Another city gets rid of Russian names. There will be no more “Moscow Suburb”
The authorities of the capital of Latvia decided to make a radical change. The city district will no longer have a Russian-sounding name from the time of occupation.
Riga will no longer use the name of the district given during the Soviet occupation. The “Moscow Suburb” located on the right bank of the Dvina River will become the Latgale Suburb. Last year, Poland took a similar step and, by adopting a resolution, changed the official name of Kaliningrad to Królewiec. In both cases, it happened during the Victory Day celebration in Moscow.
Changing the name of a district in Riga
On Wednesday, May 8, the authorities of Riga decided – this is the end of “Moscow Suburb”. Although the district itself will remain exactly where it is, its name will change. “There will be no more places in Riga that glorify Moscow with their names,” wrote Edvards Ratnieks, deputy mayor of Riga, on the X website. This is one of the oldest districts of the capital of Latvia, very often visited by tourists, located on the right side of the Daugava River. Here you will find, among others: Latvian Academy of Sciences with an observation deck overlooking Riga.
“Moscow Suburb” became “Latgal Suburb”
Historical archives were searched to change the district's designation. As Edvards Ratnieks emphasizes, the new name for “Moskowskie Przedmieście” already appeared in documents from 1937. This is Latgale, referring to the historical land in the eastern part of the country. “The municipality will inform the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency about the changes. Now everyone can start using the new name of the district in everyday life,” the published statement said. Commenting Internet users are grateful for the changes introduced, which step by step are tearing Latvia away from the times when it was one of the republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. “Keep it up,” we read.
