The international scientific conference "The time of the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale - a unique period in world history", which was planned for April 2 and 3, will be held on September 17 and 18 this year in the Kuldīga Culture Center. Due to safety measures during the spread of Covid-19, the number of places in person is limited, so the Kuldīga County Museum invites you to watch the conference online.
17 scientists from five European countries will participate in the international scientific conference. Foreign guests will read their papers remotely. Researchers will present papers on previously unstudied areas of the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale and the 16th-18th centuries. aspects of the history and culture of Kuldīga in the 20th century in the context of Europe and the world, and will also look at previously analyzed issues from a different angle.
The conference will be held in Latvian and English, simultaneous translation will be provided. Since the number of places is limited and registration for the conference in person has already closed, the museum invites you to watch the conference online at www.kuldigasmuzejs.lv .
The conference is organized by the Kuldīgas County Museum in cooperation with the Kuldīgas County Municipality, the University of Latvia and the Heritage Management Institute in Germany. The purpose of the event is to promote the Duchies of Kurzeme and Zemgale and the 16th-18th centuries. the research of the history and culture of Kuldīga in the 20th century and the popularization of its results in society, as well as to facilitate the preparation of Kuldīga's nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The conference is part of a broad set of events related to the promotion of Kuldīga's nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The unique situation that had developed in the Baltic Sea region in the 16th century contributed to the formation of a new participant in international relations - the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale. From 1561 to 1795, this small state (national entity) occupied the territory from the coast of the Baltic Sea to the Daugava and bordered the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish Livonia, the Kingdom of Sweden and later the Russian Empire. Thanks to thoughtful administration, diplomacy and trade, the duchy managed not only to exist and maintain its independence for more than 200 years, being between mutually hostile powers, but also left its legacy in a wider geopolitical area.
One of the most important administrative centers of the duchy was Kuldīga (Goldingen), which for centuries was at the crossroads of trade routes. Kuldīga is a unique testimony of the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale and the prosperity of this era, international trade relations and cultural exchange. It is also the best preserved urban evidence of this period of history.
English 
Latviešu valoda