Rename of Riga's 'Moscow' district to 'Latgale' district
In a significant move, the Riga Place Names and Urban Object Names Commission has decided to rename the Latgale district in the Latvian capital. The new name for the neighbourhood will be "Latgale Park", a choice that has historical roots in the area.
The decision to rename the district does not require approval from the Riga City Council, as the names of Riga's neighbourhoods are unofficial and have developed historically. The change will be communicated to the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency, and the Latvian Geoportal georga.lv will reflect the new name.
The largest street in the neighbourhood, previously known as the Moscow Suburb, will now be called Latgales Street. This change is part of a larger effort to replace names glorifying the Soviet regime and its supporters with new names.
The name Latgale was already used in documents from 1937, and its restoration last year marks a return to the area's historical nomenclature. The choice of the name Latgale for the neighbourhood was made based on historical place names in the area.
Riga Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks emphasized that there will be no more names in Riga that glorify Moscow. The recent changes in street and place names in Riga are linked to the aftermath of the occupation.
The chairman of the Riga Place Names and Urban Object Names Commission, responsible for the renaming of the Latgale district, is not identified in the available search results.
The names of the neighbourhoods in Riga, including the new Latgale Park, have not been given in any decision of the Riga City Council. The change will be displayed on the Riga neighbourhoods website www.apkaimes.lv, and the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency's place name database will be updated with the new name "Latgale Park".
The renaming of the Latgale district is a testament to Riga's ongoing efforts to reclaim its historical identity and distance itself from the Soviet past.
