Brocēni

Brocēni (pronunciation^ⓘ; German: Brotzen) is a town in Saldus Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. The town is situated along the river Ciecere, near lake Cieceres, which contains a large deposit of limestone that is used in the manufacturing of cement. From 2009 to 2021, the town was the center of Brocēni Municipality.

Brocēni
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Brocēni Location in Latvia
Coordinates: 56°40′N 22°34′E
Country	Latvia
Municipality	Saldus Municipality
Town rights	1992
Government
• Mayor	Solvita Dūklava
Area [1]
• Total	8.43 km2 (3.25 sq mi)
• Land	8.33 km2 (3.22 sq mi)
• Water	0.1 km2 (0.04 sq mi)
• Rural territory	100.349 km2 (38.745 sq mi)
Population  (2024)[2]
• Total	2,834
• Density	340/km2 (870/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	LV-3851; LV-3801
Calling code	+371 638
Number of city council members	11
Website	www.broceni.lv

A Portland cement and slate factory, currently the only one in Latvia, was built from 1936 to 1938 by the Riga-based A/S Ch. Schmit cement factory of H. H. Šmits. The initial capacity was 60 thousand tons of cement per year. In 1948, during the Soviet occupation of Latvia, operations were expanded with the start of the nationalized Brocēni Cement and Roofing Slate Plant, Brocēni Lime Plant and Saldus Brick Plant. After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, the factory continued work and in 2005 was acquired by Cemex. In 2019, Cemex sold its assets in the Baltic States and the Nordic countries to the German SCHWENK Zement GmbH & Co. KG [de].^[3][4]

Brocēni is also home to the Starts Brocēni football club and one of its successors, Brocēni NBJSS (Brocēni Municipality Children and Youth Sports School).

Brocēni train station

Notable residents

• Vadims Žuļevs (born 1988), footballer

See also

• List of cities in Latvia

References

1. "Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
2. "Iedzīvotāju skaits pēc tautības reģionos, pilsētās, novados, pagastos, apkaimēs un blīvi apdzīvotās teritorijās gada sākumā (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
3. KG, SCHWENK Zement. "Cement production history in Brocēni". SCHWENK Latvija. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
4. ""Cemex" Baltijas un Ziemeļvalstu aktīvus pārdod Vācijas "Schwenk"" [Cemex sells its Baltic and Nordic assets to the German Schwenk]. Lsm.lv (in Latvian). 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2023-07-30.