Marketplace

Atmodas Street in the second half of the 1930s

Atmodas Street in 2014

Marketplace in the early 1930s

Atmodas Street in the second half of the 1920s

Atmodas Street in 2014

Aizpute Marketplace

We managed to find the first written information mentioning the weekly market of the small town (Städlein) of Aizpute in a document of February 12, 1621, signed by all the District Councilors (Landratskollegium). In short, these honorable gentlemen will not suffer that unknown traders compete with their farmers in the Aizpute Week Market.

Another document, signed on March 25, 1628, by Hermann Maydell, an Overseer (Starost) from the Piltene District, is about a fair, judging by its content. It turns out that the Town Council and the community once asked Margrave Georg Friedrich (1539-1603) of Brandenburg for permission to hold the Michael market, and this permission was granted and used, but some time ago the Klostere supervisor Ananias Koch moved Michael's market to Klostere without any reason. Thus, according to the Aizpute Town Council, the town is experiencing a great shortage of food and a decrease in income. Therefore, the Council and the community ask the Overseer (Starost) to allow the town of Aizpute to organize another market in Simeon’s Day.

The Overseer (Starost) has been favorable and has granted the honorable Council and community of Aizpute, as well as all their descendants, the privileges to organize the market of small traders and fishermen in Simeon’s Day unchanged and untroubled forever. In modern terms, it was obviously a fair on the Simeon’s Day (October 28 - the most important day of the shade time, in which, according to people’s belief, the spirits of the dead are honored).

In 1794, fairs in Aizpute took place four times a year - in the days of saints: John (Midsummer), Michael (September), Simeon (end of October) and Lambert. The last one is no longer held in Ahsputte (Hasenpoth – Aizpute) in the 19th century.

The first rules governing trade in the Aizpute market appeared after the annexation of Courland to the Russian Empire in 1795. Then, in each town in the District, two weekly market days had to be set on which rural people could market their food in a designated place. This was also the case in Aizpute. Judging by the Plan of Aizpute Town in 1797, the market place was in front of the then Town Hall in the square between the former Rožu (Rose) Street and Baznīcas (Tebras) Street.

Unfortunately, the serfs of the surrounding manors did not determine their time, therefore there were often no sellers in the town during the announced market days. As a result, in August 1796, Baron Pritwitz, a Town Captain (police chief) - Prime Major (rank of military service in Russia until 1797), asked the Council of Courland Cities and Towns to allow peasants in Aizpute District to sell their food in Aizpute every day whenever they could.

Also, in 1815, there were no specific weekly market days in Aizpute, which the Town Council explained to the Courland Provincial Board with a letter signed by the Court Bailiff and the Town Secretary that, if they announce specific market days, then skillful Jews will cause great misery to the town, especially to its poorest inhabitants. Even before the town border, Jewish men and women buy food for sale from farmers meant for Aizpute inhabitants in roadside pubs and on highways, which is then transported to Liepāja for sale. The gentlemen then called for it to be announced that, until 12.00 noon, while the market flag was on, any buying-in of agricultural products outside the market area would be banned and that offenders, both buyers and sellers, would be punished or fined.

One month later, the Courland Provincial Board, on the basis of Article 25 of the Russian City Regulations, issued an order to the Aizpute Magistrate - to set three special days of the week for the market, except Sundays (!), and certain hours for each day, as well as a free space in the town, and announce it for public.

But one thing is the rules of the Magistrate, another is real life, which dictates its own rules.

In 1837, there was a vote by the house owners as to whether the weekly market would remain in front of the Town Hall or be moved to the pump next to the Firewood Square (now the Center Square). As a result of the vote, the market remained in the old place, but as long as the weekly market is in this place, all the owners of the surrounding houses together had to pay 100 Rubles a year to the Town Treasury. Such a promise, which was legally confirmed, was signed by the owners of 10 houses (№ 2 Pasta (Post) Street, № 1 Tebras Street, № 1, № 2, № 4, № 6, № 7, № 8, № 10, № 12 Atmodas (Awakening) Street).

One might think that the Town Council held the vote with the aim of expanding the town's market place. However, it turns out that its desire to move the market to a new location was motivated by a local pastor's complaint about the noisy behavior of merchants during Sunday services, although, as mentioned earlier, trading on Sundays was banned as early as 1815.

And it started all over again...

