Houses of Pasta (Post) Street No. 1, 3, 5, 2 and 6

In the Aizpute Town Plan of 1797, modern Pasta Street is a part of Kuldīgas Street, namely, its initial stage, in the plan of 1834 - Gramzdas Street. However, already at least in 1845, Pasta (Post) Street was mentioned, which started right where Kuldīgas Street used to be, but ended at the post horse stage station, which at that time was where Aizpute Catholic Church is today.

It should be explained that in Piltene District, and thus also in Aizpute, there were no Crown post stations or post offices. In the small “Post” building marked in the 1797 Plan of Aizpute, there was a Aizpute postal expedition maintained by the public. For each private shipment in the distance as far as Skrunda, 1 Sechser had to be payed for a lot (approx. 15 g) and the same amount for a shipment in the opposite direction. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the Aizpute postal expedition paid 100 Courland florins a year to the town's Head of the church choir and organist for the processing of postal items, and from about 1806 to an elementary school teacher.

It was not until November 8, 1833, that the Senate, on behalf of the Imperial Majesty, issued an order to the Council of the Courland Province that Courland be equated with other Baltic provinces in the field of postal services. The specific order states that the maintenance of mail on the way from Jelgava through Palanga to Prussia should be terminated as before and that the post office on this road for transporting travelers and especially correspondence within Courland and to other provinces should be maintained on a reduced scale according to the following principles:

"1. The postal route from Jelgava (Mietau) to Liepāja (Liebau) and from there to Memel (Klaipėda) is as follows: from Jelgava via Dobele, Upesmuiža and Saldus to Skrunda, from there via Aizpute to Liepāja and then through Rucava and Palanga to Memel.
2. Due to the long distance between Aizpute and Liepāja and from Liepāja to Rucava to organize new post stations, where it would be considered the most convenient; to close post offices in Drogas, Tadaiķi and Bārta as outside the planned postal road line.
3. The postal forwarding of Saldus station should be moved to the district town of Aizpute, where it would be of greater benefit due to the judicial authority in Aizpute
...
5. All other stations [except Jelgava] must maintain 6 horses, except Skrunda, where 8 horses must be maintained, because from here is the road to Kuldiga and Ventspils.
6. All stations are built and maintained at the expense of Courland Province according to the same basic rules as in Vidzeme and Estonia."

Here, after this order, the Aizpute Post Station was apparently built and Pasta (Post) Street appeared in Aizpute, along which consignments were delivered from the Town Hall to the Aizpute horse post station in the current № 2 Kuldīgas Street. In 1884, the post office "belonged" to Juden Baruch Baruchsohn (also called Boruchsohn), a Jew from Kuldiga (Goldingen), in his own house who hired 5 servants. In 1894, Ernst Strauss's "Post Pub" was also here. The horse post station was still here at the beginning of the 20th century.

Pasta (Post) Street around 1900

Pasta (Post) Street in 2014

The two-storey stone house on № 1 Pasta Street on the left was once known as Cīrava Pub.

Presumably, it was a profitable property, because at the same time there was also an inn, which was located at the intersection of Jelgava, Liepāja and Kuldīga Roads. Moreover, even in the middle of the 19th century, this pub did not submit to the jurisdiction of the Council, because it was located on a plot of land owned by the owners of Aizpute Manor. Consequently, the owners did not pay any taxes to the town, thus reducing not only the income of the municipality, but also the income of the town's merchants, because the offer in this pub was always cheaper. Only in 1858, by the order of His Imperial Majesty, the decision of the Senate of 1852 came into force that all the plots of the owners of the surrounding manors in the center of Aizpute were subject to the Aizpute Magistrate, which the owners had tried to dispute.

As far as it was possible to clarify, in the 17th century there was a pub in this place, which belonged to the owners of Cīrava (Zirausche) Manor, therefore such a name was there.

Around the middle of the 18th century, this pub was bought by the owners of Aizpute Manor, who owned it until 1846, when the owner of the castle, Baroness Henriette von Roenne, sold the Cirava (Zirausche) Pub for 3,000 Rubles to the owner of Lielgramzda (Gros-Gramsde) Manor, von Korff. In 1865, Johann von Korff sold it for 7,500 Rubles to Moses Bernitz, a merchant from Aizpute, whose family owned the house until 1940, except for four years between 1883 and 1877, when Adolf, son of Moses Bernitz, sold all the houses inherited from his father to Samuel Samuel and bought it back from him again.

In 1879, there was the Michel Goldberg Hotel in the Bernitz House.

