Ķekava

Ķekava (historical German: Keckau) is a city in Latvia, in the historical region of Vidzeme. It is on the left side of Sausā Daugava, a tributary of the Daugava River. Ķekava serves as the center of Ķekava Municipality and Ķekava Parish.

Ķekava
City
Ķekava (Dole) Lutheran church
Ķekava (Dole) Lutheran church
Coat of arms of Ķekava
Coat of arms
Ķekava is located in Latvia
Ķekava
Ķekava
Coordinates: 56°50′N 24°14′E
CountryLatvia
MunicipalityĶekava Municipality
First mentioned1435
City rights1 July 2022
Area
 • Total9.4 km2 (3.63 sq mi)
 • Land9.1 km2 (3.51 sq mi)
 • Water0.3 km2 (0.12 sq mi)  3.2%
Population
 (2022)
 • Total5,446
 [1]
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Callcode371
Websitehttp://www.kekava.lv

Etymology

According to the version of the etymologist Konstantīns Karulis, "Ķekava" is a word of Baltic origin: in ancient Indo-European languages, the root "kek" means "bend, bend", and "av(e)" means "moisten, dehydrate, flow". This hydronym probably reflects the course of the Ķekava River: in the upper reaches it runs parallel to the Daugava, but in the middle reaches there are some sharp bends, turning towards the mouth of the Daugava.

History
Ķekava's-Dole's church, 1783

Ķekava was a small village until 1970s (with population of 333 people in 1967).[2]

Poultry factory built in 1967.

After the creation of the Ķekava kolkhoz and the construction of the poultry factory (Ķekavas putnu fabrika), the village increased population.

Following the Singing Revolution and collapse of the Soviet Union, the once state-owned factory in the town transitioned into a privately owned enterprise, now known simply as Ķekava. The chickens produced in this factory account for over 95%[3] of all poultry production in Latvia.

After the 2021 Latvian administrative reform, Ķekava gained the status of a city on 1 July 2022.[4][5]

Geography

Roads

Roads from Ķekava: Riga—Warsaw (A7), Riga beltway (A5), Ķekava-Plakanciems (V6), Ķekava bypass road (not ended yet).

Notable places
  • World War II cemetery Brāļu Kapi (Graves of the Brothers)
  • Local History Museum of Ķekava
  • Ķekava (Dole) Lutheran Church
  • House Of Culture

Culture

Ķekava holds an annual city festival.

Sport

The football club Auda, headquartered in Ķekava, participates in the Latvian First League championships, with their youth and junior teams engaging in the Latvian Youth Football Championship.

Ķekava has the floorball club Ķekavas Bulldogs, fielding both men's and women's teams

  • Chicken meat factory
    Chicken meat factory
  • River Ķekaviņa
    River Ķekaviņa
  • In church
    In church

References
  1. Latvian Geospatial Information Agency
  2. Little Latvian Encyclopedia, 1969
  3. "AS "Putnu fabrika Ķekava" Par mums". Vistas (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  4. "Three more Latvian settlements become official 'cities'". eng.Lsm.lv. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  5. Law of administrative territories (in Latvian)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ķekava.

56°50′N 24°14′E


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