Europe, What's Next? - A Journey Through Latvia | In Focus
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- We visited Latvia once before more than a decade ago. Now we've returned to the tiny republic in north-eastern Europe, met the people we talked to before and asked them how they've been getting along. We talk to the manager of a brick factory in Cēsis, a worker on an organic farm in Renda, and a former student who has since found a job in Kuldīga. They are many voices in one small country.
I LOVE LATVIA!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Hello from Florida!
Didn't expect to see you here, Love your videos. Sorry for commenting on a 2 year old comment.
🇱🇻 Latvia is a beautiful country 👌🏻
Veron Ina thanks!!!
Veron Ina and very beautiful, elegant ladies, i know because my girlfriend is from krāslava
Beautiful country, beautiful people. Hello from Moldova
Thank you very much!
@@esterekeisa2843 you welcome
Hi, I`m from Indonesia. i have been visited Latvia 5 years ago. What a wonderful country
Thanks...? and i agree it as awesome to live in!
i was born in latvia, grew up in latvia, and i am still living there. i don't think it's that great. politics suck, we have a small army. if war broke out we would probably be occupied by russia.
@@chmits8282 Isnt that why Nato existsts... bc even if Latvia has a small army the US would intervene and Russia wouldn't stand a chance
Estonia send its love and many potatoes.
Markus Pruudel
kartupeļi!
Andrew Hay But seriously, love you both from Australia.
EU , EU , EU EU EU help and funding...good video narration
I love Latvia, i was there 5 years ago. I will back this summer. People, food And the ballet Are awesome. From Oslo with love.
I've been there 3 times in 2 years and selling my house in Canada to marry an amazing Latvian woman and move to Riga! I'm super impressed and very positive for Latvia's future; although I admit I'm still concerned about Russia's future aggressive intentions towards the Baltic states.
And how is it going now?
Yeah Latvija is an beutiful place. And I love it... if I wouldn't I wouldn't live there... what ever I LOVE LATVIA!!!!
Very beautiful and happy country. I'd love to visit.
beautiful-yes, but no longer happy-thanks to the government
The way that the woman pronounced those towns... :D
Not just the town names, but also the English. I'd rather people didn't try to emulate either British or US pronunciation, but used their natural accent.
She pronounced from local latvian language
@@dazzling9606 sure, she didn't (i'm local)
For someone who probably never spoke a word of Latvian before making this report, she pronounces them quite well, actually.
My best mate.. Correction, my a brother, is Latvian. He and his family are amazing, and I love them as my own. Tom has shared many stories of Latvia as well as shared some cultural experience. I yearn for the day I have opportunity to visit such a wonderful place.. I hope all the people as like Tom and his family :).
Light and love to the people of Latvia. I hope everything improves soon
I just returned from Riga after having spent three days there. Riga is a warm, cultured, clean, patriotic, kind and beautiful city. In due time, I will take my wife and our family to Latvia for a more lengthy visit.
I liked this documentary a lot. It could so easily have been shifted to portray the negatives, but you always included hopeful messages too❤️
I think in this day and age learning 3 or more language has become sort of a necessity. Knowing languages opens doors to many opportunities, and it's not to hard to pick up the languages if you start early.
In America, you speak American solely
Beautiful, makes me want to visit
Latvia, welcome in the Euro currency! I write from Italy and I wish you the effects of this currency will be good in Latvia. Mauro
A beautiful video, thank you :) If we stay together, we can make it :) Work!!! ;) Latvia is a wonderful place to live!
Interesting to see other parts of europe that are not the same commonly known ones... I am Colombian living in South Florida, I would love to get to personally see these places in real life. I hope one day I'll visit Latvia.
I'd always choose to live in Latvia's countryside instead of Russia's and not just because I'm Latvian
1) As I said, on average salaries are still higher in Latvia than Russia
2) in Latvia's countryside I'm still just 200 km away from cheap airline ticket to West European capitals where I can work without permits and hiding, deep in Russia you just don't have that possibility
Many Latvians learn Scandinavian languages, it's weird for Latvian not to know two foreign languages and many speak 3 at least to some extent (Russian, English, German) or more, many people have opportunities to study in Scandinavia, Great Britain, Germany or go on Erasmus exchange. You wouldn't be able to do so, if you were Russian citizen, at least it would be several times harder...
That's quite true. I can tell a Russian from a deep province, visa to Europe/USA even for a short visit is very hard to get, you must provide tons of papers and proof of making decent money so they see you don't plan to escape mother Russia, not to mention the closest visa center is at least 1000 km away. To study in EU you must pay several times higher of what the members of European Union pay. We're talking numbers that are often unimaginably high by Russian standards so it's nearly impossible unless you've got rich parents. In short, living in deep Russia is basically a curse and to make something out of yourself one must go through hell, excel in every way possible and be extremely ambitious.