In the same week, when the house owners voted against the relocation of the market, the Town Councilor and the Chairman of Supreme Court von Korff wrote to Courland Civil Governor Christoph Engelbrecht von Brewern that there had been such a disturbance in Aizpute for a long time, that there is trading on the market and on the streets on Sundays during the service. After von Korff 's repeated proposals and appeals, the Magistrate was finally angry to pay attention to the disturbers who humiliated the sanctity of Sunday, punishing them with a fine or arrest. However, only one side of this problem has been solved, because the villagers are not informed about the trade ban and continue to come to the town on Sundays with their goods, thus encouraging the townspeople to violate the ban.

As a good solution, Korff recommends involving pastors in the district, who should strictly forbid local villagers from trading in the town on Sundays before the end of the service.

Three days later, the Provincial Board asked the Courland Consistory for pastors from the Aizpute District to announce such a ban, which was done. Consequently, the general ban on trading in Aizpute was now lifted on Sundays.

Fairs, as read in the Latvian calendar to 1855, were not allowed to take place on Saturdays either: “By order of the Government Administration, it is forbidden to hold fairs on Saturdays and Sundays. If they fall on these days, they will be held on the first working day of the following week.”

In 1856, the market rules of Aizpute town were written. They have 12 Clauses, some of them quite interesting.

The market flag is hoisted every day at sunrise and taken down at 12 noon.

After sunset until the market flag is hoisted, any trade, both on the streets and in the market, is prohibited.

From the moment the flag is hoisted to the moment it is lowered, no one may trade cattle and all food other than on the market, except for milk and cream, which may be sold at any time in houses or on the streets. From 12 noon to sunset, any purchase and sale is allowed without restriction in all places.

No one shall be restricted in the sale and purchase of animals and food of any kind during the prescribed legal market period from houses directly adjacent to the market square, except wholesale and purchases in excess of what can be shown that are necessary for the household.

Any trading outside the town is completely prohibited.

It is mentioned that the Market Supervisor is a sworn person.

Every complaint about the Market Supervisor must be submitted to the Magistrate.

Peasants who bring food and livestock into the town to deliver them to certain townspeople, either to cover personal debts or sent by the Manor, if they have no proof of this issued by the Manor administration or the Manor police and arrive in the town between sunset and 12 noon, before delivery, they must apply to either the Market Supervisor or the Court Clerk, where they will then receive a certificate for immediate free delivery. The certificate is valid only for the same day. If someone delivers something without such a certificate, he, like any other offender, must pay a penalty - 2 Silver Rubles.

Peasants who come on foot with various details such as crayfish, fish, berries, mushrooms, etc. and carry their product in their hands may also sell it on the streets and houses during the market.

In each case of violation of these rules, the buyer pays a fine of 2 Silver Rubles.

A document from 1860 tells of fairs in front of and next to the old Town Hall, twice a year for one day. Here, on both sides of the then Jelgavas (now Atmodas) Street, which crosses the Market Square, there were about 5 square quarters big 30 squares for market huts for selling beer, vodka, white bread and ordinary crafts.

In 1863, when planning to buy the pharmacist Lichtenstein’s house on the current № 19 Atmodas Street for the needs of the Town Hall, the Town Council also decided to move the market square to the undeveloped square opposite the new Town Hall, as the old market square became an obstacle on the town's central street. This proposal was categorically opposed and petitioned to the Board of the Courland Province by the owners of 11 houses who enjoyed the privileges provided for in Article 4 of the Market Rules, for which they paid the above-mentioned fee to the Council. (In the meantime, the former 10 homeowners were also joined by the owner of the privatized former Town Hall.) As the agreement between the municipality and the house owners once provided that it would remain in force as long as the market was in that place, the agreement was no longer in force with the relocation of the market and the protest of the house owners was ignored.

It is about relocating the market to a square that was once fenced and served as a timber and firewood warehouse (Stapelplatz). According to the town plans, this area was intended for construction, but since 1853 a vegetable garden has been set up there for some reason, which is why only a little firewood was piled up in the mentioned area in 1856. The town's revenue estimate for 1858 already planned a Land Tax on the so-called Firewood Square (Holzgarten), which occupies 487 square quarters (2217 m²) of vacant space in the middle of the town.

In the summer of 1864, Jelgava City Architect Otto Dietze concluded that the existing market place is on the busiest street in the town and occupies about 280 square quarters (1275 m²), while the new one would be 470 (2140 m²) square quarters, moreover, on the days of fairs and livestock markets part of the town becomes impassable for carriages.

