Saldus

Saldus, Latvia
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Saldus, Latvia Location in Latvia
Coordinates:
Country	Latvia
District	Saldus District
Town rights	1917
Government
• Mayor	Indra Rassa
Area
• Total	10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi)
Population
• Total	12,224
• Density	1,251/km2 (3,240/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	LV-3801
Calling code	+371 638
Number of city council members	11

Saldus (<phonos file="Lv-Saldus.ogg">pronunciation</phonos>; German: Frauenburg) is a Latvian town located in Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme) and is the main town in Saldus District. In 2005 the town had a population of 12,707.

1856 is considered the year Saldus was founded, when the board of Domens' decided to establish a trade center. Although there was an active economy by the end of 19th century, and Saldus was the cultural center of the region, it wasn’t officially recognized as a town until 1917.

One of the oldest buildings in the town is Saldus St.John's church. Documents from 1461 mention a wooden church. It has been reconstructed several times. The tower, bombed in 1944, was rebuilt in 1981–1982.

Saldus has developed itself as an important cultural, educational, business and trade center. There are about 500 approved companies operating in Saldus, with main branches in building construction, wood processing and food processing.

These days Saldus also boasts a very active cultural life, featuring local musicians, poets, painters and artists.

Since 1946 Saldus has been home to the Saldus School of Music. In 1984 Saldus Art School was founded.

Notable people

• Johann von Besser (1654–1729) – German writer
• Jānis Blūms (1982– ) – basketball player
• Ursula Donath (1931– ) – German athlete
• Janis Rozentāls (1866–1917) – painter
• Lea Davidova-Medene (1921–1986) – sculptor
• Māris Čaklais (1940–2003) – poet
• Ēriks Ķiģelis (1955–1985) – musician
• Dons (1984–) – singer
• Ieva Laguna (1990–) – top model
• Uģis Žaļims (1986-) – bobsledder

International relations

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

Twin towns — Sister cities

Saldus is twinned with:

Paide, Estonia Mažeikiai, Lithuania Liederbach am Taunus, Germany Lidingö, Sweden

Stargard Szczeciński, Poland Sergiyev Posad, Russia Villebon-sur-Yvette, France Sankt Andrä, Austria

See also

• List of cities in Latvia
• Janis Rozentāls

Gallery

• 

  Monument of Janis Rozentāls

• 

  Saldus lake

• 

  Lutheran church in Saldus