In 1884, the Bernitz Hotel belonged to Albert Pumpe from Jelgava.

In 1893, Steffen had a hotel "Cīrava", but a year later a pub of a similar name. In 1896, the pub "Cīrava" was run by Hermann Brede.

In 1900, in the house of Adolf Bernitz there was the hotel and tavern "Cīrava".

Apart from the fact that at different times there were apartments and a pub, hotel, shop, various workshops and warehouses, it should be mentioned that in 1919 there was the Executive Committee of Aizpute District Council, in 1920 the District Council Office and the district cooperative shop, but in 1922 the Aizpute District Council took over the house for its own needs on the basis of a lease agreement. Shop and apartments No. 1 to 8 were rented to the District Council until March 1926, from March to the District Cooperative. For some time, premises for the agricultural association “Rūķis” (Gnome) were there. Under the leadership of agronomist Dambergs, the Aizpute two-year agricultural school also operated in this house for a short time.

In 1924, there was a wine and vodka store in the former Cīrava pub, in 1925 - the grain warehouse of the Aizpute branch of the company “Kurzemes lauksaimnieks” (Farmer of Kurzeme) with the purchase of grain and a store of agricultural machinery, hardware and small items.

In the middle of the 1930s, on № 1 Pasta (Post) Street there was the house of Alexander (Scholem) Bernitz with 9 apartments (19 rooms and 5 kitchens), 2 trade premises, 4 production premises and 3 household rooms, as well as an extension with 1 room, 2 industrial premises and 3 household premises. The building housed Viļis Linings carpentry, Kārlis Gūtmanis' tapestry and Vītols shoemaker's workshop, as well as Emīls Knāķis' shop, where he traded basic necessities, artificial fertilizers and seeds.

Next is the residential house at № 3 Pasta Street, and it was also built on the land belonging to Aizpute Castle Manor, which between the Cīrava pub and the house of the watchmaker Kūns was leased by the then owner of the manor Baron Karl von Roenne for 18 Silver Rubles "for the longest legal period" to merchant Johann Danneleit. The lessee had to undertake obligations not to keep the inn nor the pub in the buildings built there. However, if he sets up a shop there, he is allowed to sell spirits there if it is done in a legal and generally accepted manner.

In 1835, Danneleit handed over his mortgaged residential house to Mrs. Jennie Adolphi, wife of the pastor of Gramzda (Gramsde), for 2,100 Silver Rubles.

In 1848, the property was bought from the widow of Pastor Adolphi by Caroline Ewald, the daughter of the deceased doctor’s assistant of the district, born Bamberg. The Sale-Purchase Agreement stipulated that the new owner must allow the current tenant, Dr. Karl Wilhelm Schilling (1803-1874), to continue living in his apartment for 100 Silver Rubles a year until the Midsummer of 1849.

In 1850 the house was bought by Marcus Josua Königsfest, in 1863 for 2,300 Rubles by Löwenstein, from which it was inherited by Bernhard Löwenstein in 1864.

In 1866, the property was purchased by Carl Peter Hilarius Geitz, but in 1896 it was bought for 720 Rubles by the Aizpute Credit Union, from which in the same year the house was bought for 2,400 Rubles by blacksmith Voldemārs Fenskis, who set up a blacksmith's workshop on the side of Katoļu (Catholic) Street.

In 1914, Villis Siksna bought the house from Fenskis for 4,010 Rubles, who in 1923 sold it to Meier Hirk for 300 Lats.

On October 12, 1940, Israel Hirk the eldest son of Meyer Hirk, became the owner of this house.

In the 1920s, there was a Hirk grain store and a small items store, as well as tavern of Otto Block, and later Anna Ross, and Mārtiņš Linmeijers.

Nowadays - private property.

The plot of land, on which there is a house at № 5 Pasta Street, was once one of the two plots of land belonging to Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) Manor in the territory of Aizpute town. Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) Manor itself was one of the private manors of the Dukes of Courland at least since 1711, also called the Duke Aizpute Manor. In 1715, a commission appointed by the King of Poland, which assessed all the manors belonging to the Duke of Courland and Semigallia, estimated the Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) or Aizpute Manor of Duke as worth 7,400 Albert Florins.

