A unique historical testimony of Liepāja is made available to the public

The association "Liepāja 400" in cooperation with the Liepāja Museum and the Institute of Humanities of Kurzeme at the University of Liepāja has produced an interactive electronic publication "Liepāja City Chronicle by Jürgen Schmidt" translated by Arnolds Bērzs.

The chronicle of Jürgen Schmidt has been published on the occasion of the upcoming Liepāja celebration - 400 years since the Duke of Courland and Semigallia Friedrich granted Liepāja city privileges on 18 March 1625. By then, the first development phase of the city had come to an end and the earliest village, called Lyva or Life, Liffe, Lifaw, also Libawe in German writings, had acquired the Latvian name Liepāja.

Jürgen Schmidt's writings are mostly a record of major and minor events of public importance, revealing Liepāja as an important industrial, commercial and transit hub, as well as highlighting the historical and political situation of 18th century Courland and the specific problems of its towns, colliding the interests of various powers, townspeople and Courland nobility. The Chronicle also serves as a document defending the Bürgermeister's views and conduct, in parts in a deliberately diplomatic style.

The French, Latin and Swedish parts of the Chronicle have not been edited, retaining the form in which Schmidt wrote them.

The views expressed by Schmidt on certain issues and the words he used may seem unacceptable from a modern point of view, but they are a reflection of the 18th-century reality, which is why the text of the Chronicle has neither been censored nor curtailed.

The Chronicle is translated by Arnolds Bērzs, edited by Sigita Ignatjeva and Paula Sekača, layout designed by Samanta Kalēja, cover designed and created by Dāvids Lēvalds, based on a schematic plan of Liepāja drawn by Jürgen Schmidt and the typical 18th-century lettering. The project manager is Vēsma Lēvalde.

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