LATVIA: An invitation for the 800th anniversary celebrations at Cesis town is sent to the Latvian President the old fashioned way - via pigeon

Record ID: 859300

  • Title: LATVIA: An invitation for the 800th anniversary celebrations at Cesis town is sent to the Latvian President the old fashioned way - via pigeon
  • Date: 12th April 2006
  • Summary: OWNER OF MESSENGER PIGEONS ALEKSANDR CHEGLIKOV
  • Embargoed: 27th April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Latvia
  • City:
  • Country: Latvia
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVASKX78LNOE79GWY4OGIQRPMNP
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  • Story Text: This summer the town of Cesis will celebrate its 800th anniversary, preparations are already underway and hundredths of invitations are being sent.
    However, the residents of this old town decided that for its most important guest, the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the invitation should be sent the old fashioned way - via pigeon.
    The town, which will be celebrating its anniversary on July 13-16, dates back to the beginning of the 13th century, when the construction of the stone castle on the bank of the river Gauja begun.
    In the 13th to 15th century the castle was residence to the Livonian order's grandmasters and played an important role in the history of the Baltic region.
    Unfortunately, in the 16-17th century the town suffered several sieges and was destroyed by the troops of Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.
    Officials including Gints Skenders the Mayor of Cesis, gathered on Friday (April 7) at the historic stone castle and attached a small message to the special pigeon before releasing it.
    "Cesis is an old town and one of the most ancient ways of postal communication is messenger-pigeons, and I think both fit together very well," said Gints Skenders, the mayor of Cesis.
    After its release, the messenger pigeon flies back to where they came from, in this case the Latvian Capital of Riga which is over 100 kilometres away from Cesis.
    The dutiful messenger will return to its home despite rain, snow and the risk of being eaten by larger birds.
    Meanwhile, in Riga the owner of the messenger-pigeon Aleksandr Cheglikov awaits for the return of his bird. . Cheglikov has been keeping pigeons since his childhood and for this special occasion he chose his most experienced bird which had been flying distances of up to 300 kilometres from the city of Daugavpils.
    However, Cheglikov does admit he would have preferred his messenger to have had a few practice runs at the route.
    "The pigeon is not at his best now, he should have been trained for a few more weeks to be able to fly (the distance to Cesis) in an hour or two. Then if he is released from Cesis, he would fly back promptly. Maybe he is flying against the wind, maybe it is raining somewhere, maybe he is tired and has sat for a while, but then dawn may come, maybe he has stayed there for a night."
    The most significant danger during a pigeon's flight is the possibility of being caught by a hawk, but despite these dangers the pigeon arrived safe and sound precisely three hours after being released in Cesis.
    The bird was then promptly picked up and delivered by an express postman to the presidential palace where he finally ended his task.
    The representative of the President`s Chancery confirmed it was the first time the Latvian President received mail in such a way.
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