Atmodas Street Houses No. 24, 26, 28, 30

№ 24, № 26, № 28 and № 30 Atmodas Street at the end of the 1890s

№ 24, № 26, № 28 and № 30 Atmodas Street in 2014

№ 24 Atmodas Street at the beginning of the 20th century

№ 24 Atmodas Street in 2014

№ 26 and № 24 Atmodas Street in the 1920s

№ 26 and № 24 Atmodas Street in 2014

On the right side, the first is the pharmacist Oswald Julius Lichtenstein’s (1861-1923) "Ērgļa (Eagle) Pharmacy" at № 24 Atmodas Street.

This two-storey stone building with a mezzanine was built in 1865 by the pharmacist Karl Gottlieb Ludwig Lichtenstein (1827-1904) (see also № 19 Atmodas Street).

At the end of the 18th century, Israel Itzig, a merchant of the 3rd Guild, lived here in his house, he sold it to doctor Mendel Levi Horwitz in 1799 for 1,000 Talers, but in 1804 it was bought from Dr. Horwitz for 756 Silver Rubles by Johann Gerhard Schulz, a clerk of Piltene Court.

In 1811, it was the house of a beer pub owner Itzig Baruch. In 1824 he already had the surname Baruchsohn, and in 1834 the owner was his son Wulff Baruchsohn.

In 1825, there was Simka's Moses vodka shop in Baruchson's house.

In 1863, this uninsured wooden house with 4 rooms belonged to Baruch Baruchsohn. The owner himself did not live here, but 4 Jewish families lived in 4 rooms – 22 persons: in the merchant Krämer Berner’s family 4, in shoemaker Brandenburg’s family 7, in shoemaker Samson's 8, in painter Stusser's 3.

In 1863, this plot of land with this building was bought by the pharmacist Carl Lichtenstein for 2,000 Rubles to build a house with a pharmacy. Construction was completed in 1865. When Carl Lichtenstein’s son Oswald, graduated from pharmacy in Tartu (Dorpat) in 1886, the father sold the pharmacy with its establishment in 1887 to his son for 30,000 Rubles.

In the 1920s, when the “New Pharmacy” was opened in Aizpute (see - № 16 Atmodas Street), “Ērgļa (Eagle’s) Pharmacy” became “Vecā (Old) Pharmacy”, although only “Aptieka (Pharmacy)” was written on the sign above the entrance door. The pharmacy occupied 5 rooms, 11 were for apartments, 2 rooms were trade premises, the tenants of which changed over the years.

In 1923, the pharmacy was inherited by Oswald Lichtenstein's children Kurt, Elisabeth and Ferdinand Lichtenstein. Kurt Lichtenstein rented from the last two. The official name of the pharmacy was “Kurt Lichtenstein and Partners”.

In 1939, the Lichtensteins repatriated to Germany, but in 1940, in accordance with the decision of the Aizpute Town Council of February 23, approved by the Municipal Department, the Aizpute Council bought the former Kurt Lichtenstein’s pharmacy from the Fiduciary Emigrant JSC for 5,500 Lats. By the decision of March 15, 1940, the Town Mayor accepted into the municipal service the manager of the newly opened town pharmacy - pharmacist Kārlis Dartavs with a salary determined by the Board of 300 Lats per month.

Interesting is the scrupulous list of residents of the pharmacy house written at the beginning of 1916 with each person’s name, statuss or position, date and place of birth, religion, marital status, since when living in Aizpute and type of apartment - private or work. It follows that 21 inhabitants lived in the pharmacy house: a family of pharmacist 5 persons, a teacher of three young children of a pharmacist, 2 pharmacists, a family of dentist 5 persons, a baker with his wife, 1 worker and 5 maids.

The 1st floor of the pharmacy building premises were rented to traders. In the 1870s there was Levin Zipperts, in the 1880s Abraham Zippert's convenience store, in the early 20th century - Guttel Friedberg's convenience store, and before the First World War - Ernst Kehrers's bakery. In the 1920s A. Rone teahouse, later Jēkabs Ronis beer and domestic fruit and berry wine shop, in the 1930s Krišs Ronis teahouse and bakery.

