Latvia's culture minister urges parliament to revive law on renaming Soviet-era place names

Latvia's Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis has called on the Saeima to return to a stalled bill that would rename streets and towns whose names date back to the Soviet occupation period. The minister's adviser, Agnese Varpiņa, informed the LETA news agency of the initiative.

Varpiņa recalled that on June 19, 2023, then-President Egils Levits urged parliament to pass a law changing names introduced in Latvia as a result of the communist totalitarian regime's policies and Russification efforts. Puntulis has now submitted this proposal to the Saeima's Education, Culture and Science Committee.

The draft law envisions bringing street and settlement names assigned during the totalitarian occupation regime into line with Latvian cultural identity and statehood.

Examples cited

Puntulis argued it is unacceptable that Latvia still has names such as Pioneer Street, Moscow Street, October Street, Andrejs Upīts Street and Pauls Lejiņš Street, as well as settlements called Aukstie Strauti (Cold Streams) and Klusā Osta (Quiet Harbor).

According to the minister, abandoning street names that glorify the communist totalitarian regime or its supporters would foster a more Latvian environment, strengthen Latvian national identity, and reinforce a free, democratic state.

Levit's 2023 letter to the Saeima included a draft law on renaming occupation-era streets, developed by the Public Memory Center, along with a list of specific Latvian place and street names recommended for change.