Saldus

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Town in Latvia

title: "Saldus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["saldus", "cities-and-towns-in-courland", "1917-establishments-in-latvia", "populated-places-established-in-1917", "populated-places-in-saldus-municipality", "historic-jewish-communities-in-latvia"] description: "Town in Latvia" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saldus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in Latvia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameSaldus
settlement_typeTown
image_shieldSaldus COA.svg
image_flagBandera Saldus.png
image_skylineSaldus panorama.jpg
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameLatvia
subdivision_type1Municipality
subdivision_name1Saldus Municipality
established_titleTown rights
established_date1917
pushpin_mapLatvia
pushpin_label_positionabove
pushpin_mapsize300
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Latvia
coordinates
nicknameMedus piliens Kurzemē
'A drop of honey in Courland'
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameMāris Zusts
leader_title1City council
leader_name111 members
area_total_km2
area_footnotes
area_water_km2
area_land_km2
population_total9553
population_footnotes
population_as_of2019
population_density_km2auto
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_codeLV-3801
area_code_typeCalling code
area_code+371 638
timezone1EET
utc_offset1+2
timezone1_DSTEEST
utc_offset1_DST+3
websitehttps://www.saldus.lv/
official_nameSaldus
blank_name_sec1Climate
blank_info_sec1Dfb
::

| name = Saldus | other_name = | settlement_type = Town | image_shield = Saldus COA.svg | shield_size = | image_flag = Bandera Saldus.png | flag_size = | image_skyline = Saldus panorama.jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Latvia | subdivision_type1 = Municipality | subdivision_name1 = Saldus Municipality | established_title = Town rights | established_date = 1917 | pushpin_map = Latvia | pushpin_label_position = above | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Latvia | coordinates = | nickname = Medus piliens Kurzemē 'A drop of honey in Courland' | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Māris Zusts | leader_title1 = City council | leader_name1 = 11 members | area_total_km2 = | area_footnotes = | area_water_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_metro_km2 = | elevation_m = | population_total = 9553 | population_footnotes = | population_as_of = 2019 | population_metro = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_metro_km2 = | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = LV-3801 | area_code_type = Calling code | area_code = +371 638 | timezone1 = EET | utc_offset1 = +2 | timezone1_DST = EEST | utc_offset1_DST = +3 | website = https://www.saldus.lv/ | official_name = Saldus | blank_name_sec1 = Climate | blank_info_sec1 = Dfb Saldus (; , ) is a Latvian town located in Courland () region of Latvia, and the largest town in Saldus Municipality. 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.

History

Early history

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Saldus4800a.JPG" caption="St. John's Church]] in Saldus"] ::

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.

World War II

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.

Economy

Saldus has developed itself as an important cultural, educational, business and trade center. There are about 500 approved companies operating in Saldus, with main branches in building construction, wood processing, and food processing.

These days Saldus also boasts a very active cultural life, featuring local musicians, poets, painters, and artists.

Hymn

The official hymn of the city, written by Ēriks Ķiģelis and Māris Čaklais, is ‘’Saldus saule’’ (English: Saldus Sun).

On November 18, 2018, 32 years since its release in 1986, the song was finally publicly acknowledged as the official hymn. ::data[format=table]

Lyrics
Rudenī viņa kā rupjmaize
::

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Ciecere_primary_school_-_panoramio.jpg" caption="Ciecere Primary School in Saldus"] ::

The city boasts an active cultural and social life. In the center of it has always been Education. Home to schools of the future and the past. All educational institutions are coed.

Since 1946 Saldus has been home to the Saldus School of Music. In 1984 Saldus Art School was founded.

On March 22, 2013 the Saldus Art School moved to the newly built building.

Up until 2016, there were 2 high schools in the city: Saldus Gymnasium (ex 1.st High School) and Saldus Secondary High School. Saldus Gymnasium was terminated and never started the school year in 2016. Saldus Secondary High School was re-named Saldus High School.

Educational institutions

  • 6 Pre-school educational institutions
  • 3 Primary Schools
  • Saldus High School
  • Vocational High School
  • Saldus Art and Music School

Culture and contemporary life

Concerts

Saldus Saule festival

Yearly Rock festival 'Saldus Saule' makes Saldus a well known city in and around Latvia. The first "Saldus saule" took place in 1987. But the idea and concept were conceived earlier.