In 1761, at the request of the Mayor of Aizpute, Johann Samuel Heroldt, he received a statement from Country Administrator (Landhofmeister) Otto Christopher von der Howen (1699-1779), Oberburgh Heinrich Christian von Offenberg (1752-1827), Chancellor (Kanzler) Dietrich von Keyserlingk (1713-1793), and Land Marshal Franz Georg von Pfeilitzer known Franck (1688-1770), signed on June 5, 1761 (according the old [time calculation] style) in Jelgava that the Mayor may build and retain two vacant plots of land of the Duke of Courland [Charles of Saxony] in Aizpute for an annual fee of 4 Alberta Reichsthaler, which must be paid against the receipt in the duke's rent office. One of the plots was located between the property of owner of Aizpute Castle Manor Juliana Elisabeth Hahn, born von Bülow (№ 3 Pasta (Post) Street) and the property of the horse and weapons blacksmith Johann Christoph Klein (№ 7 Pasta (Post) Street).

If the Mayor asked for permission to build on the plots, he must have built it, but 20 years later a merchant Heyman Wulff wanted to become a buyer of his real estate, who needed a new lease permit for the duke's land, which he also received.

On November 29, 1782 (old time counting), Duke Peter Biron leased to the Jewish merchant of Aizpute, Heyman Wulff, two plots of land in Aizpute in the inventory of Laža (Lasche) Manor, for which the tenant must pay nine Albert Reichsthaler every year at Midsummer. The Lessee and his descendants may enclose these plots of land and build on them. The tenant has the right to dispose of the building at his own discretion, but the duke always remains as the landlord. When the tenants of land plots change, the land tax must always be paid to the duke.

In 1801, the owner was already Heyman Wulff junior, who borrowed 1,010 Albert Reichsthalers from the administrators of his inheritance against the mortgage of his house, household buildings and land there, and in 1803 borrowed another 350 Talers for the same property.

At the same time, it should be noted that a promissory note for № 5 Pasta (Post) Street was entered in the Land Register in December 1802, confirming that Selde Abraham, married to Marcus Alexander, undertakes to pay the debt of 495 Albert Reichsthaler to Heyman Wulff [junior] by Midsummer 1808 for the house bought from him and rented so far. Presumably, this debt allowed Wulff to make the above-mentioned second loan in 1803 - apparently, he was still considered the official owner.

At the time of the 1811 census, the house of Marcus Alexander, a merchant of the 3rd Guild, was already located at 5 Pasta (Post) Street, where 11 Jewish men lived (women were not yet registered in this census).

In 1816, this house was bought for 780 Silver Rubles by the watchmaker Benjamin Kuhn.

In 1825, there was Simon Hirsch's Russian haberdashery shop.

Watchmaker Kuhn sold his house in 1841 to husband of his daughter Hanna Gerson Löwenhain for 800 Silver Rubles. Officially, the co-owner was also Kuhn's daughter. In 1843 and 1844, both Löwenhain borrowed a total of 300 Silver Rubles for the construction or completion of their house at 5 Pasta (Post) Street.

At the end of the summer of 1845, the Löwenhains entered into a lease agreement for one side of a newly built dwelling house - 9 rooms, a separate street and back yard hallway, kitchen, basement and washroom, together with a built-in wood fireplace for rent to Georg Christoph Kemmler (1790-1865) from Midsummer 1846 to Midsummer 1849 for 150 silver Rubles per year.

In 1855, the property was bought for 2,607 Rubles by Mayor Friedrich Grening, who sold it to Adolf Königsfest for 3,000 Rubles in 1856. From Königsfest, this property was bought by Mathilde Königsfest for the same amount in 1872, and sold it to Heinrich Lange two years later for 2,700 Rubles.

Tevje and Rachel Bordeil bought this property from Lange in 1875 for 3,000 Rubles.

In 1879, the trader of the 2nd Guild, Tevje Bordeil, had a manufactory and haberdashery store here, but during the First World War, Jacob Roses shoemaker's workshop. After the war, for many years there was first Karl Fischer, later Maria Fischer's small items store, also A. Fischer grocery store, as well as the office of notary Kārlis Vitenbergs.

In 1931, the property rights were secured to the heir Leopold Leib Bordeil, but in 1936, the property was bought at an auction for 5,232 Lats by Abraham Joseph Tilim and Beila Tilim, who also bought the share from Abraham Joseph for 3,000 Lats.

Nowadays - private property.

On the right side you can see a residential house on № 2 Pasta Street.

In 1780 it was the property of teacher Christian Grening (1743-1832), in 1799 - a brick house.

In 1807, the property was bought by Behr Joseph Behr and Gute Etinger, born Behr.

In 1811, there was a Hinde Behr living house here, which in 1819 was bought by Michel Solomon for 3,000 Silver Rubles. In 1825, there was a spirit store by Michel Marcus. Since then, this has been the property of the Jewish merchants Michelson, as Michel's descendants became Michelsons. The exception was a few months in 1870, when Marcus Michelson sold the house to Hermann Adolphi for 2,400 Rubles in January, but Theodor Michelson bought it from Adolphi for 3,000 Rubles in June.

