Metadata : Commercial Court of Liepāja
Collection
- Country:
- Latvia
- Holding institution:
- Latvian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs <br/><br/> (Latvijas PSR Centrālais valsts vēstures arhīvs)
- Postal address:
- Slokas iela 16, Rīga, LV-1048
- Phone number:
- +371 67 613 118
- Web address:
- https://www.arhivi.gov.lv/
- Country:
- Latvia
- Holding institution:
- Latvian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Latvijas Valsts vēstures arhīvs <br/><br/> (Latvijas PSR Centrālais valsts vēstures arhīvs)
- Postal address:
- Slokas iela 16, Rīga, LV-1048
- Phone number:
- +371 67 613 118
- Web address:
- https://www.arhivi.gov.lv/
- Reference number:
- LVVA.756
- Title:
- Commercial Court of Liepāja
- Title (official language):
- Liepājas Pilsētas Tirdzniecības Tiesa
- Creator/accumulator:
- Commercial Court of Liepāja
- Date(s):
- 1861/1889
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 1,544 documents, including 285 Jewish-related legal cases
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
At the beginning of the 16th century, many Jewish families moved to Liepaja. However, they were not allowed to settle there officially until the end of the 18th century, i.e. before the request by Christian merchants to encourage trade in the region. In 1795, only 20 Jews (0.4% of the population) lived in Liepaja, whereas by 1863 the Jewish population had grown to 1,700 inhabitants, 17% of the total population of the city. Approximately ten percent of these Jews were merchants. In addition, about one quarter of factories and companies were owned by Jews.
The collection consists of legal cases that were received by the Liepaja City Commercial Court in the second half of the nineteenth century (1861-1889) while it was part of the Russian Empire. The Jewish-related records make up one fifth of fonds number 756 assembled by the Latvian State Historical Archives. Accordingly, there are 285 records in which 202 Jews and 14 companies owned by Jews in that period are mentioned.
All the court cases mentioned above are written in German attesting to the cultural influence of German-speaking Jewry during that period. The majority of Jews in Courland spoke German and not Yiddish before the Second World War.
Lawsuit cases comprise a large part of the collection (223 of 285 records, 1862-1889). Most of the records in question are proceedings between two or more private individuals (181 records, 1862-1889). On the other hand 23 lawsuits (1863-1888) are prosecutions representing companies against private persons, 13 of the lawsuits are instituted by private citizens against companies (1873-1888) and one is a lawsuit by one company against another company. (1885). There are also lawsuits in which the plaintiff is a bankruptcy trustee (3 records of 1882 and 1 record of 1883). There is one other lawsuit from 1867 and eight documents in which the plaintiffs and defendants managed to settle (1872-1888).
The 285 legal cases in question include 34 cases concerning arrest requests against companies and private individuals. In the Jewish-related data, the vast majority of arrest request cases are against private individuals (30 records, 1878-1889), which were received by the court from other private persons (25 records, 1878-1889), or by companies (5 records, 1880-1888). Four cases contain arrest requests against companies (4 records, 1883-1885), three arrest requests are issued by other companies (3 records, 1883-1885) and only one request is from a private person (1 record, 1883).
The collection contains three cases concerning wage contracts concluded between private individuals (3 records, 1870). Moreover, the dossiers include agreements between a company and an individual (1 record, 1880), between two private individuals (2 records, 1880); two applications were received by the court from companies (2 records, 1883) and five cases concern auction requests (1885-1886).
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The Liepaja City Commercial Court (Latvian: Liepājas Pilsētas Tirdzniecības Tiesa) functioned from 1625-1889. The court was located in Liepaja, one of the two port cities (along with Ventspils) of Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme), in Western Latvia. Courland was not a part of the Pale of Settlement. Therefore, Jews who wanted to escape from the Pale Settlement moved to Courland despite the restrictions imposed on settlement and citizenship. In 1795 Latvia was annexed by the Russian Empire which enabled the development of Liepaja as Russia’s westernmost commercial port. The harbor of Liepaja was used to export a vast variety of products, such as linen, wool, grain, oil, wood, etc.
