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Ikšķile rendez-vous
This is a story
about an eventful place
in the very centre of Latvia.
Here are our characters.
What's that?
Ikšķile?
The narrow-gauge railway from Ikšķile to Baldone,
built by the Germans during World War I,
got the ingenious inhabitants of
Ikšķile their own horse tram line.
The church, designed by Pauls Kundziņš,
was built in 1935
and renovated 70 years later.
More than 825 years ago,
the German bishop Meinard arrived,
bringing christianity to the Livs of Daugava.
Basically, the modern history of Latvia begins here.
They say Meinard, being a wise man,
had chosen Ikšķile for two reasons:
kind and sympathetic people lived here
and this was a crossing of several major trade roads.
Having settled in the new place,
Meinard built a church in 1185
the first stone building in the Baltics.
The church was rebuilt several times.
It was nearly destroyed during World War I,
but its ruins had stood on the high coast of Daugava
until the Rīga hydro power reservoir was built.
This is how the ethnographer
and artist Johans Kristofers Broce
saw this place in the late 18th century.
For almost a hundred years,
until World War I,
here, by the old road to Polotsk,
were the summer camps
of the Russian army,
not far off
– an orthodox church.
In 1915,
the 1st World War has reached Ikšķile.
Let's go, boy,
the reinforcement's on the way!
For two years, the bridgehead of
Ikšķile was opposite to it,
later called the Island of Death.
A bridge has been built over Daugava
to transport ammunition and evacuate the wounded.
A German gas attack took place here in 1916.
In a few hours' time,
around 2000 of the Kamanetsk squadron soldiers were suffocated.
They rest in peace
in the cemetery of Kapara Āmuru Brāļi.
But what is happening
in the nearby Tīnūži estate?
Once called Lindenberg,
it has also been involved in the vortex of historical events.
The manor survives World War I,
has been a witness of the Latvian War of Independence in 1919.
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Hmm,
what's this?
“Looking for a lady
in a black and white dress
who was going to Ikšķile.
Please answer to earnest marriage intentions.”
Well, he sure is bold!
The time of Latvia as a free state.
An active social life has begun in Ikšķile.
Among other unions,
people have founded their own flying club.
An aviation festival was organized each year.
The traditions from back then have lasted until this day.
The formation of an intelligentsia
and the active social life will forever mark Ikšķile's spirit.
The artist and rector of the Academy of Arts Jānis Kuga
had surrounded himself with creative personalities,
the cultural life was rich.
The dream of a village surrounded by birches has come true,
and emerging artists dwell
in Kuga's house.
They say his spirit is still alive there.
After World War II,
new times come once again.
The farms are united in kolkhozs.
However, the image of Ikšķile as a resort
and a garden town has continued to grow.
People in Ikšķile have also always been athletic.
The childhood winter activities of Dainis Bremze
and Aigars Kriķis on their self-built sleigh track
have led both to participating in the Olympics.
In the beginning of the 80's,
the initiative of Ikšķile's inhabitants hasn't diminished at all.
They build themselves the beautiful open-air stage.
It stills holds memories of the first public Latvian Līgo feast in 1981,
the first groups of the culture funds and the founding
of the support group for the Popular Front of Latvia.
Authorities change,
time passes,
but the spirit of the town stays immutable.
Ikšķile has always got its own opinion,
because wise, creative and active people live here
- the successors of ages-old traditions.
Come and you'll see!
Subtitles translated by Nikolajs Putilins.