Ventspils

Latvia
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/place/Ventspils
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Vindava, Windau
German:
Windau
Russian:
Vindava

Ventspils, city and port, western Latvia. It lies at the mouth of the Venta River on the Baltic Sea coast. A settlement existed there in the 2nd millennium bc, and by the 10th century ad it was inhabited by Wends (a Slavic people). In 1242 the Teutonic Knights built a castle there, and in 1378 town status was conferred. A shipyard was established in 1642, and in 1904 Ventspils was reached by the railway. Its port is ice-free and is a major site for the export of oil and chemicals. It has a pipeline from the Volga-Urals oil field (Russia), a fishing fleet, and a large fish cannery. Pop. (2008 prelim.) 43,299.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.