In 1881 the government of the Russian empire issued a decree according to which Jews whose trade differed from their officially registered one were forced to leave Liepaja and move to the Pale of Settlement. As a result, the majority of Jews emigrated to Great Britain, the USA and South Africa.
- Access points: locations:
- Liepaja
- Subject terms:
- Legal matters
- Legal records
- Trade and commerce
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Aviva Katourkina, The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Reference number:
- LVVA.756
- Title:
- Commercial Court of Liepāja
- Title (official language):
- Liepājas Pilsētas Tirdzniecības Tiesa
- Creator/accumulator:
- Commercial Court of Liepāja
- Date(s):
- 1861/1889
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 1,544 documents, including 285 Jewish-related legal cases
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
At the beginning of the 16th century, many Jewish families moved to Liepaja. However, they were not allowed to settle there officially until the end of the 18th century, i.e. before the request by Christian merchants to encourage trade in the region. In 1795, only 20 Jews (0.4% of the population) lived in Liepaja, whereas by 1863 the Jewish population had grown to 1,700 inhabitants, 17% of the total population of the city. Approximately ten percent of these Jews were merchants. In addition, about one quarter of factories and companies were owned by Jews.
The collection consists of legal cases that were received by the Liepaja City Commercial Court in the second half of the nineteenth century (1861-1889) while it was part of the Russian Empire. The Jewish-related records make up one fifth of fonds number 756 assembled by the Latvian State Historical Archives. Accordingly, there are 285 records in which 202 Jews and 14 companies owned by Jews in that period are mentioned.
All the court cases mentioned above are written in German attesting to the cultural influence of German-speaking Jewry during that period. The majority of Jews in Courland spoke German and not Yiddish before the Second World War.
Lawsuit cases comprise a large part of the collection (223 of 285 records, 1862-1889). Most of the records in question are proceedings between two or more private individuals (181 records, 1862-1889). On the other hand 23 lawsuits (1863-1888) are prosecutions representing companies against private persons, 13 of the lawsuits are instituted by private citizens against companies (1873-1888) and one is a lawsuit by one company against another company. (1885). There are also lawsuits in which the plaintiff is a bankruptcy trustee (3 records of 1882 and 1 record of 1883). There is one other lawsuit from 1867 and eight documents in which the plaintiffs and defendants managed to settle (1872-1888).
The 285 legal cases in question include 34 cases concerning arrest requests against companies and private individuals. In the Jewish-related data, the vast majority of arrest request cases are against private individuals (30 records, 1878-1889), which were received by the court from other private persons (25 records, 1878-1889), or by companies (5 records, 1880-1888). Four cases contain arrest requests against companies (4 records, 1883-1885), three arrest requests are issued by other companies (3 records, 1883-1885) and only one request is from a private person (1 record, 1883).
The collection contains three cases concerning wage contracts concluded between private individuals (3 records, 1870). Moreover, the dossiers include agreements between a company and an individual (1 record, 1880), between two private individuals (2 records, 1880); two applications were received by the court from companies (2 records, 1883) and five cases concern auction requests (1885-1886).
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The Liepaja City Commercial Court (Latvian: Liepājas Pilsētas Tirdzniecības Tiesa) functioned from 1625-1889. The court was located in Liepaja, one of the two port cities (along with Ventspils) of Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme), in Western Latvia. Courland was not a part of the Pale of Settlement. Therefore, Jews who wanted to escape from the Pale Settlement moved to Courland despite the restrictions imposed on settlement and citizenship. In 1795 Latvia was annexed by the Russian Empire which enabled the development of Liepaja as Russia’s westernmost commercial port. The harbor of Liepaja was used to export a vast variety of products, such as linen, wool, grain, oil, wood, etc.
In 1881 the government of the Russian empire issued a decree according to which Jews whose trade differed from their officially registered one were forced to leave Liepaja and move to the Pale of Settlement. As a result, the majority of Jews emigrated to Great Britain, the USA and South Africa.
- Access points: locations:
- Liepaja
- Subject terms:
- Legal matters
- Legal records
- Trade and commerce
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Aviva Katourkina, The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