In 1879 there was an Otto Foss lithograph here.

From 1906 to 1908, a private German Primary School in Aizpute operated here.

At the end of the First World War and in the beginning of 1919, there was a hospital for contagious diseases. On January 12, 1919, the Town’s Provisional Council exempted Theodor Michelsohn’s house from property tax, "because there is a hospital for pestiness."

In 1919, the Requisition Commission of the Aizpute District of the Ministry of Maintenance of the Provisional Government of Latvia was located in this house, in 1921 - a chancellery and an apartment (2 rooms and a kitchen on the 2nd floor) for the assistant to the Head of the Aizpute District. In 1922, the mentioned assistant also served as the Chief of the Town Police, so here was his office in 3 rooms, an apartment (3 rooms and a kitchen), as well as arrest rooms.

In 1924, property rights were secured to the son of Theodor Michelson, who died in 1914, to Esriel - Alexander Michelson. After 1924, there were rental apartments and a Maria Fischer haberdashery and convenience store.

Nowadays - municipal property, with a multifunctional social service center.

It is difficult to see the house on № 4 Pasta Street, but judging by what is visible, it was in quite a bad state.

At the end of the 18th century, there was the house of Mayor Johann Philip Henckau (1735-1799), where his widow lived still in 1811.

In 1821, the property here was bought by Zacharias Lewin for 750 Silver Rubles. In 1825, he housed Wulff Benjamin's Russian haberdashery store.

In 1863 the house belonged to the heirs of Zacharias Dannemann. It is believed to be the same Zaharias Lewin [son of Lewin], who in 1821 did not have a surname yet.

In 1868, the property was bought by Itzig Bernitz, who sold it to Bertha Schlossberg for 1,600 Rubles in 1869.

In 1878 it was bought for 1,500 Rubles by Theodor Michelson and in 1879 for 1,800 it was sold to Wilhelmine Lange, who sold his property for the same amount to Heinrich Lange in 1882, from whom it was inherited by Emily Lange in 1899. In fact, since 1896, the house has belonged to the heirs of Heinrich Lange.

In 1884 there was a workshop of the mason Johann Andreas Schulz, where he worked with two assistants.

In 1901, this house was bought by Simon Zern for 1,500 Rubles.  In 1927 the house was inherited by his widow Klare (Keile) and daughter Minna, in whose name ownership was established in 1940.

In 1928, Hessel Zern’s and S. Kalman's cattle shop was located at this address.

Nowadays - private property.

№ 6 Pasta Street at the end of the 18th century belonged to the 3rd Guild merchant Mayor Johann Filip Henckau (1735-1799). After his death, the house was inherited by the widow Catherine Charlotte, but in 1820 there was a large residential house with a garden and a stable, which belonged to the son of the previously mentioned couple, the Town Elder Johann Carl Henckau. He sold the property in 1821 for 1,500 Silver Rubles to Wulf Morgenstern, from whom it was bought by Marcus Königsfest for 1,600 Rubles in 1842, and in 1863 this was one of the 8 (!) houses owned by the Königsfests in Aizpute.

In 1873, Marcus and Amalie Königsfest sold the property to Baron Karl von der Osten-Sacken, the owner of Padure (Padder) Manor, and in less than two months the baron sold it to Christoph and Olga Trautmann for 2,000 Rubles, of which Johann Goldstein bought it for 3,600 Rubles in 1878.

In 1879, Goldstein's restaurant and Heinrich Lange's small item store were located in the same house, but in 1884, two restaurants – Goldstein’s, the other of Kristofs Birznieks, there also was the Minna Waldmann bakery.

In 1894, there was a “Restauration” by Kristaps Winkler, which in 1896 became the Kalna (Hill) Pub ("БЕРГ"). That year, the house was bought by Minna Waldmann, but in 1910 at a public auction by Abraham Nathanson, from whom Mārtiņš and Emma Linmeijeri bought the property in 1926. In the same year, the reconstruction project of the building was approved - by erecting the second floor, it was planned to open a hotel there.

The project was implemented in 1928. Already on January 1, Wilhelm Schenck moved his tavern from Hirk's house at № 3 Pasta (Post) Street to the newly built Linmeijer’s House, in its 1st floor. From 1929 it was already Linmeijer's own 2nd class tavern, which was granted the right of 1st class tavern in the late 1930s.

Nowadays - private property.

BACK TO START OF THE STREET