October 3, 1985, saw the death of a beloved musician - Ēriks Ķiģelis. The twenty-somethings of that time wanted to keep his memory alive and so the festival was born. Due to the USSR regime, the festival could not be named after Ēriks Ķiģelis.

The first festival was first organized by famous music sociologist Juris Vilcāns and Ēriks Niedra.

Geography

Saldus is geographically located in the ‘Austrumkursas’ Highlands. It is the biggest city in the Highlands. The city was built on both shores of the river ‘Ciecere’ and on the east side of the city lies ‘Saldus lake’. The city is considered to be one of the greenest cities in Latvia, due to being characterized with parks, squares and bountiful greenery.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Saldus_ezers.JPG" caption="Saldus Lake"] ::

There are many tiny rivers, that flowing through Saldus, but only one important one. Interestingly other rivers are also named.

Saldus Lake

The lake lies north-east of the city, on the edge of the city. The lake’s north-west and south-east shores are incredibly steep. The lake has an estuary – Vēršāda (a tributary from river, and a tributary – Kaļķupīte. The deepest point is 5 m. On the south-west shore there is an artificial beach.

River Ciecere

River Ciecere is a 51 km long right-bank tributary to river Venta. The river itself has 52 tributaries. It flows out from Lake Ciecere and for 6 km flows through Saldus, creating a very rich green-zone in the city center. The river has 14 crossing bridges. In Saldus there are a few artificial waterfalls. There are nature-walks along the river bank. In the 17th century, the river was navigable by ship and boat.

Climate

Saldus has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). |location = Saldus (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1945–present) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan high C = -0.5 |Feb high C = -0.1 |Mar high C = 4.1 |Apr high C = 11.5 |May high C = 17.1 |Jun high C = 20.3 |Jul high C = 22.9 |Aug high C = 22.0 |Sep high C = 16.9 |Oct high C = 10.2 |Nov high C = 4.5 |Dec high C = 1.0 |year high C = |Jan mean C = -2.6 |Feb mean C = -2.7 |Mar mean C = 0.4 |Apr mean C = 6.2 |May mean C = 11.5 |Jun mean C = 15.0 |Jul mean C = 17.6 |Aug mean C = 16.7 |Sep mean C = 12.1 |Oct mean C = 6.8 |Nov mean C = 2.4 |Dec mean C = -1.0 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -5.2 |Feb low C = -5.5 |Mar low C = -3.3 |Apr low C = 1.3 |May low C = 5.5 |Jun low C = 9.5 |Jul low C = 12.2 |Aug low C = 11.7 |Sep low C = 7.9 |Oct low C = 3.6 |Nov low C = 0.3 |Dec low C = -3.1 |year low C = |Jan record high C = 9.4 |Feb record high C = 12.2 |Mar record high C = 18.8 |Apr record high C = 27.1 |May record high C = 29.6 |Jun record high C = 32.4 |Jul record high C = 34.3 |Aug record high C = 33.1 |Sep record high C = 29.4 |Oct record high C = 23.8 |Nov record high C = 16.8 |Dec record high C = 11.6 |year record high C = |Jan record low C = -34.2 |Feb record low C = -36.2 |Mar record low C = -26.9 |Apr record low C = -12.6 |May record low C = -4.0 |Jun record low C = -1.4 |Jul record low C = 3.8 |Aug record low C = 1.8 |Sep record low C = -4.2 |Oct record low C = -9.4 |Nov record low C = -22.5 |Dec record low C = -30.5 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 48.9 |Feb precipitation mm = 37.7 |Mar precipitation mm = 36.8 |Apr precipitation mm = 35.4 |May precipitation mm = 46.8 |Jun precipitation mm = 62.0 |Jul precipitation mm = 83.5 |Aug precipitation mm = 76.9 |Sep precipitation mm = 59.4 |Oct precipitation mm = 68.7 |Nov precipitation mm = 53.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 53.2 |year precipitation mm = |unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 11 |Feb precipitation days = 9 |Mar precipitation days = 8 |Apr precipitation days = 8 |May precipitation days = 8 |Jun precipitation days = 9 |Jul precipitation days = 10 |Aug precipitation days = 10 |Sep precipitation days = 9 |Oct precipitation days = 11 |Nov precipitation days = 12 |Dec precipitation days = 12 |Jan humidity=89.4 |Feb humidity=86.8 |Mar humidity=80.1 |Apr humidity=71.9 |May humidity=69.6 |Jun humidity=73.8 |Jul humidity=76.2 |Aug humidity=78.4 |Sep humidity=83.3 |Oct humidity=86.9 |Nov humidity=90.8 |Dec humidity=91.4 |year humidity=81.6 |Jan sun = |Feb sun = |Mar sun = |Apr sun = |May sun = |Jun sun = |Jul sun = |Aug sun = |Sep sun = |Oct sun = |Nov sun = |Dec sun = |year sun = |Jan percentsun = |Feb percentsun = |Mar percentsun = |Apr percentsun = |May percentsun = |Jun percentsun = |Jul percentsun = |Aug percentsun = |Sep percentsun = |Oct percentsun = |Nov percentsun = |Dec percentsun = |year percentsun = |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 | publisher = Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre | accessdate = March 25, 2023 | archive-date = January 13, 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 | url = https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats/rekordi/ | title = Gaisa temperatūras rekordi | publisher = Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre | accessdate = March 25, 2023 | archive-date = January 13, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230113024910/https://klimats.meteo.lv/klimats/rekordi/ | url-status = dead |source 2 = NOAA (precipitation days, humidity 1991-2020){{cite web | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Latvia/CSV/Saldus_26416.csv | title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate = March 30, 2023