OnRock19 Whereabouts in Russia do you come from?
OnRock19 Your English is far too good for a Russian :)
You wot mate
Thanks, but I am an interpreter so that's why :D I suppose I may have overstated a few things, but in general, it's pretty much true about what I said. Like the other day I was checking what's most in demand here, and it's construction workers and retail shop assistants. So basically no IT sector and not much else. Internet is the only place where I've found some kind of work thank god. Without it not sure what I'd be doing. This place can drive you nuts.
TranceMood2043 so where are you in Russia? I'm planning to visit just wondering. THANKS
The damage Latvia is still trying to recover from today, is the damage caused as a result of four years by Anglo-American support for the USSR during WW2, and the 40 years of Soviet Russian occupation which followed!
I want to come to Latvia
I am latvian
I am from Canada, I visited Latvia very beautiful country! They are very tall people there, as a 6'7 man I saw a lot of people that were taller even some 7fters!
All i wanted..was free Latvia and no one else telling us what to do.
HamTittiesAss cuz that will ever happen
@@robertp1580 must you ruin the moment?
Raimonds Zakis truth hurts
Latvia is a beautiful place
Latvia is a pretty cool country
I like how straightforward Latvian society is. I live in the heartland of US, Ohio, and I think faux conversation is saccharine and frustrating. I appreciate they keep to themselves in public settings but most sincere to the loved ones in their lives. It's tiresome to go through the whole day and play niceties with strangers. Maybe one day I can visit! I wish the country good fortune in the future.
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Thank you!
Oh man i miss this county, it used to be so famous now i moved to uk because of my parents and im so sad i left.
Me too not so sad that I left though
why
when was it famous?
Same
Thats a top class documentary and gives quite good idea about Latvia -- From an Indian
Utpal Khardenavis stfu thats not true
Why, Whats wrong about the documentary?
That gives you the idea that we are poor and the only people living here are russians.
Latvians are dying out at super speeds. In comparison from a year 2000 to 2015 there has been a colossal 40% decrease of young children attending the first grade in schools. Mainly because big part of Latvians do not respect their own country, refuse to stay and build it strong, but rather flee to UK, Ireland and Scandinavia to get an instant better life. (why try hard if you can go somewhere else and everything is on the plate already) Somehow after gaining independence they thought that their country in 20 years will suddenly be as rich and stable as western world without not much hard work and input from themselves, and by so I mean strengthening the democracy, fighting against corruption etc. But they run away. The only excuse for them is that they send some part of their income back home, but the thing they dont understand is that if you are not participating in government elections, if you are not active politically, if you are not on the ground as a consumer and a generator of ideas, career, employment, protest and change in general - the country is going to procrastinate and eventually fail. Because of the low voting activity pro russian politicians are gaining more influence year by year, and because of the enormous emigration and very low demography its estimated that Latvians will be a minority in their own country in 30 to 50 years.
Double J WTW IM LATVIAN AND I FIND THAT SOMEHOW RUDE😡😡😡😡😡😤😤😤😤😤
so unfair reflection on Latvia.... sad that the focus is concentraited and seeked at downside.
Liene Zariņa exactly
Unfair is telling ppl around the world how great you are and from other side beg for money
@@DimasLV83 beg for money? Our money got stolen by russia.
P.s your nickname gives away that ur probably russian.
It's not unfair. They are telling about good and bad things, not only one or the other. The situation, however, was and still is not the best, you have to admit that. Sure, we love our country, but we also have to admit the things that are wrong with it. My friend couldn't find work here, and now she lives in Britain and doesn't want to come back because they treat her better there. Sad, but true,.
Informative video
Keep
Calm
And
Love
Latvia ;)
My parents left Latvia in '40's after it became under Soviet rule...lived in Germany for few years then emigrated to United States..I was the fifth and last child..only one born in the States...never met my grandparents as they stayed behind...my parents spent alot of time staring off into space in their free time...you could see they weren't happy...sad
This does not reflect Latvia. All they showed is dying off villages, as if that all there is.
sadly it's almost all there is :(
@@traxxaz from my perspective there is more to it.
Latvia kept growing. It looks better, roads are fixed ect. It looks better by the day after USSR.
i'm Latvian :D ------ es esu Latvietis :D
Kā tad :D
Vispār jau: es esmu
It's petty when you see how people are starving because of the inability of government and it is not only Latvian problem. Before the arrival of European crisis not only Latvia has large public debts. Unfortunately Margaret Thatcher's words were true when she said that the problem with socialism was that it was spending plenty of other people's money until money was exhausted. Despite the crisis, countries of EU ( for example Latvia ) have not tried to save money, and they increase taxes for the reason of recover. As the author says: "They are many voices in one small country." and every voice must be taken into account! Love you Latvia and wish you all the best. kind regards from Georgia
a supporter of thatcher?!really?
