Daugavgriva
Encyclopedia
Daugavgrīva is a neighbourhood in North West Riga
, Latvia
on the left bank of Daugava river. In this neighbourhood there is located Swedish built strong fortress on the Daugava River's left bank, commanding it's mouth
.
which initially served as a monastery. The Swedish fortress of Dünamünde, designed in a Dutch
style by General Rothenburg in 1641, replaced the ruined Daugavgrīva Castle by 1680.
In 1695 the Commandant was captain Heinrich Nicolaus Rüdinger, forefather of future Patriarch Alexy II of Russia. Rüdinger was knighted by Charles XI of Sweden
. Joachim Cronman
later became the Commandant and he died on March 5, 1703.
After the fortress was seized by the Russians they reconstructed it. Regent Anna Leopoldovna
of Russia, her husband Anthony Ulrich, and her son Ivan VI were incarcerated in Dünamünde in 1742.
A local Lutheran church was rebuilt into the Orthodox
Church of the Saviour's Transfiguration in 1775.
The Russian government
renamed the fortress, where only Russian
soldiers were living, to Ust-Dvinsk in 1893. They had its fortifications completely reconstructed prior to World War I
. During the war Ust-Dvinsk was bombarded by the Schütte-Lanz
Airship
SL 7 of the German Army
. After the fortress was taken by Imperial Germany, it was inspected by Emperor Wilhelm II in 1917. The Latvian government, however, demolished much of the fortifications several years later. During the Cold War
Ust-Dvinsk was a base for Soviet troops
. The site is now known in Latvian
as Daugavgrīva. There is a functional lighthouse
at Daugavgrīva which was originally built in 1818. It was rebuilt in 1863, 1920, and after World War II
.
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
on the left bank of Daugava river. In this neighbourhood there is located Swedish built strong fortress on the Daugava River's left bank, commanding it's mouth
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
.
Fortress
On the opposite side of Daugava (German: Düna), outside the borders of the contemporary neighborhood, in 1208, there was built Dünaburg castle by the Teutonic KnightsTeutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
which initially served as a monastery. The Swedish fortress of Dünamünde, designed in a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
style by General Rothenburg in 1641, replaced the ruined Daugavgrīva Castle by 1680.
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
. Joachim Cronman
Joachim Cronman
Joachim Cronman was an owner of estates in Livonia and a Colonel for the Swedish Empire in the late 17th century. He was the Commandant of the Neumünde fortress.-Biography:...
later became the Commandant and he died on March 5, 1703.
After the fortress was seized by the Russians they reconstructed it. Regent Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna of Russia , also known as Anna Karlovna , regent of Russia for a few months during the minority of her baby son Ivan...
of Russia, her husband Anthony Ulrich, and her son Ivan VI were incarcerated in Dünamünde in 1742.
A local Lutheran church was rebuilt into the Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
Church of the Saviour's Transfiguration in 1775.
The Russian government
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
renamed the fortress, where only Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
soldiers were living, to Ust-Dvinsk in 1893. They had its fortifications completely reconstructed prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During the war Ust-Dvinsk was bombarded by the Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz is the name of a series of rigid airships designed and built by the Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz company from 1909 until the last LS22 was delivered in 1917. One research and four passenger airships were planned for post-war use, but were never built...
Airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
SL 7 of the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
. After the fortress was taken by Imperial Germany, it was inspected by Emperor Wilhelm II in 1917. The Latvian government, however, demolished much of the fortifications several years later. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
Ust-Dvinsk was a base for Soviet troops
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. The site is now known in Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
as Daugavgrīva. There is a functional lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Daugavgrīva which was originally built in 1818. It was rebuilt in 1863, 1920, and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
External links
- The fortress of Daugavgriva (in Russian)
- Historic plans of Dünamünde (in Russian with German maps)
- Discussion and pictures at www.fortification.ru (in Russian with pictures and German maps)