From April 3 to April 9, everyone is invited to take part in the events taking place in our city. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy the best of art, music and activities. Come with your friends and family and enjoy a week full of adventure.

April 3

• 16.00 | LATVIAN FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE | BFC Daugavpils vs. FK Liepāja | „Esplanāde“ Stadium, Stadiona Street 1
• 19.00 | Board Game Night | “Daugavpils Geek” Board Game Club, Muitas Street 1
• 20.00 | House & Techno Among Paintings | DJ WII | Albrecht Art&Wine, Ģimnāzijas Street 40
• 20.00 | Live music and DJ sets | Restobar “DIČ BAR”, Viestura Street 59
• 20.00 | Karaoke night with Marija | Restaurant “Grand”, Varšavas Street 43B
• 22.00 | April Fools’ Weekend | One More Club, Viestura Street 53

April 4

• 11.00 | THEATER MASTER CLASS “GRANDPA MAZAI  AND THE CLEVER RABBITS” | Art Center “Arka”, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 12.00 | Felting workshop with Ksenija Šinkovska | Creative Studio “LAMA DAZZ”, Hekeļa Street 4
• 15.00 | THEATER WORKSHOP „GRANDPA MAZAI AND THE CLEVER RABBITS“ | Art Center „Arka“, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 20.00 | Musical evening with vocalist and guitarist Arkādijs | Restaurant “Grand”, 43B Varšavas Street
• 20.00 | Live music and DJ sets | Restobar “DIČ BAR”, Viestura Street 59
• 22.00 | April Fools’ Weekend | One More Club, Viestura Street 53

April 5

• 10.40 | CINEMA | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 11:00 | THEATER WORKSHOP “GRANDPA MAZAI AND THE CLEVER RABBITS” | Art Center “Arka”, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 12.45 | CINEMA | Marsupilami | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 14.50 | CINEMA | Hoppers | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 15.00 | THEATER WORKSHOP „GRANDPA MAZAI AND THE LITTLE SMART RABBITS“ | Art Center “Arka”, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 16.00 | Musical Evening with Viktors Bernāns | Restaurant “Grand”, Varšavas Street 43B
• 16.55 | CINEMA | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 18.00 | Concert by Ляпис Трубецкой | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 19.00 | Easter Muzbingo | Park Hotel Latgola, Ģimnāzijas Street 46
• 19.05 | CINEMA | Project Hail Mary | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92

April 6

• 11.00 | THEATER MASTER CLASS “GRANDPA MAZAI AND THE WISE RABBITS” | Art Center “Arka”, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 11.00 | CINEMA | Hoppers | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 13.00 | 3D pen drawing workshop “Spring Stencils” | Restaurant “Grand”, Varšavas Street 43B
• 13.10 | CINEMA | GOAT | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 14.00 | Easter at Unity Square | Unity Square
• 15.00 | THEATER MASTER CLASS “GRANDPA MAZAI AND THE CLEVER RABBITS” | Art Center “Arka”, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 15.20 | CINEMA | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 17.30 | CINEMA | Ready or Not 2: Here I Come | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 19.50 | CINEMA | They Will Kill You | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92

April 7

• 16.00 | Knitting Class | Tradition House, Rīgas Street 22A
• 18.00 | “Mafia” game | IGGI Bar & Carbonades, Rīgas Street 22
• 18.00 | LATVIAN FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE | BFC Daugavpils vs. Ogre United | “Esplanāde” Stadium, Stadiona Street 1

April 8

• 16.00 | Latvian traditional instrument “kokle” lesson for beginners | Tradition House, Rīgas Street 22A
• 16.00 | Museum for Kids | “What’s on My Shelf” | Rothko Museum,  Mihaila Street 3
• 17.30 | Concert by Polish creative groups “Sounds of Easter Joy” | J. Pilsudska Daugavpils State Polish Gymnasium, Marijas Street 1
• 18.00| Discussion Club “Let’s Talk?!” | “New East” Association, 18. novembra Street 41A 
• 19.00 | Stage 3 of the “30-Minute Run” competition | Esplanade Recreation Park

April 9

• 16.00 | Opening of Ērikas Kuksinovičas painting exhibition “Monochrome” | Polish House, Varšavas Street 30
• 16.00 | Ceramics workshop for children | Rothko Museum Craft House, 18. novembra Street 8
• 17.00 | Concert “Sounds of Spring” | Forštate Culture Space, Vidzemes Street 41A
• 18.00 | Concert “Accordion Musical Messages” | Vienības House, Rīgas Street 22A

More information about the events: http://daugavpils.lv/afisa

Movie screening schedule: https://dkp.lv/kino/

Daugavpils Theater performance schedule: http://daugavpilsteratris.lv

The post Events in Daugavpils from April 3 to April 9 appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The Rothko Museum in Daugavpils has joined the global arts and culture platform Bloomberg Connects, becoming the first museum in Latvia to be featured on the app and marking a significant step in expanding digital access to art.

