Jūrmala

Jūrmala
Jomas Street
Location of Jūrmala within Latvia
Coordinates: 56°58′5″N 23°46′13″E / 56.96806°N 23.77028°E / 56.96806; 23.77028
Country Latvia
Town rights1959
Government
  MayorRita Sproģe (ZZS)
Area
  Total
101.23 km2 (39.09 sq mi)
  Land88.98 km2 (34.36 sq mi)
Elevation
6 m (20 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total
52,154
  Density520/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
GDP
  State city503,729,000 euro (2021)
  Per capita10,002 euro (2021)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
LV-2003; LV-2008; LV-20(10-17)
Calling code+371 67
Number of city council members15
Websitewww.jurmala.lv

Jūrmala (Latvian: [ˈjuːrmala] ; "seaside") is a state city in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching 32 km (20 miles) and is sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a 33 km (21 miles) stretch of white-sand beach and is the fifth-largest city in Latvia.

While Latvia was under Soviet occupation, Jūrmala was a favorite holiday-resort and tourist destination for high-level Communist Party officials, particularly Leonid Brezhnev and Nikita Khrushchev. Although many amenities such as beach-houses and concrete hotels remain, some have fallen into disrepair. Jūrmala remains a tourist attraction with long beaches facing the Gulf of Riga and romantic wooden houses in the Art Nouveau style.