Madona Explained

Madona
Settlement Type:Town
Flag Size:150px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Latvia
Subdivision Type1:District
Subdivision Name1:Madona Municipality
Established Title:Town rights
Established Date:1926
Pushpin Map:Latvia
Pushpin Label Position:above
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Latvia
Coordinates:56.85°N 39°W
Leader Title:Council Chairman
Leader Name:Agris Lungevičs
Blank Name Sec1:Number of city council members
Blank Info Sec1:11
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Density Metro Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:LV-4801
Area Code Type:Calling code
Area Code:+371 648
Timezone1:EET
Utc Offset1:+2
Timezone1 Dst:EEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+3

Madona (; German: Modohn) is a town with town rights in the Vidzeme region of Latvia and is the center of the Madona municipality.

History

The surrounding area of Madona had been populated in earlier times, which is confirmed by discoveries of old burial grounds in the city's vicinity. Madona is first mentioned in writing in 1461, when Archbishop Sylvester began renting the lands of Birži Manor. However, the Swedish government placed the land under state control. After the Great Northern War, Madona became property of the Russian Empire. Empress Elizabeth presented Birži Manor along with other of Vidzeme's manors to Count Alexander Buturlin.

Empress Catherine II bought the lands back as a present to the Serbian-born General Maxim Zorić. From the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, the location of Madona was the fields of Birži Manor.

According to one version, the name of Madona stems from the adjacent Madona Lake. According to another version, Madona got its name from Birži Manor, which German exonym is Madohn or Modohn. For this reason, the railway station situated at the Pļaviņas - Valka narrow gauge railway line was named Madona as well. The populated place that slowly emerged around the station also got this name after the erection of the Madona railway station in 1903.[1]

Village privileges was given to Madona 1 July 1921, and town privileges 7 June 1926. Since 1 April 1925 Madona was the center of the newly founded County of Madona (Madonas apriņķis). Madona had 1,357 inhabitants at the time.

During World War II, Madona was under German occupation from 2 July 1941 until 13 August 1944.[2] It was administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Lettland of Reichskommissariat Ostland.

Population

The Latvian Central Statistics Department reported 9,242 citizens as of 1 January 2007, with 888/km2s).

When it comes to age distribution of the Madona inhabitants, the majority group consisting of 5,925 people are registered as "labour-capable" (Latvian: darbaspējīgie); 1,339 are under the age of "labour-capability" and 1867 are over. As of 21 December 2003, there were 211 (3.5%) unemployed citizens of the labour force.[3]

Geography

The town of Madona lies in Vidzeme Upland. The hilly surroundings descend in a northwestern-southeastern direction. Several minor rivers and streams flows through the town, such as: Lisa River, Leivārīte, Ridzīte, Mucenieki River, Rieba River and Madona River — which flows can be seen in beautiful glens, like: The Love Glen, The Wedding Glen and The Divorce Glen. In The Love Glen is a park, in which the manmade water reservoir has one of the highest fountains in Latvia.

Climate

Madona has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

Notable locations and objects

Tourism

Madona is 170 km east from Latvian capital Riga.Most popular tourism objects in Madona and surrounding are:

Notable people

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Latvia.

Madona is twinned with:[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Apinis K. Latvijas pilsētu vēsture. Rīgā, 1931, p. 41
  2. https://www.soldat.ru/spravka/freedom/1-ssr-4.html Освобождение городов
  3. Interneta resurss, www.madona.lv
  4. Web site: GAIZIŅKALNS – THE HIGHEST HILL IN LATVIA AND POINT "GAISSA-KALNS" OF THE STRUVE GEODETIC ARC . VisitMadona.lv . 12 July 2022.
  5. Web site: KRUSTKALNU NATURE RESERVE – ONE OF THE FOUR RESERVES IN LATVIA . VisitMadona.lv . 12 July 2022.
  6. Web site: TEIČU NATURE RESERVE – THE LARGEST MOSS MARSH IN THE BALTICS (19779 HA) . VisitMadona.lv . 12 July 2022.
  7. Web site: JSC KALSNAVAS ARBORETUM - ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDENS IN LATVIA, CAMPER PARKING . VisitMadona.lv . 12 July 2022.
  8. Web site: LUBANS LAKE – THE LARGEST LAKE IN LATVIA . VisitMadona.lv . 12 July 2022.
  9. Web site: Smeceres sils.
  10. Web site: Laipni lūgti GAIZIŅĀ!.
  11. Web site: Viešura kalns.
  12. Web site: Sporta un atpūtas komplekss "Rēķu kalns" . 2020-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190411050246/https://www.rekukalns.lv/ . 2019-04-11 . dead.
  13. Web site: Madonas novadpētniecības un mākslas muzejs.
  14. Web site: Ārzemju sadarbība. madona.lv. Madonas novads. lv. 2019-09-09.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Madona".

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