Through the Bloomberg Connects mobile app, audiences can explore the Rothko Museum on site or remotely from anywhere in the world. The museum’s digital guide offers curated audio, text and visual content, providing insight into its collection, exhibitions and Rothko’s artistic legacy.

At the heart of the guide are personal narratives that bring the museum’s context into sharper focus. These include audio recordings by Rothko’s children, Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko, reflecting on their family’s connection to Daugavpils and their first impressions of the artist’s birthplace. Art historian David Anfam contributes further perspective on Rothko’s work and its presence in his country of origin.

The guide also introduces key aspects of the museum’s collection, including the exhibition “No. 2 [Untitled]”, where artists reflect on their works and their inclusion in the museum’s holdings. A dedicated section is devoted to the museum’s international residency programme, offering insight into artists’ experiences of working within the distinctive environment of the Daugavpils Fortress – a setting shaped by architecture, landscape and proximity to Rothko’s work.

“Joining Bloomberg Connects allows us to extend the museum experience beyond its physical space and offer a more layered engagement for both on-site and remote audiences,” says Pāvels Terentjevs, Head of Art and Communications at the Rothko Museum. “For the museum, this means strengthening the presence of Rothko’s legacy in his birthplace while opening that experience to a global audience.”

The Rothko Museum guide on Bloomberg Connects is available in English. The app can be downloaded free of charge on both Android and iOS devices.

Developed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg Connects provides digital guides to more than 1,250 cultural institutions worldwide – from major international organisations such as Venice Biennale, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Modern to more locally rooted regional institutions – offering free and open access to arts and culture anytime, anywhere.

Information: Rothko Museum

The post Rothko Museum becomes the first museum in Latvia to join Bloomberg Connects appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils city will celebrate its 751st anniversary with a diverse cultural and entertainment programme. The City Festival, held under the motto “Daugava unites. Daugavpils celebrates”, will take place from June 5 to 7.

Throughout the festival, Daugavpils will transform into a vibrant hub of cultural, artistic and recreational events, offering something for every visitor — from concerts and creative workshops to sports activities, exhibitions and family‑friendly programmes.

As part of the celebrations, the traditional parade and festive fireworks show will also take place. This year, the fireworks will be accompanied by a light-and-music performance, uniting the artists and groups performing on the main stage at Unity Square. The festival’s musical programme includes:

• Friday, June 5 — Intars Busulis with „Abonementa Orķestris“ and the band „Bermudu Divstūris“.
• Saturday, June 6 — rock musician Miks Galvanovskis, the internationally recognised „Bon Jovi“ tribute band „New Jersey – Bon Jovi Tribute“, and the band „A‑Europa“.

On the first day of the festival, the main stage at Unity Square will open with a concert featuring the winners of the young talent competition. This will be a special opportunity to hear the laureates of the Latvian Regional Children’s and Youth Vocal Competition “Ceļā uz Lielo skatuvi”, who will perform together with the professional orchestras of the Daugavpils City Municipal Institution „Vienības nams“.

As the organisers of the City Festival note, “The festival highlights the city’s diversity, creativity, and sense of unity. This year’s programme also emphasises the idea of togetherness, as shared festive moments strengthen the bonds between people, cultures, and generations.”

The organisers invite everyone to join the celebrations and help create an unforgettable atmosphere in Daugavpils.

More detailed information about the City Festival will follow.

The Daugavpils City Festival is organised by the Daugavpils City Municipality and its municipal institutions.

Information:
DVPI “Vienības nams”

The post Daugavpils gets ready to celebrate its 751st birthday appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On 24 April, the Rothko Museum will host “Fields of Colour”, a vibrant jazz performance by the Matthias Van den Brande Quartet (Belgium), composed in dialogue with Rothko’s iconic paintings.

Conceived by Belgian saxophonist Matthias Van den Brande, this remarkable reimagining of Rothko’s legacy offers a contemporary musical response to the artist’s emotional and chromatic language. Echoing the layered depth and quiet intensity of Rothko’s paintings, the programme draws on his exploration of colour as a vehicle of feeling and presence, translating visual perception into sound – an approach shaped in part by Van den Brande’s own experience of colour blindness.

Besides showcasing the award-winning trio of Matthias Van den Brande (saxophone), Tijs Klaassen (double bass) and Eouter Kühne (drums), the project also welcomes the acclaimed Belgian trumpeter Jean-Paul Estiévenart, who adds a further dimension of expressiveness and virtuosity to the performance.