Nowadays - municipal property, where the Aizpute Municipality Police is located. Premises here are rented by SIA “Rumis” for the needs of “Māras aptieka (Māra Pharmacy)”, Aizpute Town Library, cafe “Livonija” and Valentīna Skuja flower shop. There are apartments upstairs.

Next is the building of “Piltene Club Society in Aizpute” at № 26 Atmodas Street.

This house was built in 1802 by the District Surveyor Ludwig Babst, the Secretary of the Collegium. He had planned to sell it to Piltene District Collegium (Landratskollegium), which was looking for new premises, but failed to do so. As a result, Babst was unable to pay his creditors on time, and the house was put up for auction, in which Baron Carl Roenne (1780-1845) bought it in 1805.

In June 1816, Baron Carl von Roenne, the noble born Assessor of Collegium, the landlord of Aizpute Castle Manor and Ievade (Ewahde) Manor, and his Excellency Piltene District Councilor (Landrate), Carl von Behr, the landlord of Pūņu (Puhnje) Manor, as a representative of Piltene Club Company in Aizpute signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement, under which the former sells and the latter for 1,300 new Alberta Talers or an equivalent amount in Silver Rubles buys this residential house with a plot of land and everything that belongs to it legally. The contract was corrected in the Ingrosation Book of the Aizpute Town Magistrate on July 23, 1817.

The official name was not used in everyday life, the townspeople called it both a nobleman's and a German Club, because after the liquidation of Piltene District and the dismissal of the Land Council (Landtag), it served as the club of Aizpute German society. The club organized concerts, theater performances, guest performances, and other social events.

The first news about the performance of a local [German] amateur theater in Aizpute is also related to this house. Julius Döring (1818-1898), a prominent German-Baltic painter and cultural worker, writes that on December 30, 1846, an amateur theater performance took place in the hall of Aizpute Club. Two small plays have been performed: “So gehts” and “In der Kehre von seiner Tür”. The ticket price was 50 Silver-kopecks, and all proceeds were used for charity for the poor.

Besides the brick street house seen in the picture, there was another house in the yard - a wooden residential house. The club's supervisor, who was also a cook, lived there with his family.

Also, during the First World War, there was a canteen and cafe of Piltene Club Society. After the war, the Club Society continued to exist, but this property was leased to the Aizpute District Cooperative, which set up its main store and office here.

On December 19, 1927, on the basis of the deed of gift of the Piltene Club Society, the property rights were registered to the German Parents' Union in Latvia, from which it was leased by the People's Bank of Latvia.

In 1929, the Town Council leased the necessary space in front of this house to The Shell Company of Latvia Ltd for the installation of an underground petrol tank, installation of pumps and connecting pipes with the right to use this facility for a voluntarily agreed annual lease of three hundred lats. The petrol tank was near the store entrance in the right wing of the building.

In the 1930s, there was also a Jozefs Cern’s butcher shop.

This house is also mentioned in connection with the Latvian freedom struggle. By the order No 220 of the Commander of the Latvian Separate Battalion Oskars Kalpaks, February 22, 1919 on the same day, Senior Lieutenant Fr. Zommers arrived in Aizpute to set up Commandant’s Office. On February 25, Commander Fr. Zommers issued an order for the Commandant’s Office to be set up in 26 Lielā (The Big)  Street - in the premises of Nobles' Club, which will be at the disposal of the Command Post from February 26.

On March 19, 1919, by order of the Minister of Defense of Latvia, Lieutenant Cezars Pētersons was appointed as Commander of Aizpute, who took up the duties of Commander on March 20, but on March 23 issued an order № 26, paragraph 2 of which reads: “To add poets Skalbe, Akuraters and Lejmanis to food list from this day.” The next day they were excluded from food list.

It follows that in their propaganda trips around independent Latvia, Kārlis Skalbe, Jānis Akuraters and, presumably, the publisher and writer Jānis Leimanis from Lower Kurzeme also visited Aizpute.

Today - a building built during the Soviet era, which is the property of the Liepaja Consumer Association. On the first floor, a flower shop for rent, on the second floor - a second-hand goods store “RDA” and a meat products store.

Behind the club is № 28 Atmodas Street.

