Our partners
The 500 years of Latvian Books set of events began in 2021 with a number of think tanks in which historians, publishing-sector experts, heads of cultural institutions, lecturers and researchers participated. The 500th anniversary of publishing is a branched collaboration between numerous sectors, institutions and people.
Every Thursday, Latvijas radio programme Grāmatai pa pēdām. Latviešu grāmatai 500 (On the trail of Latvian Books.500 years of Latvian Books) discusses the development of the Latvian language and publishing over five centuries.
Think tanks
In order to address and involve as broad a cross-section of the public as possible, a think tank– a creative group of like-minded people – led by National Library of Latvia Director Andris Vilks was established for the 500 years of Latvian Books programme. Think tank participants are professionals from various sectors, as well as managers of Latvian cultural institutions. The workshops were held on 24 August 2021 and 26 April 2022. Seminars for cultural institutions on the development and implementation of the 500 years of Latvian Books programme were held on 21 September 2021 and 27 March 2022.
Deductions heard at think tank meetings.
The first word written down in Latvian is a huge turning point on the way to becoming a nation and a national state.
The viability of the Latvian nation is based on the written word and our literary heritage. The written word is enduring and viable throughout time.
Books and the written word are cultural phenomena. Every person has at least one book which means very much to them.
