26.11.08.

As LETA’s 90th anniversary nears (March 4, 2009), we have launched a unique project called "Latvia After 90. Places. People. Events.". In the course of this project, we will determinē and document the Latvian cities and landscapes depicted on postcards painted by Ervins Volfeils and published by LETA 90 years ago.

From November 2008 to March 2009, journalist Kristaps Ceplis will visit the places shown on the postcards, and report on the changes through the years and deveolopments there today. The reportages will available on Kristaps’ blog, news items, photographs and videos. www.leta90.lv/celojums.

In cooperation with the newspaper "Diena", the portal diena.lv and regional newspapers "Kursas Laiks", "Neatkarīgās Tukuma Ziņas", "Bauskas Dzīve", "Zemgales Ziņas", "Novaja Gazeta", "Staburags", "Dzirkstele", "Alūksnes Ziņas" and "Ziemeļlatvija", each and everyone is invited to tell their stories about the places seen on the postcards and become involved in discussion with others.

LETA Publishing House began releasing the postcards in the early 1920s. They were the very first color ones after WWI, that were available at LETA kiosks at railway stadions. Today they can only be found in private collections and the Latvian National Library.

The creator of the postcards – German-Latvian painter Ervins Volfeils, after being part of Latvia’s fight for freedom, became one of the first to attend the Latvian Academy of Art. He later was a drawing/art history teacher in Madona and Cesvaine, but in 1939 relocated to Germany.

LETA produced about 100 Volfeils’ postcards, where about 20 Latvian cities and vistas are depicted.

For more information: www.leta90.lv/celojums