Demographics

The population of Saldus has been decreasing since the first recorded census. It declined more rapidly when moving to United Kingdom became a valid choice for the people of Latvia.

|source = Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia |align=none|cols=2 | graph-pos = right |1989 |12330 |1990 |12113 |1991 |12469 |1992 |12452 |1993 |12452 |1994 |12472 |1995 |12540 |1996 |12597 |1997 |12576 |1998 |12658 |1999 |12660 |2000 |12557 |2001 |12483 |2002 |12413 |2003 |12365 |2004 |12289 |2005 |12234 |2006 |12138 |2007 |12016 |2008 |11987 |2009 |11919 |2010 |11735 |2011 |11413 |2012 |11217 |2013 |11022 |2014 |10895 |2015 |10771 |2016 |10627 |2017 |10311 |2018 |10053 |2019 (est.)|9937}}

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Saldus is twinned with:

Gallery

File:Monument of Janis Rozentāls. Saldus.jpg|Monument of Janis Rozentāls File:Old saldus city sign.jpg|Saldus Sign File:Old saldus gymnazium.jpg|The Old City Gymnasium File:House of Fire Insurance Association - panoramio.jpg|House of Fire Insurance Association File:Saldus elementary school - panoramio.jpg|Saldus Elementary School File:Saldus Mūzikas un Mākslas skola - panoramio.jpg|Saldus School of Music and Art File:Saldus post office.jpg|Saldus Post Office File:Sladus dome.jpg|Saldus city historical center

References

References

  1. "Saldus novada pašvaldība mājas lapa".
  2. (1996). "Saldus; Kurzemes mazpilsēta gadu ritumā; 1253-1856-1996". Saldus Pilsētas Dome.
  3. "Latvijas statistikas portāls".
  4. Levin, Dov. (1988). "Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Latvia and Estonia". [[Yad Vashem]].
  5. "Saldus Municipality, Zirņi Parish, the Jewish Cemetery : Holocaust Memorial Places in Latvia".
  6. "Saldus pilsētā likvidēs abas vidusskolas un veidos vienu mācību iestādi". www.lsm.lv.
  7. "Par Festivālu". SIA Festivāls Saldus Saule..
  8. Valdemārs, Ancītis. (1992). "Cieceres, Ventas un Vadakstes krastos". Saldus tipogrāfija.
  9. (May 28, 2019). "Iedzīvotāju skaits un tā izmaiņas statistiskajos reģionos, republikas pilsētās, novadu pilsētās un novados". [[Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia]].
  10. Mugrēvičš, Ēvalds. (1989). "Leģenda un vēsturiskā īstenība: Pulkveža Oskara Kalpaka (1882.-1919.) dzīves ceļš un cīņu gaitas". Dzimtenes Balss.
  11. (1996). "Saldus; Kurzemes mazpilsēta gadu ritumā; 1254-1856-1996". Saldus Pilsētas Dome.
  12. (2017). "Sadraudzības pašvaldības". Saldus.

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salduscities-and-towns-in-courland1917-establishments-in-latviapopulated-places-established-in-1917populated-places-in-saldus-municipalityhistoric-jewish-communities-in-latvia