Houses No. 14 and 11 of Atmodas (Awakening) Street

Houses No. 14 and 11 of Atmodas Street around 1900

Houses No. 14 and 11 of Atmodas Street in 2014

№ 14 Atmodas (Awakening) Street is visible on the right.

Until 1856, this plot of land belonging to the town was not built up, as it was part of the former so-called "John's Cemetery", which was replaced over time by a 487-square-meter town’s firewood area, which can be seen in Aizpute's 1797 Plan.

In 1856, the Treasury of Aizpute Town signed a family lease agreement with the local Jew Benjamin Mannsfeld for renting 201 square quarter (915 m²) of the square in the town center near Jelgavas Street (now Atmodas Street), the so-called wood garden, for 20.10 Silver Rubles per year. The agreement also mentions the boundaries of the land plot, stipulating that one boundary is formed by the so-called Synagogue Street leading to the Synagogue and the rabbi's apartment.

The lease agreement also stipulated that the lessee undertakes to build a house worth at least 2,000 Silver Rubles on this plot of land, as well as not to use the plot of land contrary to the public interest. The construction and furnishing of the house must be completed by June 24, 1859.

In 1867, Theodor (also Tuwie, Tubie, Tubias, Tewje, Fjodor) Michelsohn, who had a leather shop here in the 1870s and 1880s, bought the family lease agreement for 3,700 Rubles. In the 1880s, in addition to the Michelsohn leather shop, there was also an Abraham Lippert small items store and the St. Petersburg Fire Insurance Company, managed by Wilhelm Grot, the Supreme Court's attorney.

In the second half of the 1870s, Michelsohn rented the right side of the ground floor to the District Commissioner, rebuilding the apartment for the Commissioner.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a Nachman Friedmann leather goods store, a Hirsch Brandenburger’s tailor's workshop and a Karl Kehrer's bakery.

In 1907, all the rights to the property at this address were secured to the heirs of Tuwie Michelsohn - two daughters, who immediately sold these rights for 10,000 Rubles to Gertrud Lindenberg, the owner of a cardboard factory, who apparently well repaired or even rebuilt the house, because in 1914 it was sold for 17,000 Rubles to Maria Rozalia, Olga Maria and Alma Emilia Birznieces.

During the First World War, there was Herz Brandenburger’s tailor workshop, as well as a manufactured goods shop, Frieda Seehusen's bakery and Haim Feldmann's leather goods and colonial goods store.

In 1920, the right to lease was bought from Birznieces by the merchant Haim Feldmann and his son Itzchok (also Itzig) Feldmann. Itzchok Feldmann was the last owner until the nationalization of the property in 1940.

In the 1920s, there was still Herz Brandenburger's tailor workshop, as well as a hat and haberdashery shop, Haim Feldmann's leather shop and Frieda Seehusen's bakery. There was also an Itzchok Feldmann watch workshop, Luigi Pflugrat's hairdresser's shop and the private practice of doctor Honon Dobrij, as well as 7 apartments.

In 1926, the Aizpute Town Council approved the project of rebuilding the residential house and in 1927 allowed Feldmann to place a petrol tank on the street near his house on 14 Lielā (The Big) Street.

In the early 1930s, both Haim Feldmann and Dr. Dobrij died. Then there was Luigi Pflugrat's hairdresser, instead of Dobrij - a doctor's private practice by Saul Machelsohn, but instead of Haim Feldmann, leather and shoes were sold by Rahel Feldmann.

The most widespread trade was by Itzchok Feldmann, who in the spring of 1932 asked the Town Council to approve a plan to change the façade of the 1st floor so that 5 shops could be set up. Here he traded bicycles, sewing machines, radios, musical instruments and watches, as well as Latvian alcohol fuel "Latols".

Since 1932, there has also been an Abraham Zeba’s drugstore, chemicals and paints store.

Nowadays - municipal property. Office premises on the first floor of the building, apartments on the upper floor.

On the left side of the postcard, the first house is at № 11 Atmodas Street. When the merchants brothers Karl Ernst and Johann Karl Gottlieb Wiedner sold Dohrmann their house at № 9 Atmodas Street in 1900, they divided their property into two plots of land. They sold most of the land and buildings on it, they kept the divided 90-square-quarter piece of garden and built a two-storey residential building on it.

The Wiedner brothers soon died one after the other (in 1901 and 1902, respectively), and their property was inherited by their third brother, Friedrich August Rudolf Wiedner, and their married sisters, Karoline Wilhelmine Julia Nasarow and Alvine Johanna Emilia Schenck.

One-third of a property the belonged to A. J. E. Schenck, who died in 1940, was inherited by her husband, son and two daughters: Karl Ernst Eduard Schenck, Wilhelm Johann Schenck, Alexandra Wilhelmine Charlotte Schenck and Elsa Molli Schenck, and one third of the deceased K.V.J. Nasarow - the aforementioned children of her sister A. J. E. Schenck.

Wilhelm and Elsa Schenck decided not to repatriate to Germany in 1939, but the Fearful Year changed their minds, and in February 1941 they took the last chance.

According to Wilhelm Schenck in 1934, there were 2 shops and 1 household room on the 1st floor, and a 10-room apartment with a kitchen on the 2nd floor.

During the First World War, there was August Reinfeld's hardware store and Itzchok Feldmann's watch and machine shop. After Reinfeld's death in 1918, the company "A. Reinfeld's heirs" was founded, which had a shop for agricultural machinery and tools, as well as weapons and their accessories. Itzchok Feldmann's advertisements take up a whole page in the Latvian Trade and Industrial Directory, in 1921. Here was his watch and repair shop. The watches were made of gold and silver, as well as nickel and steel with multi-year guarantee, as well as watch chains and “keyrings”.

Musical instruments and sewing machines were sold, which also had a repair shop here. Here you could buy glasses, "glasses and optical items", as well as gold and silver items, all kinds of play items for adults and children. "All this is available at cheap prices only from I. Feldmann.”

In 1927, the Town Council allowed the house to open "a beauteous workshop for Alfreds Maže, who has been working in this profession - as a beauteous creator - for 14 years". Simply put, Alfreds Maže was a hairdresser.

In the 1930s, Erich Thode's agricultural and craft supplies store, Eda Zviedre's hairdresser's, Rahel Michelsohn's manufactured goods, haberdashery and ready-made cloths store.

Nowadays - municipal property. Office premises on the first floor of the building, apartments on the upper floor.

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