.3

|Oct mean C = 6.9

|Nov mean C = 2.5

|Dec mean C = -0.9

|year mean C = 7.1

|Jan low C = -5.7

|Feb low C = -6.2

|Mar low C = -3.6

|Apr low C = 1.1

|May low C = 5.1

|Jun low C = 8.9

|Jul low C = 11.6

|Aug low C = 10.8

|Sep low C = 7.0

|Oct low C = 2.9

|Nov low C = -0.1

|Dec low C = -3.6

|year low C = 2.4

|Jan record low C = -34.5

|Feb record low C = -34.9

|Mar record low C = -30.1

|Apr record low C = -14.2

|May record low C = -5.3

|Jun record low C = -1.1

|Jul record low C = 2.8

|Aug record low C = 0.3

|Sep record low C = -6.4

|Oct record low C = -10.1

|Nov record low C = -22.4

|Dec record low C = -32.2

|year record low C = -34.9

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 43.6

|Feb precipitation mm = 34.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 33.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 36.0

|May precipitation mm = 52.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 73.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 82.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 69.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 59.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 68.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 50.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 47.1

|year precipitation mm = 651.1

|Jan precipitation days = 11

|Feb precipitation days = 9

|Mar precipitation days = 9

|Apr precipitation days = 7

|May precipitation days = 9

|Jun precipitation days = 10

|Jul precipitation days = 11

|Aug precipitation days = 10

|Sep precipitation days = 10

|Oct precipitation days = 11

|Nov precipitation days = 11

|Dec precipitation days = 11

|year precipitation days = 119

|humidity colour =

|Jan humidity = 87.5

|Feb humidity = 84.9

|Mar humidity = 78.5

|Apr humidity = 71.4

|May humidity = 70.5

|Jun humidity = 74.5

|Jul humidity = 77.9

|Aug humidity = 78.7

|Sep humidity = 83.1

|Oct humidity = 86.6

|Nov humidity = 89.4

|Dec humidity = 89.6

|year humidity = 81.0

|source 1 = LVĢMC{{cite web

|url = https://data.gov.lv/dati/dataset/klimatisko-normu-dati/resource/4ef4a2ac-b439-478a-83b3-cdd39b1eff77

|title = Klimatisko normu dati

|language = lv

|publisher = Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre

|accessdate = March 20, 2023

|archive-date = 13 January 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230113024913/https://data.gov.lv/dati/dataset/klimatisko-normu-dati/resource/4ef4a2ac-b439-478a-83b3-cdd39b1eff77

|url-status = dead

}}{{cite web

|url = https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats/rekordi/

|title = Gaisa temperatūras rekordi

|language = lv

|publisher = Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre

|accessdate = March 20, 2023

|archive-date = 13 January 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230113024910/https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats/rekordi/

|url-status = dead

}}

|source 2 = NOAA (humidity and precipitation days 1991-2020){{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Latvia/CSV/Jelgava_26425.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020

|language = en-us

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|accessdate = December 21, 2023

}}}}

As of 1 January 2022, the city had a population of 54,694. {{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

{{bar box

|width = 300px

|float = middle

|title = Demographics of Jelgava 2022

|titlebar = #ddd

|bars =

{{bar percent|Latvians|red|60.1}}

{{bar percent|Russians|blue|26.8}}

{{bar percent|Belarusians|violet|4.8}}

{{bar percent|Ukrainians|yellow|2.3}}

{{bar percent|Poles|orange|1.7}}

{{bar percent|Lithuanians|black|1.3}}

{{bar percent|Others|purple|3}}

}}

File:Jelgavas katolu katedrale 1.jpg]]

Jelgava before the Second World War had regular, broad streets lined with the mansions of the Baltic German 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 at the bridge across the Lielupe. The palace contains the sarcophagi of almost all of the Curonian dukes, except the last one. The future Louis XVIII sojourned in the palace between 1798 and 1800. It now functions as Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. Other landmarks include the Baroque church of {{ill|St. Anne's Church, Jelgava|lv|Jelgavas Svētās Annas evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca|lt=St. Anne's Church}} (Liela Street 22a), the tower of the destroyed Jelgava {{ill|Holy Trinity Church, Jelgava|lv|Jelgavas Svētās Trīsvienības baznīca|lt=St. Trinity Church}} (Akadēmijas Street 1), and two handsome structures: the {{ill|Villa Medem|lv}} and the Academia Petrina.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In addition the following cultural and historical objects can be seen: Jelgava Palace (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), {{ill|St. John's Church, Jelgava|lv|Jelgavas Svētā Jāņa evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca|lt=St. John's Church}} (Jāņa Street 1), Jelgava Baptist Church (Matera Street 54), Love Alley (Dobele highway), {{ill|Valdeka Castle|lv|Valdekas pils}} (Rīgas Street 22), Jelgava Station (Stacijas Street 1).{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

