"Jurmala: Nature and Cultural Heritage" (Neputns) is everything you'll ever need to know, and a little bit more, about Jurmala. This recently published book is a lovingly written and thoroughly researched love letter to the Latvian coastal city, which lies a little more than 20 kilometers away from Riga.
The book dwells on everything from Jurmala's extremely beautiful nature to its long and turbulent history, its rich and diverse architecture and its central role in Latvia's cultural heritage.
Some people might find 350-odd pages of hair-splitting detail just a little too much, but if you're a resident of Jurmala, or just a hardened Jurmalaphile, then you'll relish every last syllable of this scholarly but accessible book.
As for us, we just liked the pictures, of which there are very, very many. There are some amazing black-and-white photos showing Jurmala's beautiful sandy beaches packed out with people limb-to-limb back in the early 20th century. There's also a wonderful picture of the ice mountains which occasionally form in harsh winters (along with a thorough scientific explanation of the phenomenon, of course).
Some of the text is also very interesting and there are some fascinating anecdotes about the region, such as the convoluted laws that used to govern which sex could use the beach and when. And that's before we even get close to the laws governing nudism.
It's also very interesting to read up on the region's history, especially how it was such a prestigious place in the U.S.S.R. Ironically, the region is similarly very popular with Russians nowadays, although these particular Russians are rather wealthy in comparison, and are fast making Jurmala into the Bel Air of Latvia.
The book could well have been much shorter than it is to have enjoyed more popular appeal, but it will certainly be appreciated by anyone with a genuine interest in the area and Latvia itself.