By the way at time video was shot - Latvia was one of major producers of networking and comunication products in the world. There were lot of vacancies in engineering science jobs. Lot of startups ranging from woodworking to space related projects and companies - etc. Sure people without education or skills had struggles - as they have all the time.
I’ve never seen a countryside so beautiful, lush and green. Why would Latvians want to move to elsewhere - everything is here - land, soil, weather and fresh air.
taxes and wages and prices are crazy
Still waiting for the day a report like this will be made in Serbia!
An immigrant myself once I feel striked every time hearing an idea of going abroad for good due to economic reasons. My father and my brother settled abroad for good. I believe forced migration is not a solution here. Looks as though the developed world roots out the population of less developed countries. How long could this continue to happen? Do all of big city planners ever account for the demographic situation? Meaning, that some countries/cities become overpopulated anthills with no air to breathe, while other countries look more like abandoned fields where only wind weaves its song through the rare leaves. One needs to rethink development strategies for big cities and countries. Or we might end up with London, Berlin, Paris...or any other huge city swallowing up the population of smaller countries in the form of migration. That's a huge reallocation of human resources that brings costs on the downside for both, overpopulated countries/cities and small countries/cities.
Their you go you receive donation for trees. Trees example fruits can feed the world. Just one example how you can stay in your area provide jobs. Never give up hope or work in other counties to invest in your Country.
Because after the fall of USSR, the only official language of Latvia is latvian. The ones that speak only russian are just leftovers of the occupation years.
Yeah there were some such cases but honestly Parex bank problem was the biggest one.
my grandparents live in cesis :)
TehLawlzer I was born in cecis
Well they clearly spent a lot of time looking for expensive cars to film. Yes there were and still are some Bentleys and S-class Mercedes rolling around Rīga, but where the hell did they find a Dodge Viper?
Must be the same one I saw last August when I was there for a month. RED!
hope for next video in 2023 or some kind of
Organic farming in the traditional method, people were healthy to old age .
How the narrator pronounces Latvian City names is sooo funny! (no offence)
Ok :)
How is it that all these Eastern countries have all the beautiful women! Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine etc. I see why wealthy men in the West go to these countries looking for a good wife. I mean this with respect not something else.
Outsourcing manufacture while exporting natural resources... sounds familiar. Teachers have to travel internationally for better pay at a fish factory? Job loss, job insecurity, lack of opportunity.. damn! Lots of people getting screwed..
It is, isn't it? I am ethnic Russian born and bred in Daugavpils. I will never leave this country. Because it's home.
We pray they will subdue the Russian minority into their mindset and that Latvia will make it through the EU !
It is incredible. You guy living in such great places like Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, etc, ad still thinking of warfare! You have no idea what you have
she's speaking with a German American English accent; strange hybrid.
they didn't put in Liepaja it is one of the biggest towns in Latvia
Narrators need to learn correct pronunciations of people's names as well as the cities and towns
There where Scandinavian banks that gave home loans without confirming income amount by asking reference from State Revenue Service. This way anyone could come into a bank, wrote down on piece of paper imagined salary - and would receive home loan. That created housing bubble what crashed our economy.
I miss my latvia :(
My homeland
Oklahoma Singing ChurchWomen will be singing across Latvia this Summer.
Jim Norton at 2:03 !!
sound familiar?
OK!! safetyshoess? everyvhere!
What types of work we can do there?
alot of latvians realy dont like russians.Thats realy a problem here..
and yes "Blah Blah" is right.Afther the fall of the USSR.The only oficial lanluage in Latvia is latvian.So all sighns and writings have to be in latvian.AND ONLY LATVIAN.
PLEASE !!!! SOMEONE tell me the name of this song in the beginning of the doc ? :(
9:56 "Some russians unwilling to change street signs".
The street signs on the screen seem to be in dual language, so why do the signs need to be changed if the population seems to be bilingual as well?
Seems counterproductive.
Yeah it seems like to take at least one tiny detail
The depopulation of Latvia is way way higher than stats of death and negative natality.
People are leaving this place or being largely killed.
burns83 Largely killing? whre you get that :D In Latvia, Riga is much safier to go walk at midnight than in London or NY.
I know many many people who left Latvia to work in UK and other cuntries.
