Latvia: People, Culture, Perspectives, History

Our photos & travel­ogues share our love for Latvia and our heritage. ►

Explore the post-WWII Exile Ex­pe­ri­ence and the mission to preserve Latvian culture and identity in the post-war diaspora, whether the West or the GULAG. ►

The Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians have lived along the Baltic at least four millennia. The Baltics were well known until they were lost behind the Iron Curtain. Now they still strug­gle to shed half a century of Soviet-era obscurity. Our CfBH reference project digitizes accounts and images of Baltic culture and history contemporaneous to their times. ►

Our icon is the sign of the Latvian serpentine deity of knowledge, Zalktis. Pagans believed eating this snake would bestow the knowledge to speak with their ancestors.

More about signs, alleged controversies — and thousands of mittens. ►