Jaunjelgava

Jaunjelgava
Friedrichstadt
Town

Coat of arms
Jaunjelgava

Location in Latvia

Coordinates: 56°36′N 25°5′E / 56.600°N 25.083°E / 56.600; 25.083
Country  Latvia
District Jaunjelgava municipality
Town rights 1647
Area
 • Total 6.1 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
 • Rural territory 5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Population
 • Total 2,245
 • Density 440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code LV-5134
Calling code +371 651
Number of city council members 9
Website http://www.jaunjelgava.lv

Jaunjelgava ( pronunciation  German: Friedrichstadt) is a town in Latvia on the left bank of the Daugava River about 80 km southeast of Riga.

It was a fortress in Selonia which was levelled in the 13th century by Crusaders. A country estate and a settlement were formed around 1450. In 1590 Duke Friedrich Kettler founded the town market. At that time about 60 families lived at the market. The town was devastated in 1621, during the Polish-Swedish war, and was re-established as a city in 1646. In 1710 the plague, and 1831 and 1848 cholera, raged. In addition, there were several large fires in the town. Nevertheless, the town grew and was the district seat from 1795 on. After the opening of the Riga-Daugavpils railway line in 1861, the Daugava River waterway, and thus the city, lost its importance.

Shtetl

Jaunjelgava was one of many shtetls which once existed in the Pale of Settlement. Its Jewish community was established toward the close of the seventeenth century. In 1897, 3,800 of its population of 5,223 were Jews.[1]

Jaunjelgava municipality

In 2009 the city joined six surrounding communities to form a local government district. (See also: Administrative divisions of Latvia)

Selected publications

See also

References

  1. ↑ Friedrichstadt entry in the Jewish Encyclopedia
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