File:Jelgava palace aerial view.jpg|Jelgava Palace

File:Academia Petrina.Jelgava.jpg|Academia Petrina

File:Jelgavas Sv. Annas luterāņu baznīca 2003-03-08 - panoramio.jpg|St. Anne's Church

File:Jelgavas Svētās Trīsvienības baznīca 2013-05-01.jpg|Destroyed Jelgava St. Trinity Church

File:Jelgava Churches 01.jpg|Cathedral of the Immaculate Virgin Mary

File:Jelgava,_Pasta_island_-_panoramio_(1).jpg festival]]

Jelgava regularly hosts an international Ice Sculpture festival, Student Folk Festival, Easter Walk, Latvian Plant Days, Business Days, Jelgava City Festival, Summer solstice in Jelgava, medicine market, International Cat Show "Jelgava Cat", Sports Day, International Sand Sculpture Festival, {{ill|Latvian Milk, Bread and Honey Festival|lv|Vispārējie Latvijas piena, maizes un medus svētki}} and Milk Packet Boat Regatta, Beginning of the School Year, Metal Festival, Azemitologa Festival,{{in lang|lv}} [http://www.jelgavniekiem.lv/?l=83&act=10&date=1569877200&art=47287 LLU pirmkursnieki svin Azemitologa svētkus] Autumn fair " Miķeļdienas waiting", Latvian Amateur Theater Festival "Jokes come from the actor", Student Days, Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia s celebrations, New Year's Eve.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The following museums operate in the city: {{ill|Ģederts Eliass|lv}} Jelgava History and Art Museum, {{ill|Adolf Alunan Memorial Museum|lv|Ādolfa Alunāna memoriālais muzejs}}, historical expositions {{ill|Holy Trinity Church, Jelgava|lv|Jelgavas Svētās Trīsvienības baznīca|lt=St. Trinity Church}} tower, {{ill|Latvia University of Agriculture Museum|lv|Latvijas Lauksaimniecības universitātes muzejs}}, {{ill|Rundāle Castle|lv|Rundāles pils}} museum exposition in Jelgava Castle "Tombs of the Dukes of Kurzeme and Zemgale", Latvian Railway Museum Jelgava exposition, psychiatric hospitals "{{ill|Ģintermuiža|lv|Ģintermuiža}}" museum, {{ill|Ugunsdzēsējs|lv|lt=Firefighter}} exposition.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Libraries: {{ill|Jelgava City Library|lv|Jelgavas pilsētas bibliotēka}} (Akadēmijas Street 26), Pārlielupe Library (Loka highway 17), Miezīte Library (Dobele highway 100), children's library "Zinītis" (Lielā Street 15).{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and has won the Latvian Football Cup four times.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