And you know what ? I am happy they left, because they all were lazy, drinkers and loved narcotics.... We doon`t need bad people in Latvia... all hard workers are staying
Look at the numbers and see how they make no sense.
I mean large killed as a 'no other alternative' saying.
The numbers would have to be made up and for what purpose? Makes no sense.
Thank you for sharing! Could you provide contact information from Marija's tea farm?
I live in Latvia )
Coming to Latvia this February. I know you don't like Russians that much. How about Slovenians? Should I be worried? :)
Z J-P no we like Slovenians, in fact I have one in my class
Aleksandrs Skulte Wow really? Where do you live? I'm staying in Kuldīga.
Z J-P I live in Jurmala and also in Austria
Sugar factory should have reopen the people need employment. It takes a spark to build a community. Sell the beef on the land open a meat packing plant.
Is it better to raise a family in Europe or USA?
You aren't scared of school shootings while sending kids to school in europe
Sesis :D
ok nobody is gonna say anything, about the super bad way she pronounced our city names? like not even close to what it sounds like. and its not that bad here. god... do all people travel to different country's to look for the worst things there?
Eliza no we won't say anything about how she pronounced your stupid cities names. Only area we should get name right is Skede beach. . You Latvians were the shooters there . How many did you Latvian shooters kill jews there?
I'm latvian
SwagGie 9099 lucky you
SwagGie 9099 me too🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻
Veron Ina Where are you from then?
@@Veron_Ina 😁
The city names sound nothing like that
I’ve been visiting Latvia quite often over the last couple of years . I think it’s a beautiful country but they have big problems to solve . There is great potential in the people but the young just want out . As in most countries the gap between rich and poor is getting too big .
Hi guys how is the economy in latvia right now?
Every year better and better . We learning from old mistakes and don’t stress if something happened little different how you want !
The eurozonewas a nightmare to begin with
Hallo OnRock19...I am from Netherlands...I was very stirred by your narrative of how your perspective is from the deep Russian province,and yes the way you describe it,is the way I always expected it to be,your description is even worse....for me and so many Europeans, Russia is an eery white big spot on the planet, although it is geographically so close...and is nobody ever wondering why no serious person ever wants to emigrate to Russia...give it a thought...I feel very sorry for the likes of you, and it also makes me think a bit more differentiated about Russians...but that won't help you in no way.....greetings from Holland...
beautiful country, shame about the economics though, i feel sorry for these people D:
this is old and depressive information about our country. Crisis is far behind and latvia is as beautiful as never
beautiful country, wish I cud go there some time, hope there's no racism as I am pitch black.
I wouldn't worry about racism too much, latvians typically aren't aggressive, perhaps a curious stare here or there, though exceptions always exist, be it Latvia or anywhere. As long as common sense is a friend, it should be fine to visit! Certainly there are hostile elements here and there, tracksuit wearing skinhead wannabies mouthing off in russian(not necessarily russian), but those fellows are hostile to pretty much everyone, not quite racism you know! And in that regard over the last few years situation has improved lots( though the problem has not disappeared altogether). Can't vouch for every latvian and situation might differ in rural regions( honestly, Riga is a fairly cosmopolitan city, should be perfectly fine for a visit), but I don't think colour of one's skin would be much of a problem here at all. Source: Being latvian
thank you Wandererlv
Maybe old gen ppl are a bit racist but they don't show it of in public
thanks for info. one day I'll take a trip there.
Sikhumbuzo Tom It will probably depend on where you go. As you are black you will face wierd looks from any person after 50yrs and you may face racism in several clubs... Just sayin, it depends on where you go. Best thing is to know where to go. I will be honest, there are many cases where both young and old people do racist things.
You just need to understand history of Latvia. There are probably more then half of country that havent seen real black man or chinese... :)
Dude WTF the begining is not like that
Your video makes me miss this country...Just came back from Latvia and got so inspired that made my own video too! Thank you Riga for welcoming me...
ua-cam.com/video/YkAvv8dRb6k/v-deo.html
Me too
1:26 2.2 Mil? Yeah not anymore
correct,Lithuania,Latvia Estonia,all dacian tracian tribes
Man patik
ALL THANKS TO THE RUSSIAN MAFIA
Material regarding Latvia should not focus on Riga because ethnic Latvians are a minority there
maybe, all the signs in Braille (on ATM's, for example) should also be removed, because Braille is not official language of Latvia :D
way she speek in german?
kāpēc vāciski????
Daugavpils ethnic russian minority?
The're are only 7% of ethnic latvians left there, we are the minority there.
Translation from Latvian or Russian is not correct.
A very poor (no pun intended) representation of the country, it's like they showed the absolute worst bits they could find. Why the bias, and a rather inaccurate one at that?