The programme builds on the album “Fields of Colour”, recorded in February 2024 at La Buissonne studio in southern France and released in March 2025 on Fresh Sound New Talent Records.

“It is pulsating, powerful, exciting, captivating. A pure joy to listen to.” – Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir

The concert forms part of a wider cultural programme marking the museum’s 13th anniversary, centred on the opening of “Rothko. From the Family Collection”, a new display of paintings on loan from the private collections of the artist’s children. The day will also see the unveiling of “Transposition. The Rothko Motif”, a satellite project by Latvian textile artist Iveta Vecenāne who has translated into tapestry selected paintings from Rothko’s lesser-known Surrealist period.

The exhibitions will open at 4 p.m. and will be accessible free of charge on opening night. The concert, which concludes the day’s programme at 5:30 p.m., is also free, with advance registration required via the museum’s website.

Support: Daugavpils City Council and Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Matthias Van den Brande (b. 1993) is a Belgian jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger whose work reflects an international background shaped by studies in Belgium, Amsterdam and Philadelphia. He has performed as a soloist with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and released his debut album “Opus #1” in 2018. With the Matthias Van den Brande Trio, active since 2022, he has won several international awards and released “Three Sides of a Coin” (2023), a studio album widely acclaimed across Europe.

Publicity image: Matthias Van den Brande Trio and Jean-Paul Estiévenart, photo by Victoriano Moreno

Information: Rothko Museum

The post Fields of Colour: Rothko-inspired Belgian jazz at the Rothko Museum appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On 24 April 2026, the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils will unveil a new permanent display of paintings by Mark Rothko, offering a renewed encounter with one of the defining figures of twentieth-century art in a place where his story began.

Drawn from the private collections of Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel, the exhibition – on view until April 2029 – continues the museum’s distinctive role as the only institution in Eastern Europe to offer permanent access to Rothko’s ground-breaking creative vision.

Conceived as a focused, evolving presentation, the display traces the entire arc of Rothko’s artistic development – from early figurative and Surrealist compositions to multiform experiments and the luminous colour field paintings of his mature period. Together, they reveal a decisive shift: from representation to abstraction, from image to presence, and from form to colour as a vehicle of emotional and spiritual experience.

Anchored in the institution’s founding vision, the exhibition is produced in close collaboration with the artist’s children, whose continuous support maintains a rotating display of Rothko paintings in his birthplace. So far, visitors have encountered twenty-four artworks from the Rothko family collection, and each new selection affords a fresh perspective on his art.

“It is a privilege to present these works in Daugavpils, where Rothko’s life began,” says Māris Čačka, Director of the museum. “The lasting generosity of Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko allows us to keep sharing Rothko’s paintings with audiences from Latvia and beyond. Each new rotation invites a slower, more attentive way of looking and deepens the dialogue between his legacy and contemporary artistic practice.”

Born in Daugavpils in 1903, Mark Rothko spent his formative years here before emigrating to the United States. Although his career unfolded abroad, the city remains an essential point of origin. Opened in 2013, the Rothko Museum honours this connection, inviting visitors to encounter his work not as an illustration of biography, but as an intimate and immersive experience shaped by colour, light and stillness.

The opening day programme on 24 April extends this conversation across disciplines. At 4 p.m., the new Rothko display will be unveiled alongside “Transposition. The Rothko Motif”, a satellite project by the Latvian textile artist Iveta Vecenāne, where she translates selected paintings from Rothko’s lesser-known Surrealist period into tapestry, echoing his expressive line and complex chromatic structures.

At 5:30 p.m., the museum’s concert hall will host “Fields of Colour”, an acoustic jazz performance by the Matthias Van den Brande Quartet (Belgium), inspired by Rothko’s art.

The opening day programme will mark the 13th anniversary of the Rothko Museum and will be accessible free of charge. Advance online registration for the concert will be required via the museum’s website.

With: Collection of Kristopher Rothko; Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel.

Support: Daugavpils City Council; Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation; JCDecaux Latvia; Caparol.

Publicity images:

• Rothko Museum (photo by Santa Suhanova)
• Mark Rothko, Nude (1938/1939). Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 61 cm. Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel.
• Mark Rothko, Untitled (1948). Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 81.3 cm. Collection of Christopher Rothko.

Information: Rothko Museum

The post A fresh encounter with Mark Rothko in his birthplace: Rothko Museum to unveil new permanent display appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On Easter, April 6, residents of Daugavpils and visitors are invited to participate in the event. “Vienības nams” is organizing Easter celebrations at Unity Square, with a variety of festive activities for the whole family.

The event participants will be entertained by the folklore group “Svātra”, the folklore ensemble “Dzīsme”, and guests of the event – the band “Augusti”, creating a true Latvian festive atmosphere with songs, games, and the joy of being together.

