POSTCARD N.119 - LATVIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 23rd October;received on the 31st August 2023

Postcard image: Kuldiga - Old brick bridge across the river Venta; Kuldiga castle gatehouse; old wooden architecture of Kuldiga.
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Kuldiga is a Latvian city on the Western part of the country, not that far from the Baltic sea, with a population of over 10,000 inhabitants.

In the course of the current year, the old town of Kuldiga has been awarded World Heritage Status by  UNESCO, recognising the fact that it is "an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional urban settlement, which developed from a small medieval hamlet into an important administrative centre of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia between the 16th and 18th centuries".

Thanks a lot for the card, Iveta.... I'll be sure to visit Kuldiga if ever my once planned but covid postponed Baltic States tour, comes to being.

- The Vairogs company resulted from the nationalisation of Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca, a train carriage factory established founded in 1895, to save it from bankruptcy.

From 1937, the company was licensed by Ford motor company to assemble Ford cars and trucks, which it continued to do  all through the 2nd world war, until the occupation of the Baltic States by the Soviets, who again nationalised the company, and stopped producing Ford vehicles altogether.

On 13JUL2018, Latvijas Pasts issued a 1,39€ stamp illustrated with the image of the most successful Ford produced by the Vairogs company, the V8 model of 1939.

- The 0,45 € stamp illustrated with the image of a black rabbit was issued on 13JAN2023 as part of a three stamp definitive set dedicated to domestic animals, the other two stamps being illustrated with images of a turkey (=.65 €) and a horse (1.65€).

Unfortunately other than the date, the postmark information is totally illegible.