Send Gift Baskets to Valmiera, Latvia

Valmiera and its surroundings are one of the longest-inhabited regions of Latvia and archaeological evidence has shown that this site was inhabited 9,000 years ago. In 1224 AD after the separation of trade roads with Livonia, the land on which Valmiera Castle now stands was given as a fief to the Knights of Estonia. After the Battle of Saule in 1236 Valmiera Castle and nearby lands became the property of the Livonian Order.

Valmiera is one of the most historic cities in Latvia. The city was mentioned for the first time in a chronicle in 1323 and has roots way back in 1261 when the Livonian Order built a castle, Valmiera Castle. Valmier was a member of the Hanseatic League and held membership from the 14th–the 16th centuries. This involvement leads to significant trade and movement with Valmier. During this period, more provincial assemblies were held which provided opportunities for Valmier residents to confer on political, social, and commercial happenings. After the Livonian War in 1583, Valmiera was heavily destroyed and was incorporated into Wenden Voivodeship as part of the Duchy of Livonia. The city managed to survive exclusively on agriculture after Polish-Swedish Wars in 1622 but obtained its poor Swedish urban center (today’s Valka) two centuries later. 

Impelled by the Great Northern War, Valmiera was destroyed in 1702 and burned down. Devastated by a plague, the first half of the 18th century was tough on Valmiera. In 1738 M.E. von Hallart opened the first seminary of the Moravian Church Valmiera, which played an important role in the history of Vidzeme. In 1785 Valmiera became the center of a district. The town saw rapid development in the 19th century. At first, it was stimulated by the construction of the first bridge over the river Gauja in 1865 and later by the building of a railway line from St. Petersburg to Riga that passed through Šķeltova in 1899. New factories were built in town, and new settlements were established on both sides of the Gauja. In 1911-12, a narrow gauge railway line from Ainaži to Valmiera was running and this made Valmiera a major transport hub. The elections of 1906 saw Valmiera, among other towns in Latvia, gain more Latvian seats in government. As a result, doctor Georgs Apinis became mayor. Valmiera used to be a center for culture and education in the early 20th century. This was when many schools were opened, including the Vidzeme teacher seminary, the female gymnasium, and the merchant school.