Withering shadows of a flourishing past: digging into the value of former industrial legacy in Latvia

By

Ilze Grīnfelde & Linda Veliverronena

 

 

Economic, political, and social transformations have left behind an abundance of unused or deteriorating industrial territories, infrastructure complexes, and even towns.  This can be observed especially in large numbers in the post-Soviet countries, which in the last century experienced a planned economy and then a transition to a market economy, dramatically changing processes.

It left not only physical evidence in the landscape but also raised questions about what should be preserved from all this and how to find new functions for objects under modern conditions. For some, this legacy seems dissonant due to its lack of physical attractiveness and needs to be demolished, while others see in it opportunities to expand

cultural and tourism offerings, which in turn create space for resident engagement and increase the quality of the living space. Using vivid stories of Latvia’s industrial legacy, we will illustrate the dilemmas of the survival of this heritage.