The origins of the Latvian community in Belgium date back to the end of the 1940-ties when hundreds of Latvians had found their refuge in Belgium at the end of the Second World War.
Since Latvia is an EU Member State, the most common place to meet Latvians is in the corridors of the European institutions. An “average Latvian" in Brussels is a young person, in his or her mid-thirties or forties, well-educated with 6-7 years Brussels experience. Now more than 400 Latvians are involved in the European institutions as civil servants, seconded experts and auxiliaries. But the whole Latvian society in Brussels and Luxembourg is said to reach more than 3000 people.
In order to better organize community events, a Latvian Association in Belgium was established in 2004 by transforming the Latvian National Committee in Belgium. It is a member of the European Latvian Association (ELA) and the current chair of the association for a three year period ending in March 2018 is Ms. Laura Gailīte. To find out more about Latvian community in Belgium, please visit www.latviesi.be , the website of the Latvian Association in Belgium.
Address
Avenue des Arts 23,
1000 Brussels, Belgium
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Some of the activities of the community include:
- On Saturday mornings Latvian children in Brussels gather for the Latvian School. It provides an opportunity to learn in Latvian (one of two living Baltic languages) and to meet friends.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Latvians are known as a singing nation. Since October 2004 the Brussels Latvian Choir gathers regularly for singing together.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - For more than ten years a Latvian theatre group exists in Brussels and presents a new spectacle every year.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Those who enjoy dancing and maintaining their cultural ties with the homeland through Latvian folk dance have banded together to form the Brussels Latvian Dancers.
More information: http://briselesdejotaji.webs.com/english.htm
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