Thus, with the help of Otto Dietze, the planning of the new market square was completed in 1865, and it was located in the very center of the town for about 75 years.

On January 16, 1876, in order to replenish the town Treasury, the Magistrate of the town of Aizpute asked the Courland Provincial Board to allow the collection of Market Tax, which is in other cities and towns. After receiving the permission of the Minister of the Interior of the Empire, the Governor P. Lilienfeld approved the market fees of the town of Aizpute, which came into force on June 7, 1876:

* annual fee for up to 2 square arshins wide area (1 m²) - 2 Rubles;
* annual fee for up to 4 square arshins wide area (2 m²) - 4 Rubles;
* annual fee for up to 6 square arshins wide area (3 m²) - 6 Rubles;
* daily fee for each cattle brought to the market for sale – 3 Kopeks;
* for each smaller animal: calf, pig, sheep, etc., if it is not in a cart – 2 Kopeks;
* for a place occupied by a single horse cart – 3 Kopeks;
* for a seat occupied by a double horse cart – 4 Kopeks;
* for goods (except cattle), which are placed for sale outside the cart and occupy an area of up to 1 square arshin, 1 Kopek, up to 2 square arshins - 2 Kopeks, up to 4 square arshins - 4 Kopeks; up to 6 square arshins – 6 Kopeks

On August 3 and 5, 1877, an auction was held for the right to collect the market fees for one year. The final amount of the auction reached 150 Rubles.

In the spring of 1880, the Magistrate accepted the proposal of the Mayor Hermann Adolphi to amend the rules of the Aizpute Market - to allow the sale of fresh meat slaughtered only in the town on the market from May 15 to August 15.

In 1885 there were following fairs: Jurģis (Georges Day – mid April), Jāņi (Midsummer), Simeon (October), but there was no Martin’s (November) fair.

In November 1901, the Town Council decided to rent a square on Jelgavas Street (former address № 7/9) from the Christian Charity Society for the sale of horses at fairs, allocating 35 Rubles for this purpose. This became the second - new - marketplace.

On March 31, 1912, the Mayor E. Schroeder informed the Chancellery of Urban Affairs of the Courland Province that there are two marketplaces in Aizpute: one on Lielā (The Big) Street (now Atmodas Street), the other on Jelgavas Street and that agricultural products are sold every day in Aizpute with the busiest trading on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In the market place, which was located on Lielā (The Big) Street, special places were provided for long-term traders of agricultural products, moreover, once taken places were allocated to them on other days as well. Four kopecks per cart per day were charged from these traders, at the same time trading in the market place on Jelgavas Street was offered free of charge, but the sellers did not have any special allocated sales places.

As for the fairs, there was, as the Mayor told his superiors, a horse market. Horses were transported to the town not only by the rural population, but mainly by the Jewish Barishniks (horse dealers) of the surrounding districts and provinces. In the past, horses were traded on the town streets, but as it disrupted traffic in the town and there was no place to concentrate all the horses brought for trade in the town, which numbered around thousand (which is hard to believe) and which were mostly bought by Barishniks for resale in Courland and neighboring provinces, as well as for sale abroad, then the town rented a special area for trade with horses on trade fair days. The area has been demarcated for this purpose.

For each horse brought into the town for sale on the day of the fair, the Council charged a certain fee, which was considered fair, because neither the town nor its residents benefited from the horse fair, on the contrary, the Council was forced to spend money on renting, fencing and maintaining a special area.

No duty has been charged on horses brought for sale on other days. The fee was also not levied on livestock brought up for sale, both at trade fairs and on other days.

Now let's look at who, where, what and how was traded in Aizpute during the time of independent Latvia. On October 11, 1919, the Town Council decided to allocate an area for the sale of horses and other cattle at trade fairs "opposite Lielā (The Big) Street, at the end of Baznīcas (Church) Street", but on April 24, 1920, the Town Council decided that: "Horse marketplace, can be occupied at the corner of Baznīcas (Church) and Lielā (The Big) Streets, putting fences along Baznīcas (Church) Street”. However, already in the autumn of the same year, the same Council announced that the fair would be held on October 28, and the horse market - on the square in Jelgavas Street [behind the slaughterhouse]. In 1925, the Council announced that at the Midsummer Fair on June 18, “a new marketplace was designated for the sale of cattle and horses, but the old marketplace for the sale of agricultural products and small goods”.

