Limbaži District

Limbaži District (Latvian: Limbažu rajons) was an administrative division of Latvia, located in Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. It bordered Estonia in the north, the former districts of Riga in the south and Valmiera in the east, and the Gulf of Riga in the west. It covered the territory of the medieval Livonian county of Metsepole. The main city in the district was Limbaži.

Districts were eliminated during the administrative-territorial reform in 2009.

Coordinates: 57°31′N 24°43′E / 57.517°N 24.717°E / 57.517; 24.717

Limbaži

Limbaži ( pronunciation , Estonian: Lemsalu, German: Lemsal, Livonian: Lämmist nīn) is a town in the Vidzeme region of northern Latvia. Limbaži is located 90 km northeast of the capital Riga. The population is 8705 people. During the Middle Ages, as part of Livonia, Limbazi was a fortified town with stone walls, second in importance only to Riga.

Etymology

The name Lämmist nīn is believed to be a Livonian word meaning "wide isle in a forest swamp". The German Lemsahl is derived from the Livonian name.

According to folk etymology, the name Limbaži originated sometime in the 17th century. A recently arrived Swedish minister overheard some gibberish, "limba" and "aži". Mistakenly, he assumed this was the name of the village, and so the town was called "Limbaži".

History

In ancient times, Limbaži was a Livonian settlement known as Lemisele, part of Metsepole. In the early 13th century, Bishop Albert and the Teutonic knights destroyed the village while conquering Metsepole, and built a castle, around which formed the new city, Lemsahl.