Vidzeme

Vidzeme (Old Latvian orthography: Widda-semme) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River. Sometimes in German, it was also known as Livland, the German form from Latin Livonia, though it comprises only a small part of Medieval Livonia and about half (the Latvian part) of Swedish Livonia. Most of the region's inhabitants are Latvians (85%), thus Vidzeme is the most ethnically Latvian region in the country.
The historic Governorate of Livonia is also larger than Vidzeme, since it corresponds roughly to Swedish Livonia.
History
In ancient times, the territory of Vidzeme was inhabited by Latgalians and Livs (near the coast of the Gulf of Riga and along the lower reaches of the Daugava and Gauja rivers).
Until the German conquest in the 13th century the Daugava, which now forms the south-east border of Vidzeme, was the boundary between the lands of the Livs and Latgalians on the right bank and those of the Semigallians and Selonians on the left bank of the river. The most notable Latgalian region in today's Vidzeme was Tālava.
After the Livonian War, part of the Livonian Confederation on the right bank of the Daugava river and the Patrimony of Riga was ceded to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Duchy of Livonia (the left bank forming the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia).
After the Polish-Swedish War concluded by the Truce of Altmark in 1629, Sweden acquired the western part of the Duchy of Livonia roughly as far as the Aiviekste River, since then forming Vidzeme's eastern border.
During the course of the Great Northern War, Swedish Livonia was conquered by the Russian Empire and ceded to Russia at the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. In place of Livonia the Russians created the Riga Governorate, but in 1796 the Riga Governorate was renamed the Governorate of Livonia, administered autonomously by the local German Baltic nobility through a feudal . After the end of World War I it was split between the newly independent countries of Latvia and Estonia.
Subregions
The territory of the region of Vidzeme is defined by Latvian law as follows:
Ādaži Municipality
Cēsis Municipality
Gulbene Municipality
Limbaži Municipality
Riga
Ropaži Municipality
Salaspils Municipality
Saulkrasti Municipality
Sigulda Municipality
Smiltene Municipality
Valka Municipality
Valmiera Municipality
Part of Aiviekste Parish
Part of Aizkraukle Parish
The Part of Aizkraukle on the right bank of the Daugava
Bebri Parish
Irši Parish
Klintaine Parish
Koknese Parish
Koknese
Part of Pļaviņas
Skrīveri Parish
Vietalva Parish
Alsviķi Parish
Alūksne
Anna Parish
Ilzene Parish
Jaunalūksne Parish
Jaunanna Parish
Jaunlaicene Parish
Kalncempji Parish
Maliena Parish
Mālupe Parish
Mārkalne Parish
Pededze Parish
Veclaicene Parish
Zeltiņi Parish
Ziemeri Parish
Part of Baldone Parish
Baldone
Baloži
Part of Ķekava Parish
Arona Parish
Part of Barkava Parish
Bērzaune Parish
Cesvaine Parish
Dzelzava Parish
Ērgļi Parish
Indrān Parish
Jumurda Parish
Kalsnava Parish
Lazdona Parish
Liezēre Parish
Lubāna
Ļaudona Parish
Madona
Mārciena Parish
Mētriena Parish
Part of Ošupe Parish
Prauliena Parish
Sarkaņi Parish
Sausnēja Parish
Vestiena Parish
Part of Babīte Parish
Mārupe Parish
Sala Parish
Ikšķile
Jumprava Parish
Krape Parish
The part of Ķegums city of the right bank of the Daugava
Ķeipene Parish
Laubere Parish
Lēdmane Parish
Lielvārde Parish
Madliena Parish
Mazozoli Parish
Meņģele Parish
Ogre
Ogresgals Parish
Rembate Parish
Suntaži Parish
Taurupe Parish
Tīnūži Parish
Part of Olaine Parish
Olaine and Lapmežciems Parish.
Jūrmala
See also
North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Vidzeme Upland
References
External links
Vidzeme Tourism Association
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Historical regions in Latvia
Livonia
Subdivisions of Latvia