It should be noted that - Tirgus (Market) Street – current Ceriņu (Lillac) Street, got its first name from this new market, when after the Agrarian Reform a part of the former Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) Manor land was allocated for town construction. The street started from the marketplace.

Until September 1, 1922, the weekly market in Aizpute took place twice a week - on Tuesdays and Fridays, but at the meeting of the Town Council on July 21, 1922 it was decided that “the instantaneous weekly marketplace [in the town center] has turned out to be too small for all vendors to fit in, through which all adjacent streets are often blocked, which makes traffic difficult ... ”, therefore it was decided that the weekly market should be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 September.

On January 23, 1925, the Town Council unanimously stipulated that in future fairs for the sale of cattle and horses should take place in the new marketplace near the slaughterhouse - at the end of Jelgavas Street.

However, the location of the livestock market changed from time to time: on November 25, 1926, on March 3, 1927 - on the old marketplace, on July 28 and August 8, 1927, on March 1, 1928 - on the town weekly marketplace. Since in 1928 the Council paid for the "fencing" of the fairground, it is believed that it returned to the new square.

The Council Rules for Open Trade, approved in 1924, provided that:

„Weekly markets are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays if there are no public holidays.

Fairs are held on Thursdays: 1) before February 1; 2) before April 30; 3) after June 15; 4) before September 30; 5) before October 31.

Weekly markets on the market square free to trade from 6 am to 2 pm, fairs from sunrise to sunset.

Trading in the manufactured goods and small items in the weekly market is allowed from ½ 9 in the morning to 2 pm.

Products and foodstuffs brought on non-market days may also be sold only on the market.”

There was also a third marketplace, more precisely - a small square, № 5 Atmodas (Awakening) Street.

Item 3 of the Agenda of the Council meeting of August 21, 1925 was: "Relocation of the Small Market". Based on the application of the Aizpute branch of the Bank of Latvia, a decision was made to move the “small market”, which is held on the square near the bank building and where “trading on a normal market day with a manufactured goods, small items, fish and bread, was relocated”. This other place, although initially searched on Jelgavas Street “next to the power station” (№ 7/9), was eventually found in the same “big” market.

First, on August 25, 1925, the Town Council announced that the Council had authorized the relocation of the small, unwanted marketplace near the bank's house, which the Town Council would possibly do, however, a special place was given to small traders only in July 1927 - "in order to prevent disorder and better grouping of traders, starting on Friday, July 15, the trade of small goods is moved to the side of the market at the Feldmann’s House" (№ 14 Atmodas (Awakening) Street).

In 1926, the Council issued permits for fish trade. These were taken out by 12 merchants, mainly the ones from Pāvilosta (Paulshafen).

In 1928, special permits were needed for trade herring in the Aizpute Week Markets. They were taken out by 3 Liepaja merchants and one local trader, but in 1929 the Town Concil forbade the sale of herring in bulk in the weekly market: in half-barrels and quarter-barrels, as well as it was forbidden to sell full herring barrels.

At the meeting of the Town Council on August 14, 1930: “The Mayor E. Schwerduth points out that there have been cases in the weekly markets when horses from carts bite and hit buyers – a market visitor, which happens because the carts get close to each other on the market square so that the public cannot pass." The Town Council decided to place traders - horses (carts) on the market square in rows so that there is free space between individual carts and lanes for the public.

According to the decision of the municipality, the horses had to be unharnessed, as far as can be ascertained, only at the 1919 and 1920 Simeon’s fairs. The regulations for other market days stated: "Horses and carts must leave the market square immediately after the end of the designated market time, i.e., at 2 o'clock", but on May 19, 1927, the Town Council decided: "To keep the market clean.. the Council has been asked to put up posters in visible places inviting riders to feed their horses only from sacks not to scatter hay on pavement”.

Amendments to the Council Regulations on Open Market Trading in Weekly Markets, which prohibited the keeping of horses in the market square, were only adopted by the Town Council in 1937, but came into force in the summer of 1938.

Already on June 10, 1938, the Board of the Aizpute District Association of Traders and Industrialists decided to apply to the Town Council with a proposal to amend the Town Regulations on the weekly market of horses in the market square in order to achieve the abolition of the rules of horse harnessing. The unharnessing of horses makes it very difficult for the peasants during the time of urgent field works, therefore now many peasants avoid coming with their products to the weekly markets of Aizpute, better going to more distant markets in Kuldiga, Saldus, Skrunda, Alsunga (Alschwang), etc., where there are no rules for unharnessing horses. Therefore, the whole economic life of Aizpute is suffering.