It is known that at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century there was the house of the Posamentierer (Position of Riga Sworn Weighers (founded in 1450)) Joseph Moses, which was also home to Johann Heinrich Hahn, the Doctor’s Assistant of Piltene District. Sometime before 1819, it was bought by Chancellor August von Fircks, because it was from him that in 1819 the property was bought by the miller Heinrich Christoph Wilcke.

In 1835 the property was bought by carpenter Master and Councilor Johann Ernst Bruder for 960 Rubles, in 1850 for 1,200 by Levin Zern, in 1858 for 1,735 by butcher Friedrich Kristall.

In 1863 there were 2 wooden residential buildings and 1 wooden barn here of the butcher Friedrich Kristall. In 1879 - a house with a butcher shop, but Kristall sold meat products by delivery. In the same year, his married daughter Wilhelmine Walter bought a house from Kristall for 1,075 Rubles.

In 1882, the building was in such poor condition that the Town Council threatened to close it if the owner did not renovate it.

In 1883, the property was auctioned and bought by Theodor Michelsohn for 1,630 Rubles, who rebuilt the building only in 1899.

In 1908, the property was bought by Kristaps Fricis Pasters, and the Appendix to the 1912 Insurance Policy states that the building was built a year ago, so in 1911.

During the First World War, Indriķis Reizups' canteen was opened here, which was also opened in the post-war years, when Osvalds Mackus' hairdresser was also here.

In 1923, Kristaps Pasters' heirs Anna and Līze Pasteres became the owners.

In 1927, a one-storey wooden building with a roof extension was again in need of major repairs, but only the most necessary regular repairs were carried out.

In the 1920s, there was a shop by Behr Schapiro, where he sold colonial goods, leather, leather goods, saddlery and shoes.

In the 1930s, Indriķis Reizups' food house was still located at this address, as well as Beila Jākobsone's shoe store, Sundel Hirschhorn's necessities store, manufactured goods store and wool reception point, Leo Michalowitsch, later B. M. Blūms drug store.

In 1939, the property of Anna and Līze Pasteres was auctioned due to mortgage debts and bought by Elīza - Dore Jākobsone.

Nowadays - Sandris Štāls cafe bakery “SS”.

Further down you can see the end of the stone residential house at № 30 Atmodas Street.

At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the house of the Court Bailif Heinrich Ludwig Kuhtz was located here, where in 1825 the vodka shop of Abraham Isakowitz.

In 1826, Kuhtz's heirs sold the house for 1 100 Silver Rubles to Aizpute baker Friedrich Christoph Siegel. Siegel, on the other hand, sold his property in 1830 for 1,200 Rubles to tanner Zunft Master Christian Dentler and Janett Dentler. In 1857, Janett also inherited the Christian’s part.

The brick house with 11 rooms has been here since at least 1863, when it belonged to Jennie König. Then there was a separate factory building on this plot, possibly a tannery, because in 1879, when the property belonged to Theodor Michelsohn (he bought it at auction in 1876 for 2,500 Rubles), there was a tannery here, which was managed by a 2nd class trade assistant Karl Horn with 8 (!) helpers. Most likely, the tannery was located on the bank of the Tebra, because that year there was a pub owned and run by Emma Günther, which could hardly have been in the same building as the tannery. In 1884, the pub here belonged to Christoph Wiedner.

In 1889, the house from Theodor Michelsohn was bought by the merchant Kārlis Dēlands, and from the early 1890s until at least 1900 he also had a pub here. From 1896 there was also a shop for colonial goods and material goods, and, like the inn, which the Town Council allowed Kārlis Dēlands to open here in 1901, was still here after the First World War.

In 1911, there was a J. Raude beer shop here.

After the death of Kārlis Dēlands in 1933, his property was inherited by his son Oskars Dēlands, who had a grocery store here. In the 1930s, Osvalds Mackus' hairdresser was also here.

Oskars Dēlands was arrested on February 3, 1941 and accused of anti-Soviet propaganda among Kulaks (bigger landowners) and former national guards and of wanting to create a network of anti-Soviet organizations in Aizpute District. Dēlands was saved by the fact that his wife was a German who had already repatriated. On the basis of the Supplementary Agreement between the USSR and Germany on January 10, 1941 on the post-emigration of Germans, the German side demanded that Dēlands be allowed to leave. This is how Dēlands ended up in Germany instead of Siberia.

Nowadays - the building is privately owned.

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