Daugavpils: sights and interesting facts

A beautiful ancient city, located on the Daugava River, appeared in the thirteenth century as a castle of the Master of the Livonian Order. For centuries, was subjected to siege and destruction, rebuilt, changed the name. The only thing that remained unchanged was the marvelous beauty of nature and the desire of the population to live and develop in spite of all adversities.

Daugavpils Fortress

Arriving in Daugavpils, you should definitely see the sights of the city. Visiting card of this place can be called Daugavpils Fortress, also called Dinaburgskaya Fortress. Its construction began in 1812, then these lands were under the protectorate of the Russian Empire. Therefore, the fortress is a sample of the Russian fortification in the Empire style.

Time almost left no trace on the eight bastions of the shaft, gates and bridge fortifications. This is one of the surviving fortresses.

Murmuy Castle

If you visited Daugavpils, a map of attractions will help you. On it you will surely find such an ancient building as the Murmuisk Castle. It is mentioned in the annals of the sixteenth century. However, it is assumed that it was built by one of the Livonian knights much earlier.

For more than one hundred years, the castle passed from hand to hand, one of its owners was the chancellor of Sweden. The building was constantly being built and rebuilt, so only the old tower, which was nicknamed the "Tower Cage", remained unchanged until the present time.

Daugavpils (Latvia): attractions

Residents of Daugavpils are highly cultured and educated people, and this statement is valid not only for contemporaries. The four sacred places of different faiths, located on the famous Temple or, as it is called, the Church Hill, can serve as evidence of this. The Orthodox cathedral of Boris and Gleb was built at the very beginning of the 20th century and is the most spacious in Latvia, the style of its architecture is non-Russian.

At the same time, the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin was built for the parishioners of the Roman Catholic faith. A little earlier was built the church of Martin Luther. What else can you see on the hill? There is an Orthodox church of the Old Believers - the Church of the Resurrection, the Nativity of the Virgin and St. Nicholas. In addition to the cult buildings on the Temple Hill, in Daugavpils, you can see the architecture, the history of the church of Alexander Nevsky, the church of St. Peter, the synagogue and others.

Zoo

The favorite place of rest for residents and visitors of the city, especially the young age, is the Latgalsky Zoo. Yielding to the menageries of large cities by area, it nevertheless surpasses many of them by unusual conditions of keeping animals and the diversity of representatives of flora and fauna. The enthusiasm of visitors is the very design of the zoological garden, which resembles the jungle, where you can find macaques, pythons, caimans, marsupial opossums, many birds and fish.

Not far from St. Peter's Church, tourists can admire the Garden of Sculptures. Among the hundreds of various flower beds that form a living carpet of flowers, there are amazing figures - works of the best Latvian masters.

Lakes and Eglukalns hill

Very recommended for viewing the wonderful corners of nature: Small Stropsky Lake, connected by a channel with the Great Stropsky Lake. Picturesque ponds, fascinating view of incomparable landscapes, will attract not only tourists, but also lovers of fishing: they are full of a variety of fish.

Those wishing to admire the beauty of the nature of Daugavpils from the heights should go to the hill Eglukalns, which is eleven kilometers from the city. Here, twelve years ago, an observation tower was built, from which a marvelous panorama of the area opens.

Area Vienibas

In the center of the city there is the Vienibas Square, which means "Square of Unity" in Russian. It often happens amazing events: bright parades, noisy fairs, interesting concerts. The special charm of the square is given by rumors about underground passages, which have been preserved since the early Middle Ages, when this place was a fortress.

Daugavpils, whose sights we consider in the article, is a city that hospitably welcomes fans of various festivals. They pass here three times a year. These are festivals of choral and spiritual music, traditional masks, as well as jazz music.

Sculpture "Cat" and House of Unity

If the traveler wishes to plunge into the atmosphere of Latvia, this small Baltic country, to understand its mentality, then he must certainly wander along Rigas Street. It is unique in that it is completely pedestrian, any traffic is prohibited. And at the same time, it is not full of stores, cafes or restaurants. Near one of the houses is the sculpture "Cat", which evokes special tenderness in the children, as eloquently evidenced by a fairly wiped muzzle of granite. On Rigas there is a quiet, cozy, decent atmosphere, here time as though slows down the run, and it is possible to admire the amazing architecture of low buildings in style of eclecticism. This is the street of the past and the present. On it is the House of Unity. This is a kind of compact center of cultural, financial, public life of the city. At the same time, it is a monument of strict and monumental architecture of the thirties of the last century.

Local History and Art Museum

In 1938, the Daugavpils Museum of Local History and Art was founded. The building itself is a beautiful monument of Art Nouveau architecture. In the museum there are expositions devoted to the history, nature, culture of this corner of Latvia.

The townspeople are proud of their famous compatriots - artists Mark Rothko and Leonid Baulin, whose works are dedicated to two separate halls. In addition, tourists will be curious to visit the museum "Jews in Daugavpils and Latgale", which is located in the existing synagogue. Interest not only in the subjects relating to the cultural and religious traditions of the Jews. His expositions tell of the life of the whole city, an integral part of which were representatives of the ancient people.

"Bat" and "Turtle"

What else is interesting in Daugavpils? Sights, photos of which are presented in the article, and attract tourists. After all, here they are very beautiful. Townspeople carefully store memorials and at the same time introduce something new and unusual in the interior of streets. For example, the sculpture "The Bat" is very interesting. On the lamppost of one of the streets is an iron bat figure, which weighs only five hundred grams, and a little more than sixty centimeters wide. This product is an original design decision and fits seamlessly into the architecture of the street. In a short time, the bat became a landmark object, near it, often photographed. Another newest wonder of the city is the sculpture "Turtle". Made of African light granite, it not only serves as a decoration, but also recalls that in Europe there is the largest area of turtle turtles in Europe .

Monument to Pavel Dubrovin

Residents of Daugavpils know how to love and appreciate people who have done a lot for the development of the city. An example of this is the monument to Pavel Dubrovin. Being the mayor of Dinaburg (just as Daugavpils was called in the nineteenth century), he made a lot of efforts for his prosperity. And he did a lot for his money. In particular, he bought out and drained an impressive plot of land, on which an excellent park was built.

It is in this park, which Dubrovin donated to the people, and a monument is located. It is made in a non-standard, original manner, depicting the mayor, walking with his bulldog.

Opinion of tourists

Do people who visited Daugavpils enjoy the sights? Reviews of tourists are a vivid confirmation of the fact that they love the local beauties. Local buildings and construction are very interesting. Especially attracts those who came to Daugavpils, the main attractions, namely the Daugavpils Fortress and the Murmuisk Castle.

Some interesting places

Tourists certainly need to visit the local cafes, for example, a cozy institution "Vesma", which is located on Rigas Street. In addition to excellent service and a wide choice of all kinds of delicious dishes, you can admire the cat's sculpture from the window. The restaurant of European cuisine Gubernators, Chinese cuisine HappyPanda, Italian CiliPica and Restaurant PLAZA, Polish cuisine DvinskaSeta are also famous for their food. And most importantly, do not forget to visit the restaurant Sia Park Hotel Latgola. Latvian dishes are served here.

Conclusion

Now you can safely go to Daugavpils. Attractions, interesting facts about the history of the city, the beauty of nature - what else does a tourist need for an unforgettable vacation? In this corner of Latvia, all this is present, which means that disappointment does not threaten you!