This greatly exaggerated argument was ignored.

It should be mentioned that at the end of the 1930s the trade in livestock - pigs and small cattle - took place on days specially announced by the Economic Department of the Latvian Chamber of Agriculture 2 to 4 times a month.

And now we offer a look at the Aizpute pre-war fair, as remembered by journalist Olga Utkina (The Child Shows What a Man's Character Will Be, 2007, p. 24).

Michael Day’s fair with a traveling circus around 1930

"Fairs were always welcome in our town. The square in the town center, near the Town Hall changed completely. In the erected booths one could get what their heart wanted. The children held a toy in one hand and long mint candies in the other, with strings of barankas (pretzels) hanging around their necks. While the women hurried to take pictures in props, the men took off with a toad beat. In order to get to the lifting of the heavy hammer, not only strong men stood in line, but also young lads and old men with beards. The winners received not only awards, but also applause from the audience. The young girls mostly gathered at the street-organ player with a monkey on his shoulder. Lotteries with future predictions could be purchased there. There were also fortune-telling gypsies. Meanwhile, their men at the other end of the town exchanged and sold horses."

An interesting eyewitness in the message about the 1936 Midsummer Fair in Aizpute, published in the newspaper “Kurzemes Vārds” (A Word of Kurzeme), No.138, (21.06.1936), gave an interesting testimony about how actually gypsies traded horses.

"Already a day in advance, gypsies are starting to emerge from everywhere arriving in the town, riding in large carts with all their large families. Bells are hung on horses, female gypsies are sitting in carts, and small, gypsy kids are watching the town curiously. Gypsies go directly to the market square and settle there overnight. Already in the evening, the market square resembles a military camp - a fire is burning under smoky pots, gypsies are chatting, children are screaming, but old female gypsies are smoking pipes.

Early in the morning on the next day, all roads are full of merchants. Horses destined for sale are tied to carts. Whoever drives with empty cart is probably the buyer, and every gypsy already notices him from afar. Jewish traders have also arrived, bringing large herds of horses in all the fairs of the year and setting prices as brokers on world stock exchanges. Bakers, sausage makers, some peasants with rakes and potato baskets come together. The peasant women have also brought piglets. Soon, the usual bustle in the market starts and the trading opens. There are also many country boys and maids.

The gypsy makes his horse perform dancing movements and praises him. People gather around and watch this action as an unprecedented miracle.

"A horse like a clock, no fault, a smart animal, only lacks
language, a harmonious nature, even children can crawl along his feet..."

A gypsy demonstrates his horse like in a circus and a Latvian man wonders with an open mouth. Indeed, in the hands of a gypsy, a horse works wonders.

"How much does such a horse cost?" someone insecurely asks.

The gypsy distinguishes a real buyer from a curious person at once and takes even more praise for his trained horse.

"This foal is priceless; it cannot be measured in gold! Look, dear man, what a thing! His father is Lithuanian, his mother is an Arab. If I give it in good hands, then for 150 Lats!"

The foal tempts the buyer, and after a while it is given into his hands for 145 Lats. The gypsy has made a good deal and is looking for another horse to resell. The annual fair should be used for a good reason and, even more, the people's simple-mindedness.

The hustle and bustle of the market is growing, life is everywhere. There are queues at the [horse] passport rewriting hut, so there are a lot of purchases. Those who have settled things here are moving to sausage huts to have “Margicha” to drink. Sausage sellers happily rub their hands. The more deals, the more sausages and lemonade disappears. Couples walk between gypsies and peasants.

Gypsies, merchants rejoice, fooled horse sellers are grumpy. In the evening after such a hot day, all the pubs are full of people.

Because it is a big Midsummer’s market."

It remains to add that in the late 1920s and 1930s, in addition to the gypsy horse "circus", a carousel and circus tents were set up in the market square in Aizpute fairs, usually in Michael’s Day. The 1933 Michael fair was visited by the circus "Barcelona", which also had a "death ride" barrel. However, the most notable event was still the visit of the circus entrepreneur Jēkabs Balodis' traveling tent circus - menagerie "Salamandra". There was a menagerie with animal trainers, a chain puller, a fire eater, a juggler, an equilibrist, an air gymnast and other Latvian circus artists. The performances lasted for several days, for example, the circus "Barcelona" performed for five days in a row.

These were the days and will no longer be the same again...

Nowadays - a car park, which is also used for various social and cultural events in the town.

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