Editing History of Latvia (section)

===Enlightenment and Latvians===
[[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] ideas influenced local Baltic Germans, two of whom played great role in the creation of Latvian nation. [[Gotthard Friedrich Stender]] wrote the first Latvian-German and German-Latvian dictionaries. He also wrote the first encyclopedia “The book of high wisdom of the world and nature” (1774) and the first illustrated Latvian [[alphabet book]] (1787).

[[Garlieb Merkel]] in 1796 published his book “The Latvians” in which exposed the horrible conditions of serfdom under which Latvians were forced to live because of cruelty of their German masters.

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Riga 1612 panorama by Heinrich Thum.jpg|Riga in 1612
The siege of Riga 1656.jpg|Siege of Riga in 1656
20011114 70sant Latvia Postage Stamp.jpg|Postal stamp in memory of Duke Jacob
Ducatuum Livoniae et Curlandiae Nova Tabula, 1705.jpg|Livonia and Courland in 1705
Rundale palace, still the most beautiful in the world. Latvia (10759228303).jpg|[[Rundāle Palace]], the summer residence of Duke von Biron
Jelgavas Pils vakarā.jpg|[[Jelgava Palace]], the main residence of Duke von Biron
</gallery>