Zolitūde

Zolitūde is a neighbourhood of Riga, the capital of Latvia, located on the city's western edge. Zolitūde's Town plan consists mainly of prefabricated concrete block Soviet-built apartments. The construction was started in 1984, and was halted in 1991, when Latvia obtained its independence from USSR. Large parts of the population, as in similar neighbourhoods of Riga are Russian speaking.

History & EU Accession

In 1991 Latvia gained independence from the USSR and due to the end of financing from Moscow construction projects halted. Few new homes had been built until Latvia had joined EU in 2004.

Due to the flow of investments from EU funds and private parties, Riga is experiencing a new construction boom. Construction of the new parts of Zolitūde has begun, and 15 new apartment houses are on planned, with some already completed. Construction of private housing has recently commenced again in the northern area.

As with most residential neighbourhoods of Riga, infrastructure, is in a dilapidated state. According to the "Riga Development Plan 2006 - 2018" [http://www.rdpad.lv] , the development of infastucture, services and housing is expected. This will give growth to the community of Zolitūde. Recent improvements include a market and small shops near the station.

Geography & Transportation

The proximity to the international airport, the seaside resorts of Jurmala and the new architecture have made Zolitūde attractive for young families. Most residents commute to the central business district by the electric railway, with two stations in the area, and by bus or minibus services.

Etymology

"Zolitūde" lies on the outer western side of Riga, close to its border with Jūrmala. The area's name comes from the French word "solitude", which means "loneliness". One of the explanations is that servicemen of Napoleon's army had been parted from his company in this area, which later gave the area its name. Another version is that the word "solitude" referred to the loneliness in which landowners stayed here due to extremely high prices they asked for their land from the working peasants. Fields, a forest, swampy grounds and small amounts of private homes was little more to find in Zolitūde before 1984.

treets of Zolitūde

:_{"Iela" means "street" in Latvian}"Līnijas" are small lanes, that are named after a locale where they are. Their names are made of name of the locale, word "lane" and a number. In direct translation from Latvian "līnija" means "line"

Since Riga is officially divided into 6 administrative regions, each of these regions had its own unofficial division. This division is actually how the city's neighbourhoods are called by their inhabitants. So "Zolitūde" is used to call the apartment block neighbourhoods, and not private house sector surrounding it.

Zolitūde is divided into 2 sectors by 5 perimeter roads:
*Gramzdas iela
*Jāņa Endzelīna iela
*Priedaines iela
*Rostokas iela
*Zolitūdes iela

Apart from those listed above, there are large streets inside the neighborhood:
*Aleksandra Bieziņa iela
*Anniņmuižas iela
*Apūzes iela
*Imantas 12., 13., 15.-18. līnija
*Paula Lejiņa iela
*Ruses iela

The new part, that is currently under construction will also include:
*Augšzemes iela
*Liedes iela
*Skrīnes iela

External links

[http://greyisgood.eu/blog/19 photographs of Zolitūde in winter]