Place and around

The project will take place in Latvia, in Daugavpils city.

Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means " Daugava Castle". With a population of over 100, 000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some 230 km to its north-west.

It is the city where multi-ethnical and multicultural environment have been developed since the ancient times. Daugavpils - multicultural, multi-ethnical city that performs a variety of functions, cross-border centre of services and economic development.

Daugavpils has a favorable geographical position as it borders Belarus and Lithuania (distances of 33 and 25 km respectively). It is located some 120 km from the Latvian border with Russia. Daugavpils is a major railway junction and industrial centre. The city is surrounded by many lakes and nature parks.

Daugavpils is important industrial center at the Eastern border of EU. Daugavpils city is strategically intersected by 5 railway lines and important auto roads. Due to these factors the city has been developing as essential center of industry, education, culture, transportation, logistic, commerce and services. It is also very clean and organised, which makes life here very easy and comfortable.

There are many minorities in Daugavpils. The Russians is the largest ethnic group among the minorities living in here. That’s why Russian is the most widespread minority language in Latvia, and is also the most widely used foreign language. Four out of five people in Daugavpils speak Russian - which is almost as high as the proportion of Latvian-speakers. Also in Daugavpils are living representatives of the Belarus and Polish nationality, as well as Jews, Roma, Germans etc.

There are many historical sights in Daugavpils, the most famous are Daugavpils Fortress, Church Hill, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, where is located the show of the world-known artist Mark Rotko and Creative Industries club, and others.

As far as Daugavpils is the multireligious city too, we have different type of Churches that are located in Daugavpils city, for examle Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary built in the neobaroque style; Lutheran Church of Martin Luther in the neogothic style, the Ortodox Church of Boris and Gleb, Old Believers’ Church, St. Peter Catholic Church, etc., which are excellent masterpieces of art.

The Latgale Region in which Daugavpils city is situated, has a rich nature as well – lakes, rivers, woods, mountains, nature reserves, ponds etc. The landschafts of Latgale are fascinating, there are a lot of forests, hills, and valleys which are worth of seeing them.

Daugavpils has the most continental climate in Latvia. The average temperature in January is -6.6°C, in July – 17.6°C. The annual average rainfall in 665 mm. Daugavpils is richer in water than any other city in Latvia. It has fifteen lakes, eight rivers and creeks.

Daugavpils is an important cultural center in eastern Latvia. There are 22 primary and secondary schools, four vocational schools, and the Saules College of Art. More than 1, 000 teachers and engineers graduate from Daugavpils University and the local branch of Riga Technical University annually. The city theatre was restored a couple of years ago. There is also one cinema as well as other cultural institutions. The city exhibition center offers many cultural activities. There are also several architectural, historical, and cultural monuments in Daugavpils. The most prominent is the Daugavpils fortress of the late 18th–19th centuries.

The historical centre of Daugavpils city is an architectural heritage of national importance (the construction work was carried out in the 19th century according to the project endorsed in St Petersburg in 1826). The historical centre is the greatest attraction of the city and one of the most successful examples of balancing the aspects of ancient and modern times. Daugavpils is one of the few cities in Latvia which can pride itself on a unified ensemble of both classic and eclectic styles. The cultural heritage of architectural, artistic, industrial, and historical monuments combined with the picturesque surroundings create the essence of Daugavpils’ image and endow it with a special charm.

The town's history began in 1275 when the Livonian Order built Dü naburg castle 20 km up the Daugava river from where Daugavpils is now situated. In 1561 it became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (see: Duchy of Livonia) and in 1566 became capital of the Inflanty Voivodeship, which existed until the First Partition of Poland (1772). In 1577 the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible captured and destroyed Dü naburg castle. That same year, a new castle was built 20 km downriver. In 1582 Daugavpils was granted Magdeburg town rights.

Basic information about the Daugavpils city you can find here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/latvia

https://www.latvia.travel/en/tourist-information-centres

https://www.visitdaugavpils.lv/

Currency rate: 1 EUR = 0.70 LVL (Lat)