A gap year in Latvia

Gap years in Latvia

With upscale beach resorts and a capital city full of cobbles and cocktails, Latvia’s on the up. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, this EU newcomer has a glittering future. As well as Europe’s fastest-growing economy, Latvia has beautiful countryside, home-style cooking, a rich history, and the best chocolates on the continent. It’s not worth a stop on your Gap Year itinerary – this is your Gap Year itinerary.

Gap Year Opportunities

Although Latvia has one of the world’s fastest-developing economies, with an advanced infrastructure, the GDP per capita is still relatively low at £8,000 (2006). This is partly because there’s a very wide gap between the poor and the rich. In 2000, a World Bank report said that 19.4% of the population was living beneath the poverty line (which is determined as being the amount of income required for basic living essentials) – in 2001, a CSP report put the figure at an astonishing 35%. Prostitution is distressingly common and so you will find voluntary projects are often centred around women’s refuges, healthcare and orphanages.

However, if you’re looking for paid work, don’t despair: you could find a placement at a resort or even train as cabin crew for the increasingly healthy tourist industry. (As well as in-the-know European travellers, Latvia is a favoured holiday destination of wealthy Russians.) Keep checking our directory for all the latest listings.

Getting Around

In Riga, trams and buses are the best way to explore – if you’re not on foot. For a day at the sea, catch a bus to Jurmala, and hire a bike to cycle along the lengthy seafront path which links villages and hotels. If you’re travelling further, catch a train – mostly rickety old beasts that travel along scenic routes, making the journey a pleasure.

About Latvia

For almost 300 years, Latvia was under Russian rule. In 1710 the Russians invaded Riga, and by 1800 they had conquered the whole country. In 1939 the Soviet Union demanded military entry to Latvia, along with Estonia and Lithuania, under guise of a war pact. By 1941 they had staged elections, replaced the Latvian government with Soviets and officially incorporated the country into the Soviet Union.

The new leaders quickly began a deportation programme, removing politicians and military figures who were perceived as being anti-Soviet. 35,000 Latvians were shipped off to Siberian prison camps during the first year and then, when Nazi troops invaded in 1941, another 85,000 Jewish Latvians were killed or deported. Of the remaining Latvians, many thousands were conscripted to fight for German or Russian forces, where they were sent straight to the front line.

When the war ended, the rule of terror did not. The Soviet Union destroyed Latvia’s business infrastructure, bringing Russian firms and methods to the country, and teaching Russian in schools. By the 1980s, Latvian parties such as the Popular Front of Latvia were making their mark on the political scene, and the Soviet Union could not ignore their wish for independence for much longer. In 1990, the first democratic election enabled Latvian leaders to vote, and draw up a schedule, for independence. Finally, in 1991 parliament voted for independence, and the Soviet Union publicly acknowledged this one month later.

Visit Riga

Make time on your gap itinerary to spend a week in Riga. You’ll love this pretty city, full of cobbled squares, ancient churches and architectural gems from across the ages. Rigans are an up-and-coming generation who work and party hard – a mid-week lunch drink in a sunny square with friends is common. The city is a good place to learn about Latvian history, with museums and monuments as well as lots of fascinating buildings (get a guide and take yourself on a walking tour). Treat yourself to a night at the opera – you’ll soon see Riga’s imposing opera house on the riverbanks. And finish off with a hot chocolate at the Emil Gustav cafe in Bergs Bazaar, where you’ll find Latvian women in their droves... wonder why?