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Jurmala

Jūrmala
City
Flag of Jūrmala
Flag
Coat of arms of Jūrmala
Coat of arms
Location of Jūrmala within Latvia
Location of Jūrmala within Latvia
Coordinates: 56°58′N 23°45′E / 56.967°N 23.750°E / 56.967; 23.750Coordinates: 56°58′N 23°45′E / 56.967°N 23.750°E / 56.967; 23.750
Country  Latvia
Town rights 1959
Government
 • Mayor Gatis Truksnis
Area
 • Total 100 km2 (40 sq mi)
Population
 • Total 56 646
 • Density 560/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code LV-2003; LV-2008; LV-20(10-17)
Calling code +371 67
Number of city council members 15

Jūrmala (Latvian pronunciation: [juːrmala] "seaside"; German: Riga-Strand, Baltische Riviera) is a city in Latvia, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching 32 km (20 miles) and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a 33 km (21 miles) stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 56,646, making it the fifth largest city in Latvia.

While Latvia was part of the Soviet Union, Jūrmala was a favorite holiday-resort and tourist destination for high-level Communist Party officials, particularly Leonid Brezhnev and Nikita Khrushchev. Although it has many amenities such as beach-houses and concrete hotels remain, some have fallen into disrepair. Jūrmala remains a tourist attraction with long beaches facing the Gulf of Riga and romantic wooden houses in the Art Nouveau style.

In publications dating from the Soviet period, the city name was occasionally spelled in English as Yurmala, a back-transliteration from Russian.

The city of Jūrmala actually consists of a string of small resorts. From west to east, these include Ķemeri, Jaunķemeri, Sloka, Kauguri, Vaivari, Asari, Melluži, Pumpuri, Jaundubulti, Dubulti, Majori, Dzintari, Bulduri and Lielupe.


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