With the goal of preserving the heritage of lighthouses, the Latvian computer services firm Capital has published the book Latvijas bākas / Lighthouses of Latvia, a thorough guide to the many significant seaside structures in Latvia.

The hardcover book features detailed historical and technical writings on each of them, as well as a large number of color photographs.

The book, produced by Capital President Ivars Putniņš and released in December, features texts written in Latvian by Andris Cekuls of the Museum of the History of Rīga and Navigation (Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs), as well as full English translations by Maija Treilona.

The 152-page book also features historical photographs, facsimiles of Latvian newspaper articles about lighthouses throughout history, and arranges the lighthouses in geographic order, from the Pape lighthouse (near the Lithuanian border) north to the Ainaži lighthouse (near the Estonian border).

The most famous Latvian popular music composer, Raimonds Pauls, will turn 75 in 2011. To celebrate the anniversary, the Rīga-based recording company MICREC has released a compilation on compact disc of some of his most famous songs, as well as some more obscure work.

The two-CD set, entitled Raimonds Pauls. Zelta 75, collects 49 popular songs from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s.

The set also collects a number of less familiar songs. Many of them are taken from the archives of Latvian Radio and from Soviet LPs produced by the Melodija recording company, and are being released on CD for the first time. Covering a range of styles from jazz to disco to popular to film music, these songs feature some of the greatest popular singers and other musicians of that time.

This is actually the third Pauls CD compilation set. The first was Zelta 60, released in 1995 to celebrate the composer’s 60th birthday, followed by Zelta 70 in 2005 to celebrate his 70th birthday.

Tracks and performed on the first CD include:

1. Melodija (Eolika, from the film 235 miljoni seju)
2. Reiz nāksi tu (Valentīna Butāne)
3. Lai tik līst, perfored by Edgars Zveja)
4. Tikai prieks (Zigfrīds Račiņš)
5. Studentu brīvdienās (Valentīna Butāne)
6. Ar tevi vien (Sieviešu vokālais ansamblis)
7. Vecā jūrnieka stāsts (Zdzislavs Romanovskis)
8. Vectētiņš un vecmāmiņa (Margarita Vilcāne and Ojārs Grīnbergs)
9. Balāde manam vectēvam (Valdemārs Zandbergs)
10. Hallo, Rostoka (Ojārs Grīnbergs)
11. Kur tu biji? (Bruno Oja)
12. Cik klusa nakts (Nora Bumbiere and Ojārs Grīnbergs)
13. Ances Romance (Margarita Vilcāne, from the film Klāvs Mārtiņa dēls)
14. Alus dziesma (Vīru vokālais ansamblis directed by E. Račevska)
15. Precē mani, čigānzēn (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
16. Dzel manī sauli (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
17. Ai – dundur – dundur – dun – dun – dun (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
18. Pusnakts balāde (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
19. Undīne (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
20. Dziesmiņa par prieku (Viktors Lapčenoks )
21. Tāls Parīzes radio (Margarita Vilcāne)
22. O’Lamara (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
23. Balta pūka (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
24. Dresleriāna (Nora Bumbiere, Viktors Lapčenoks and others)
25. Modo (Modo)
26. Kā caur pelniem (Aija Kukule, Mirdza Zīvere, Pārsla Gebharde and Modo)

Tracks and performed on the second CD include:

1. Tango (from the film Teātris))
2. Diksilends (Eduards Pāvuls, Gunārs Cilinskis and Valentīns Skulme, from the film Melnā vēža spīlēs)
3. Heksenberga mīlas dziesma (Vaironis Jakāns)
4. Lāsts (Juris Strenga)
5. Brauciet lēnām pār tiltu (Jānis Paukštello)
6. Tāpēc jau, ka nevar zināt kāpēc (Edgars Liepiņš)
7. Kad nekas nav palicis tevī (Imants Skrastiņš)
8. Zvaigzne (Rolands Zagorskis)
9. Balts sniedziņš (Dainis Porgants))
10. Svētvakars (Andris Bērziņš)
11. Dāvāja Māriņa (Aija Kukule and Līga Kreicberga)
12. Muļķe sirds (Žoržs Siksna)
13. Varavīksne (Ingus Pētersons)
14. Nepareizā dziesma (Dālderi))
15. Meitene ar kallu ziediem (Credo)
16. Kad saule aiziet (Viktors Lapčenoks and Inversija)
17. Nenāciet klāt man rudenī (Laima Vaikule)
18. Robots (Aija Kukule and Remix)
19. Vardīte (Viktors Lapčenoks)
20. Pelnrušķīte (Viktors Lapčenoks)
21. Miega vilcieniņš (Dainis Porgants and Dzeguzīte)
22. Nepasauc, nepiesauc mani vēl (Remix)
23. Melodija (Odis, from the film Depresija))

In addition to the CD compilation, a big anniversary concert is scheduled in the Arena Rīga on Jan. 16, which will be an event in three parts. The first part will feature songs from the 1960s and 1970s, including lesser known works, the second will be theatre and film music, and the third part will feature his most popular songs.

The Bank of Latvia in recent weeks has released three new coins: one silver-niobium commemorative coin called the “Coin of Time III,” as well as two circulation one-lat coins with images of horseshoes.

The one-lat ““Coin of Time III” was released Dec. 2. The obverse of the coin features a rose in tribute to the discoverer of niobium, German chemist Heinrich Rose, who launched his career in Latvia. The reverse has the phases of the moon.

The coin contains both silver and niobium, is of uncirculated quality and has a mintage of just 7,000. The coin was designed by Laimonis Šēnbergs and modelled by Jānis Strupulis, and was struck by Münze Österreich, Austria.

This is the third “Coin of Time.” The first was released in 2004 and the second in 2007.

Additionally, the Bank of Latvia on Dec. 2 released two special one-lat circulation coins, both with horseshoes, with one coin having the horseshoe pointing upwards, the other downwards.

The horseshoe has long been a symbol of good fortune. In Latvian beliefs, if the horseshoe ends are pointing upwards, good fortune will come from the heavens, but if the horseshoe ends are pointing downwards, good fortune will come from the land. The designers were Frančeska Kirke (graphic design) and Laura Medne (plaster model). The coin was minted by Staatliche Münze Berlin, Germany.

Circulation of the two horseshoe coins is 500,000 pieces each.

For further information, visit the Bank of Latvia website at www.bank.lv.