Jelgava

Jelgava (pronounced [jælɡava]; also known as Mitau, see also other names) is a city in central Latvia about 41 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Riga with about 63,000 inhabitants. It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578-1795) and the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795-1918).

Jelgava is situated on a fertile plain rising only 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) above mean sea level on the right bank of the river Lielupe. At high water the plain and sometimes the town as well can be flooded. It is a railway center and is also host to Jelgava Air Base. Its importance as a railway centre can be seen by the fact that it lies at the junction of over 6 railway lines connecting Riga to Lithuania, eastern and western Latvia, and Lithuania to the Baltic sea.

Name

Until 1917, the city was officially referred to as Mitau. The name Jelgava is believed to be derived from the Livonian word jālgab, meaning "town on the river." The origin of the German name Mitau is unclear, although it is suggested that it came from the Latvian words mīt or mainīt, meaning "to exchange" or "to trade," thus making it "the place where trading takes place." An alternate explanation is that Mitau came from Mitte in der Aue, German for "the middle of the Aa", referring to the Lielupe River, formerly known as the Courland Aa (Kurländische Aa in German).

Jelgava Air Base

Jelgava (ICAO: EVEA), also known as Yelgava, is an airport in Latvia located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northwest of Jelgava, a city in Latvia. It was a military forward deployment attack base, now used by general aviation, mostly parachutists and private aircraft.

History

Air Base Jelgava was part of the first defense line of the Soviet Union. While Air Base Tukums was one of the main Soviet Air Force bases in Latvia for aircraft like the Mig-29 and SU-27, air base Jelgave was a back up base with one runway. The air base was maintained for possible backup and used for helicopters and some light aircraft. In the late 80s the runway was extended to allow use by jet aircraft.

The 285 OVEREB (285th Independent Electronic Warfare Helicopter Squadron) was based here in the 1990s flying Mi-8 aircraft.

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