Historical Latvian Lands (Latvian:Latviešu vēsturiskās zemes) or formerlyCultural regions of Latvia (Latvian:Latvijas kultūrvēsturiskie novadi) are several areas withinLatvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. These are: Kurzeme (Courland),Zemgale (Semigallia),Latgale (Latgalia),Vidzeme, and Sēlija (Selonia). While some of these regions are seen purely as culturally distinct, others have historically been parts of different countries and have been used to divide the country for administrative and other purposes.
On 16 June 2021, theSaeima adopted theHistorical Latvian Lands Law [lv] which aims to create the necessary preconditions for strengthening the common identity of the population and for the preservation and sustainable development of the cultural and historical environment and cultural spaces of the historical Latvian lands. The Law assigns each parish and town in Latvia to one of the five historical Latvian regions:Vidzeme,Latgale,Kurzeme,Zemgale, andSēlija. The state city ofRiga, a Baltic metropolis, is a historical part of Vidzeme and the special identity and the particularities of the cultural and historical environment of Riga should be supported and promoted.[1][2]
The Latvian nation was formed from the cultures of peoples that inhabited the Historical Latvian Lands:Livonians,Curonians, Latgalians (ancient andmodern),Selonians, andSemigalians, under the influence of theBaltic German culture.[1]
The Appendix 1 to the Historical Latvian Lands Law enumerates the cities (or city parts) and parishes according to the historical lands.[1]
In some cases, Kurzeme, Sēlija and Zemgale are combined into one region. This reflects the political division of Latvia between 1629 and 1917, when Kurzeme and Zemgale were together, first as theDuchy of Courland and Semigallia, then as theCourland Governorate in theRussian Empire while Vidzeme and Latgale as parts of theDuchy of Livonia were politically separate, both from Courland and one from another since the 17 century. From this perspective, there are three regions: Kurzeme (including Zemgale and Sēlija), Vidzeme and Latgale. Such division is no longer commonly used but it can be seen in thecoat of arms of Latvia and theMonument of Freedom in Riga both of which contain three stars: for Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale, which were united intoLatvia in 1918.
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Several other, smaller, ethnocultural regions are identified in Latvia:Maliena [lv],Piebalga [lv],Lejaskurzeme [lv],Suiti [lv] parishes,Livonian Coast (Lībiešu krasts),Leišmale [lv], andVidiena [lv].[3]
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