File:Town Hall of Jelgava, Latvia.jpg

File:Bus station in Jelgava, Latvia.jpg

• Johann Heinrich Baumann (1753-1832) - painter
• August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein (1826-1907) – linguist, folklorist, ethnographer
• Peter von Biron (1724-1800), Duke of Courland{{Cite web |date=2016-12-28 |title=Last Duke of Courland's cause of death revealed |url=https://www.rsu.lv/en/news/last-duke-courlands-cause-death-revealed |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=RSU |language=en}}
• Vilnis Edvīns Bresis (1938-2017), politician
• Jan Krzysztof Damel (1780-1840), painter
• Karl Eichwald (1795-1876), geologist, paleontologist and physician.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Eichwald, Karl Eduard von |volume = 9 |last= |first= |author-link= |page= 132 |short=1}}
• Johannes Engelmann (1832-1912), jurist
• Kaspars Gerhards (born 1969), politician
• Johannes von Guenther (1886-1973), writer
• Joseph Hirshhorn (1899-1981), entrepreneur, financier and art collector
• Elise von Jung-Stilling (1829-1904), painter
• Edijs Jurēvics (born 1989), rocksinger and guitarist
• Renārs Kaupers (born 1974), Latvian singer
• Friedrich Kettler (1569-1642), Duke of Courland
• Frederick Casimir Kettler (1650-1698), Duke of Courland
• Ferdinand Kettler (1655-1737), Duke of Courland
• Frederick William, Duke of Courland (1692-1711), Duke of Courland
• Maria Amalia of Courland (1653-1711), Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel
• Wilhelm Kettler (1574-1640), Duke of Courland
• Adolph Theodor Kupffer (1799-1865), chemist, and physicist
• Max Lazerson (1887-1951), politician
• Friedrich Ludwig Lindner (1772-1845), German writer, journalist and physician
• Paul von Medem (1800-1854), diplomat
• Friedrich von der Pahlen (1780-1863), diplomat and administrator.
• Elza Radziņa (1917-2005), Latvian actress
• Johann Friedrich von Recke (1764-1846), senior public official in the Baltic Germans Duchy of Courland.
• Einars Repše (born 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 (1782-1845), Duchess of Sagan
• Princess Wilhelmine, Duchess of Sagan (1781-1839), Duchess of Sagan
• Carl Christian Joseph of Saxony, Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1759-1763)
• Paul Schiemann (1876-1944), journalist, editor and politician
• Carl Schmidt (1822-1894), chemist
• Artūrs Skrastiņš (born 1974), stage and film actor
• Mamert Stankiewicz (1889-1939), the captain of the Polish merchant marine
• Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky (1891-1970), illustrator
• Eduard Totleben (1818–1884), Russian military engineer
• Ernst Rudolf von Trautvetter (1809-1889), botanist
• Gunars Upatnieks (born 1983), musician
• Inese Vaidere (born 1952), politician
• Johann Walter-Kurau (1869-1932), painter
• Kaspars Znotiņš (born 1975), stage and film actor

• Aleksejs Auziņš (1910-1997) – footballer, coach, ice hockey player
• Andrejs Dūda (born 1981), swimmer
• Ieva Gaile (born 1997), figure skater
• Kristīne Gaile (born 1997), figure skater
• Olga Jakušina (born 1997), ice dancer
• Dzintars Lācis (1940-1992), cyclist
• Natalia Laschenova (born 1973) Olympic team gold medalist (gymnastics)
• Jānis Lūsis (1939-2020), Latvian (and Soviet) athlete — javelin thrower
• Vitālijs Samoļins (born 1990), chess player
• Igors Šaplavskis (born 1968), boxer
• Gatis Sprukts (born 1996), ice hockey player

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Latvia}}

Jelgava is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Sadraudzības pilsētas|url=http://www.jelgava.lv/lv/pilseta/pilseta/sadraudzibas-pilsetas/|website=jelgava.lv|publisher=Jelgava|language=lv|access-date=29 March 2021}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|EST}} Pärnu, Estonia (1957)
• {{flagicon|LTU}} Šiauliai, Lithuania (1960)
• {{flagicon|DEN}} Vejle, Denmark (1992)
• {{flagicon|POL}} Białystok, Poland (1994)
• {{flagicon|ROC}} Xinying (Tainan), Taiwan (2000)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Alcamo, Italy (2002)
• {{flagicon|SWE}} Hällefors, Sweden (2004)
• {{flagicon|SWE}} Nacka, Sweden (2004)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Rueil-Malmaison, France (2006)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (2007)
• {{flagicon|BRA}} Nova Odessa, Brazil (2007)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Como, Italy (2016)
• {{flagicon|USA}} Carmel, United States (2022)

{{div col end}}

In 2022, Jelgava suspended the cooperation agreements with Magadan and Baranavichy due to Russian invasion of Ukraine.[https://www.jelgava.lv/en/news/jelgava-suspends-cooperation-agreement-with-twin-cities-magadan-russia-and-baranovichi-belarus/ Jelgava suspends cooperation agreement with twin cities Magadan (Russia) and Baranovichi (Belarus)]

• Adolfa Alunāna Theatre

{{Reflist}}

{{wikivoyage}}

{{EB1911 poster|Mitau}}

• {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Mitau |volume= XVI | pages= |short= 1}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20051026223422/http://www.virtual.lv/maps/baltic500000/jelgava.htm Map of Jelgava]
• [http://www.jelgavasvestnesis.lv City paper]

{{Zemgale Region}}

{{Administrative divisions of Latvia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Capitals of former nations

Category:State cities of Latvia

Category:Cities and towns in Semigallia

Category:Dobele county

Category:Holocaust locations in Latvia

Category:Populated places established in the 10th century