Latvia 5 Lati Silver Coin 1931 Milda

Latvia 5 Lati Silver Coin 1931 Milda

Obverse: The large coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia is placed in the centre. The numeral 5, topped with the year 1931, is inscribed beneath the central motif. The inscriptions PIECI and LATI, arranged in a semicircle, are placed to the left and right of the central motif respectively.
Lettering: LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA

Reverse: The central motif is a Latvian folk-maid in profile, viewed from the right side. The girl has ears of corn on her shoulder. The inscriptions LATVIJAS and REPUBLIKA, arranged in a semicircle, are placed to the left and right of the central motif respectively.
  The image of the maiden on the coin is colloquially known as Milda (a Latvian female name). The model was Zelma Brauere (1900-1977).
Edge: The inscriptions DIEVS, SVĒTĪ and LATVIJU, separated by three hexagonal stars.
Engraver: Rihards Zariņš

Country:       Latvia.
Years:     1929-1932.
Face value:  5 Lati.
Metal:           Silver (.835).
Weight:        25 g.
Diameter:    37 mm.
Shape:         Round.
References: KM# 9.


Milda
Milda, in Lithuanian mythology, is the goddess of love. However, her authenticity is debated by scholars. Despite the uncertainty, Milda became a popular female given name in Lithuania. Neo-pagan societies and communities, including Romuva, organize various events in honor of goddess Milda in May. The Milda Mons, a mountain on Venus, is named after her. The female figure at the top of the Freedom Monument in Riga is affectionately called Milda.
  Milda was first mentioned by Teodor Narbutt in his 1835 work on the history of Lithuania. According to Narbutt, Milda was also known as Aleksota. Her temples stood in Aleksotas, Kaunas and in Antakalnis, Vilnius, where the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul now stands. The month of March was dedicated to Milda and her figurine was found in Kaunas. According to Vėlius, Narbutt invented Milda borrowing the idea of a beautiful Roman nymph Alexothe from the writings of Dominik Szybiński. As one of Kaunas' suburbs is Aleksotas, it was only natural that Milda's temple stood there. There is no evidence, either in written documents, archaeological research, or folklore, to support Narbutt's claims.
  Narbutt's information was later repeated and popularized by many other writers and historians, including Dionizas Poška, Jonas Totoraitis, Pranė Dundulienė. However, other authors, including Aleksander Brückner, Norbertas Vėlius, Gintaras Beresnevičius, expressed serious doubts whether such goddess actually existed due to lack of evidence. Milda owes her popularity to Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. In 1840, he wrote Anafielas, a three-part epic poem in Polish. The first part, Witolorauda, mentioned Milda and her festival in early May. The poem was translated into Lithuanian and published several times popularizing the goddess. Its Polish publication in 1846 was illustrated with 50 woodcuts by Wincenty Smokowski. His image of Milda continues to influence Milda's representations. In 1918, Petras Vaičiūnas wrote a poetic play dedicated to Milda.

Latvian Coins 1 Lats Silver Coin 2011 Railway in Latvia

Latvian Coins 1 Lats Silver Coin 2011 Railway in Latvia

Obverse
The obverse features a wheel of steam locomotive, with the inscription 1 LATS in its semi-circled upper part. In the lower part beneath the wheel, there are inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA, slightly on the left, and the year 2011, slightly on the right, each arranged in a semicircle.

Reverse
An image of steam locomotive is placed in the centre. Below it, there is the inscription DZELZCEĻŠ LATVIJĀ 1860 (Railway in Latvia), arranged in a semicircle. The central field is surrounded by a plain dotted area.

Edge
Inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA (Republic of Latvia) and LATVIJAS BANKA (Bank of Latvia) separated by rhombic dots.

Weight: 22.00 g; diameter: 35.00 mm
Metal: silver of .925 fineness; quality: proof
Struck in 2011 by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)
Artists: Aigars Ozoliņš (graphic design), Ligita Franckeviča (plaster model)

In 1860, when the stretch of the St. Petersburg–Warsaw railroad to Daugavpils (then Dvinsk) was completed, the first trains rolled over Latvian land and Robert Stephenson's factory produced the first steam engines for use on the Riga–Daugavpils line. The construction of the Riga–Daugavpils railway was initiated by the Riga Stock Exchange with the aim to develop port facilities and manufacturing in Riga. This railway was opened on 12 September 1861 and thus the foundation for further expansion of the rail network in Latvia was laid.

The total length of railroad built by the beginning of World War I was 1 941 kilometres. Most of the lines were connected to ports. The most important routes led from Riga to Orel in Russia, from Liepāja to Romny in Ukraine, and from Ventspils to Moscow. The Riga–Mažeikiai, Riga–Tukums, and Riga–Pskov lines were likewise important. As late as the turn of the 20th century, the train was the only mechanised land transport.

During the years of World War I, additional 822 km of rail were laid, primarily as narrow-gauge railroads used for the war effort. All broad-gauge railroads in Kurzeme and Zemgale were rebuilt to match the width of the railroads in Western Europe (1 435 mm) but in Vidzeme and Latgale, the width of the rail remained unchanged (1 524 mm). After the war, it allowed passengers to travel from Riga directly to Western European countries and also to Estonia and Russia.

As the Latvian Railroad Administration began work in 1919, the railroads and bridges destroyed during the war were repaired and the extensive railroad system put to order. In the years 1925–1929, the Liepāja–Glūda line started operating, joined in subsequent years by Rīga–Rūjiena, Rīga–Ērgļi, Madona–Lubāna, Liepāja–Kuldīga, Sita–Rēzekne, Krustpils–Jēkabpils, Pakalnieši–Kūdupe, Ventspils–Dundaga and other lines. In 1938, the total length of serviceable railroads reached 3 350 km; in terms of density of the railroad network to the number of population Latvia was second in Europe, becoming a true railway superpower. Passenger and cargo cars, engines and motorcars, alarm and communication systems, rails and other railroad equipment were all built here. The speed of passenger trains increased, reaching 100 km per hour on many lines. Over 120 new and spacious railway station premises were built as were many bridges.