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Old photos of Jelgava

14 photographs of Jelgava, from 1922 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

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What the photos show

The 14 photographs of Jelgava on PlaceWas span 5 decades, from 1922 to 2025. 3 of them were taken before 1980; the other 11 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.1 spot was photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.14 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

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Places in Jelgava through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

EU: Jelgava (1935), Jelgava — photos through time
EU: Jelgava (1935) 3 photos · 1922–1935

Stories from Jelgava

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Kurzemes Bruņniecības nams Jelgavā (1922), Jelgava, 1922
EU: Kurzemes Bruņniecības nams Jelgavā (1922) 1922 Built as the seat of the Duchy of Courland's nobility corporation, the Kurzemes Bruņniecības nams (Courland Knighthood House) in Jelgava, Latvia, appears here in a 1922 photograph. The building long served as a gathering…
EU: Jelgava. Skats uz Trīsvienības baznīcu (1935), Jelgava, 1935
EU: Jelgava. Skats uz Trīsvienības baznīcu (1935) 1935 This 1935 photograph offers a view toward Jelgava's Holy Trinity Church (Trīsvienības baznīca), a landmark of the former Courland capital whose tower long served as a point of orientation in the city.
EU: Jelgava (1935), Jelgava, 1935
EU: Jelgava (1935) 1935 Jelgava, historically known as Mitau and once the capital of the Duchy of Courland, is pictured in this 1935 photograph, decades after it had become a regional center within independent Latvia.
"Zemgale" - Former Jelgava Cinema, Jelgava, 2008
"Zemgale" - Former Jelgava Cinema 2008 The former Zemgale cinema in Jelgava, Latvia, a city that was largely rebuilt after suffering heavy destruction during the Second World War, when much of its historic center was destroyed.
Renovate Swedbank building in Jelgava, Jelgava, 2008
Renovate Swedbank building in Jelgava 2008 A renovated bank building in Jelgava occupied by Swedbank, reflecting the reconstruction of this Latvian city's center after the damage it sustained during the Second World War.
Jelgavas Sv. Annas luterāņu baznīca, Jelgava, 2008
Jelgavas Sv. Annas luterāņu baznīca 2008 Another view of St. Anne's Lutheran Church in Jelgava, a landmark that survived into the postwar rebuilding of the Latvian city, which lost much of its historic center in 1944.
Jelgavas katolu katedrale 1, Jelgava, 2018
Jelgavas katolu katedrale 1 2018 The Catholic cathedral of Jelgava, a city that once served as the capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia before it was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the late eighteenth century.
Krišjāņa Barona iela (Jelgava), Jelgava, 2025
Krišjāņa Barona iela (Jelgava) 2025 Krišjāņa Barona iela, a street in Jelgava, Latvia, named for the folklorist Krišjānis Barons, who compiled the Latvian dainas. Jelgava once served as capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Photographed in 2025.
1920s · 1 photo
1930s · 2 photos
2000s · 5 photos
2010s · 5 photos
2020s · 1 photo