Jurmala cottages are an important part of the resort's cultural and historical heritage. Summer cottages have been built in Jurmala since the 19th century. They show evidence from ancient fishing villages, as well as various architectural styles - neoclassicism, art nouveau, national romanticism and functionalism. Summer cottages in Jūmala suffered in two World Wars, many were rebuilt and demolished during the Soviet occupation. However, they are still the brightest characteristic of the resort's atmosphere. The cottages of Jurmala show different eras and their distinctive feature is - their representation in wood. The cottages of Jurmala are not only a story about architecture and about architects - Germans, Latvians, Russians, Finns, but also about history and human destinies.

From the first third of the 18th century, Jūrmala's swimming spots began to develop as a resort. The local fishermen began to adapt their houses to the needs of summer vacationers, renting them out for the summer season while moving into outbuildings themselves. The construction of private summer cottages developed from the middle of the 19th century, when Jūrmala could be reached by steamboat, and even more so after 1877, when the Rīga - Tukums railway line was opened.In 1830, a cholera epidemic broke out in Rīga, which claimed many victims. Therefore, everyone who was able to, tried to move their loved ones outside the city. And since the closest and most suitable place was Rīgas Jūrmala. Until the middle of the 19th century, the fishermen’s houses of Jūrmala were just one-story buildings with reed roofs and an openable hatch through which smoke was released, because these buildings did not have chimneys. Planks of old barge boats were used for the construction of the summer cottages, as well as the trees that grew on the same plot of land, because hammered nails were expensive, the floorboards, roof and ceiling slats of the first cottages were usually nailed to wooden pegs.In order to prevent food aromas and smoke from spreading throughout the house, a summer kitchen with a chimney - was added to the summer cottages, and the cooking process itself took place not on the stove, but rather on the extension of the lower part of the chimney - in the "fireplace", where the cooking pot was hung on a trivet. A very important addition to 19th century summer cottages was the ice cellar. There were no shops in Jūrmala during this time, so products were bought at the market, which could be far from the place of residence. Fresh meat, fish and other goods were placed in the solid, vaulted masonry building between its ice blocks sprinkled with sawdust.The oldest cottages usually had an open veranda. Around 1860, the terrace was usually built outside the roof of the building as a projection; the entrance was supported by columns, and the sides were glazed using panes of colored glass. In 1877, the railway era had begun in Jūrmala - it was possible to get there from Riga by train, which ran regularly and could bring a very large number of people. Jūrmala was just within reach of summer vacationers from the farthest corners of the Russian Empire.  For many tourists from Russia, who did not have the necessary means to visit European resorts, traveling to the Baltic coast compensated for the lack of foreign countries, because here they could enjoy their own "Russian Europe".One of the most magnificent holiday homes in Jūrmala is the castle-like villa of the architect and construction contractor Kristaps Morbergs - built in the 1880s, with indented turrets, large stained-glass windows and faux castle ruins in the park, as well as a brilliant garden with a fountain and rare plants from distant lands, and a stable for purebred horses. The summer cottage was not only luxurious, but also well equipped - it had a kitchen elevator that brought food to the dining room, linoleum floors (which were unknown in Jūrmala at that time), electric lighting and a sewage system, which was a rarity even in the following century. Due to the WWI, the life and development of the resort stopped for more than 5 years. More than 200 buildings were burned down while establishing a defense line.The newly established municipality of Rīgas Jūrmala (1920) had to overcome many difficulties in its beginnings - after WWI and the battles of the Latvian War of Independence, the city was heavily damaged. After the October coup of 1917 in Russia, the influx of guests from Russia to the resort completely stopped, thus slowing down the development of the resort. Many of the city's residents were still seeking refuge. However, In the 1930s, the city could already be proud of an orderly resort environment, a lively cultural and social life and kown as a "Pearl of the Baltics", "Baltic Riviera" - became a popular resort visited by tourists from the Baltic States, Poland, Scandinavian countries and Germany. In 1940 with Soviet occupation, all major buildings in Jūrmala were nationalized. Sanatoriums and rest houses were built there for the Soviet army, Communist Party authorities and - the remaining ones - for the Soviet workers. On July 1, 1941 the Nazi troops were already in Jūrmala. The Germans were in no hurry to return the properties nationalized by the Soviets to their original owners. In 1944, during the Soviet second occupation of Latvia, large buildings summer cottages were not the only ones taken away from their owners - for various reasons, residents could also be evicted from their family homes, and someone else could be accommodated there in case the living space did not meet Soviet standards. 1960s, more and more USSR ministries, various institutions and trade unions wanted rest houses in Jūrmala. They had to be built somewhere, so the old summer houses and boarding houses of Jūrmala began to be demolished en masse.In the 1970s, within 3 months - more than 2 million people visited Jurmala every summer. The transport was crowded, the shops were emptied out. At this time It was that the myth of Jūrmala as an iconic place took root throughout the vast Soviet land, which still cannot be eradicated. Every person, however recognizable in Russia - needs a summer house in Jūrmala, because it means that he has achieved a certain status. Jūrmala as an another costal resorts of Baltics - ;Palanga and Pärnu were the so-called "Soviet West": inscriptions in Latin letters, a different mentality, living and service culture, and different living standards - all of this created the impression that a citizen from USSR had really just arrived abroad. There were also various forms of entertainment that Soviet people could only experience in Jūrmala.

Jurmala resort was established in a multicultural environment - local residents were Latvians, guests of the resort - Germans, Poles, Jews and Russians.The architecture of the resort reflects the impressions of many nationalities and architectural styles.Jurmala resort has been democratic since the beginning - there were no private beaches here and representatives of all social classes could feel more or less equal.The owners of summer cottages in Jūrmala were Latvians, Germans, Swedes, Poles, Jews, Britons, Russians who suffered from both Soviet and Nazi repressions.Their life stories show how important such values ​​as freedom, human dignity and equality are.Today, Jūrmala's cottages are in danger, because they are wooden structures exposed to the influence of weather and natural conditions, but most of all - to the thoughtless actions of people. Public involvement and awareness is needed for the preservation of this valuable cultural heritage.The stories of Jurmala summer houses are connected with similar themes in all resorts on the Baltic coast. We have examples of good practice we would like to share and many topics that we could discuss with our neighbours - Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Finland.