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Windau

Ventspils
Town
Ventspils Castle, built by the Livonian Order, and converted into a prison in 1832.
Ventspils Castle, built by the Livonian Order, and converted into a prison in 1832.
Flag of Ventspils
Flag
Coat of arms of Ventspils
Coat of arms
Ventspils is located in Latvia
Ventspils
Ventspils
Location in Latvia
Coordinates: 57°23′26″N 21°34′24″E / 57.39056°N 21.57333°E / 57.39056; 21.57333
Country  Latvia
Town rights 1378
Government
 • Mayor none
Area
 • Total 55.4 km2 (21.4 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2017)
 • Total 38,447
 • Density 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code LV-36(01-21)
Calling code (+371) 636
Number of city council members 13
Website www.ventspils.lv

Ventspils (Latvian: [ˈvæntspils] (About this sound listen); see other names) is a town in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2017, Ventspils had a population of 39,286. It is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port. The city's name literally means "castle on the Venta", referring to the Livonian Order's castle built alongside the Venta River. Ventspils holds the national record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Latvia with 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on 4 August 2014.

Ventspils was historically known as Windau in German. A Russian name from the time of the Russian Empire was Виндава or Виндау although Вентспилс, a transliteration of Ventspils has been used since World War II. Some other names for the city include Livonian: Vǟnta and Polish: Windawa.

Ventspils developed around the Livonian Order Ventspils Castle, built along the Venta River. It was chartered in 1314 and became an important mercantile city of the Hanseatic League.


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