Latvia and dualism

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The theme of this year's summer school is duality or dualism.

We will look at each phenomenon (a city, a historical event, a work of art) as an interplay of two (possibly opposing) forces.

This perspective will be the common thread of our trips and excursions in Riga and other cities and regions of Latvia.

We believe that in this way we can show you the authentic Latvia with its paradoxes and contradictions in a more objective way.

An additional focus this year will be on combining theory and practice: each topic will not only include lectures and excursions, but also workshops in which students can try out the respective topic in practice.

  • Week 1, 06.07.2025-13.07.2025. Topic of the week: Politics
    Date Time Activity
    07.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Prof. Dr art. Denis Hanov, Head of the Institute of Humanities, Latvian Academy of Arts, talks about Latvia's politics in the context of the Baltic States
    08.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Guided tour of the picturesque Miera iela in Riga. At the end of this street are the historic Lielie kapi and Pokrovsky cemeteries, the resting places of representatives of Russian culture and emigrants from pre-revolutionary and Soviet Russia.
    10.07.2025 9:00-19:00 Day trip by train to Jurmala, visit the wooden villas in Art Nouveau style, Soviet sanatoriums and the famous sandy beaches.
    12.07.2025 9:00-13:00 Political debate
  • Week 2, 13.07.2025-20.07.2025. Topic of the week: Theatre
    Date Time Activity
    14.07.2025 17:00-19:00 City tour through the ‘Russian’ neighbourhood of Riga - Ķengarags, which we will reach by public transport. The residential area is located in the south-east of the city (Latgallian suburbs) between the Daugava River and the Riga - Krustpils railway line.
    15.07.2025 09:00-19:00 Day trip to Semgallen (southern Latvia). Latvian Baroque: Bauska Castle, palaces by the architect Rastrelli in Rundale and Jelgava, Mežotne Manor and the abandoned Kaucminde Manor.
    16.07.2025-18.07.2025 15:00-16:30 Playback theatre with Natalia Dominguez Sapien (workshop for interested persons)
    19.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Theatre producer Evgenija Shermeneva talks about contemporary theatre in the Baltic countries and shows excerpts from the selected plays.
  • Week 3, 20.07.2025-27.07.2025. Weekly theme: Art
    Date Time Activity
    22.07.2025 17:00-19:00 City tour through Agenskalns, one of the oldest and most characteristic neighbourhoods in Riga, known for its charming atmosphere and a mixture of historic wooden houses and modern buildings.
    24.07.2025 09:00-19:00 Day trip by coach to the surrounding countryside and visit to the museum of Vilhelms Kārlis Purvītis, the founder of the Latvian Academy of Arts.
    25.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Workshop with the Russian-Latvian artist Petr Kirjusha
  • Week 4, 27.07.2025-03.08.2025. Weekly theme: Folklore
    Date Time Activity
    28.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Valdis Teraudkalns, Professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Latvia and Corresponding Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, will speak about Latvian folklore and paganism in the 20th century.
    29.07.2025 17:00-19:00 Guided tour of Bolderāja, a coastal neighbourhood of Riga that was historically inhabited by sailors
    31.07.2025 09:00-19:00 Day trip by coach to Jēkabpils (Latin: Jākubmīsts, until 1917 Jakobshtadt), where two different towns with their own history once existed - Jakobshtadt and Kreuzburg.