CONFERENCESeasonal settlement in rural areas of Latvia
Ineta Grine
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
Undine Grigorjeva
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
Dita Ananconoka
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
Egina Senberga
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
Toms Vanders
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
DOI: 10.22364/fg.15.33
Keywords: rural settlement, second homes, seasonal residents, Vidzeme, border municipalities
Abstract
In many parts of Europe, owning a second home is a part of the cultural tradition and lifestyle, and makes up a significant part of the tourism infrastructure. In Latvia, farmsteads and their associated lifestyle, behaviors and values are becoming increasingly popular; farmhouses are popular second homes. The topics of second homes and seasonal populations are not widely researched in Latvia. A general characterization of the seasonal population and second homes in rural areas based on available literature is provided in the beginning of the paper. Following this are descriptions of second homes in selected areas of Vidzeme Upland and the borderlands of Latgale, Vidzeme and Sēlija. Analysis of the situation shows that a significant desire exists to escape busy city life, noise, pollution, stress and crowds, as well as to enjoy and be closer to the natural landscape. On the other hand, permanent moves to any of the rural municipalities are impeded by obstacles related to the negative socio-economic situation – unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. Despite the growing interest in life in the rural territories, peripheral rural territories are less attractive to seasonal inhabitants than peri-urban territories in Latvia. This profile is not unique to Latvia; results in study areas reflect the results of similar studies of second homes and their owners in other countries in Europe.