Kuldiga

(formerly Goldingen), a city, administrative center of Kuldiga Raion, Latvian SSR, located on the banks of the Venta River, 35 km from the Skrunda railroad station (on the Jelgava-Liepaja line) and 155 km from Riga. Population, 12,000 (1970). The Vulkan Wood-processing Combine, a logging and timber procurement establishment, and a plant that turns out reinforced-concrete structural elements are located in the city.

Kuldīga was founded in the 13th century. The city’s irregular layout developed during the 14th and 15th centuries. One- and two-storied buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries predomi-nate. Architectural landmarks include the churches of Katrinas (begun in 1567; reconstructed in the 17th and 19th centuries) and Trisvienibas (1640, reconstructed; its carved wooden interior decor is 18th-century) and the water mill (15th century; restored in the 19th). In 1969 the medieval section of Kuldiga was placed under state protection. The city has a museum of local lore and an art museum.