Latgale

Latgale is Latvia's easternmost region, bordering Russia and Belarus.

Cities

• 1 Daugavpils – The second largest city in Latvia, after Riga. It is a delightfully charming, spacious, green city with the biggest fortress in Europe, which has withstood many many wars and remains virtually unchanged since its construction in the 19th century.
• 2 Rēzekne – A major railway junction with important food and textile industries, where travellers may get stuck for a few hours or a day between trains.

Other destinations

• 1 Aglona – A village famous for its Basilica of the Assumption, 40 km northeast of Daugavpils.
• 2 Ludza – Small and scenic town with another beautiful Church of the Assumption, 25 km from Rēzekne.
• 3 Rāzna National Park (Rāznas nacionālais parks). One of the four national parks in Latvia.  

Understand

Castle ruins, Ludza

Talk

Latgalian is a language similar to Latvian, the official one. Unlike the rest of Latvia, where only the cities are heavily russified during the Soviet period, in Latgale even much of the countryside areas are more Russian than Latvian/Latgalian-speaking.

See

Aglona Basilica

• 1 Basilica of the Assumption (Aglonas Bazilika), Aglona (40 km northeast of Daugavpils), ☏ +371 65381109, +371 29185998, ab@aglonasbazilika.lv. (updated Oct 2017)
• Latgale has thousands of lakes. Make sure to swim in some of them in summer or to see them at least. A boat trip in lakes is a good idea.
• Latgale is also rather hilly, even though the hills are not high compared to other countries.
• Latgale is also famous for its pottery. Visit some pottery workshops and countryside houses.

Do

• 1 The Aglona Bread Museum (Maizes muzejs), Daugavpils iela 7, Aglona, ☏ +371 29287044, maizesmuzejs@inbox.lv. 

Eat

Try the traditional pork products. Delicious!

Go next

• Vidzeme – The most touristy region in Latvia with the Gauja National Park and its river valley, many medieval castles, estates and churches, and numerous interesting cities, towns and villages.
• Zemgale – Flattest region in Latvia, and famous for the neighbouring and historically related Jelgava Palace and Rundāle Palace, near Jelgava and Bauska, respectively.

• Onward travel into Lithuania, Belarus, and/or Russia is straight forward, if you possess the necessary papers.