Together with the Mobile Game Park, everyone will be able to find the most exciting Easter attractions for themselves, as well as participate in traditional holiday activities and fun entertainment for both children and adults.

Due to weather conditions, the event will be held in the Unity House concert hall.

Information:
DVPI “Vienības nams”
Phone: +371 654 27552
E-mail: kultura@daugavpils.lv

The post Easter in Daugavpils appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The Rothko Museum has announced an open call for artists from France to take part in a forthcoming group exhibition centred on the legacy of the French modernist painter Yves Brayer.

Opening in September 2026 as part of the Rothko Museum’s autumn exhibition season, the show is curated by the French curator Gilles Bonnevialle. The project takes as its point of departure Brayer’s paintings from the 1930s and 1940s, a period when the artist developed the compositional discipline and structural clarity that would become hallmarks of his work.

Created at a time when Europe was marked by political and social instability, these paintings can be read as visual constructions of order in a climate of tension. Rather than approaching them as direct political commentary, the exhibition proposes to view them as reflections on the resilience of form in moments of historical uncertainty.

In dialogue with this historical material, the Rothko Museum invites contemporary artists based in France to submit works that explore the relationship between form and instability. The exhibition also looks at how visual structures construct space under conditions of geopolitical tension and how they can either stabilise or disrupt our perception of reality. Participating works are expected to respond to these questions as independent contemporary reflections rather than illustrations of a particular historical moment.

Submissions are particularly welcome in the media of photography, video, installation, sculpture and object-based practice. Applications will be reviewed by the exhibition’s curatorial team, who will assess proposals for conceptual clarity, professional quality and their ability to enter into a meaningful dialogue with Brayer’s work.

The open call invites applications from French artists, as well as artists of other nationalities who live and work in France.

Application closes on 1 July 2026.

Further details about the exhibition and the application process are available on the Rothko Museum website: www.rothkomuseum.com.

The exhibition is supported by the Daugavpils City Council and Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Yves Brayer (1907–1990) was a painter, printmaker, illustrator and stage designer, recognised as one of the most significant figures in twentieth-century French figurative art. His work is distinguished by compositional clarity, a carefully structured organisation of space and a confident, expressive use of line. During the 1930s and 1940s, as Europe faced mounting political and social instability, Brayer’s paintings reveal an increasingly pronounced search for visual balance and inner order – an artistic response to the turbulence of his time.

Publicity images:

• Open call’s visual identity

The post Rothko Museum launches open call for French contemporary artists appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Set off on an orienteering adventure and discover the city of Daugavpils! Explore its most iconic landmarks and its most mysterious hidden corners. Play on your own or with a team and put your creativity, agility and sharp eye to the challenge.

Game Description
People say that Daugavpils, much like Mark Rothko’s color palette, has many shades. During this orienteering game, participants have the chance to experience the city’s diversity — discovering not only its well‑known landmarks but also its hidden gems and unexpected artworks.

One of the stops on the route is the so‑called “student area”, where your attention may be drawn to the figure of Pavel Dubrovin with his four‑legged companion, the residents of the Latgale Zoo, or the exhibition visible through the window of the Shmakovka Museum. The game challenges not only your navigation skills in an urban environment but also your knowledge of various historical and cultural facts.

To ensure an engaging and unpredictable experience, the route includes both permanent objects and those that may change over time. This means that some items mentioned in the tasks may have disappeared, been replaced, demolished, repainted, or damaged. Weather conditions — rain, snow, or fog — may also affect access to or visibility of certain locations.

Points of interest: 59
Mode of travel: on foot
Distance: 8 km
Estimated game time: 2+ hours
Team size: 2–4 people
Language: Latvian and English

Participation requires a purchased game code.
Buy your game code HERE.

What is Roadgames?
Roadgames is an interactive team‑based orienteering and adventure game played in the real world through a mobile app. It combines city exploration with educational and creative challenges, allowing players to discover new places while moving on foot, by car, or by bike.

The games are designed for friends, families, and corporate team‑building. Participants download the app, create a team, and navigate the map while collecting points for completing tasks.

How to participate?
To join the game, you need to download the Roadgames app. Once the game begins, the map and tasks become available in the app. Participants must travel to the marked locations to complete on‑site challenges, as well as take part in additional tasks that are not tied to a specific spot.

The goal of the game is to earn as many points as possible by strategically choosing tasks and competing against other teams.

The full game rules are available at Roadgames.lv.

The post „Roadgames“ orienteering game „Rotko palete: Daugavpils“ (Rothko Palette: Daugavpils) appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The post Rothko Museum Announces Contemporary Sculpture Commission to Mark the 1991 Barricades in Daugavpils appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The two‑year Latvia–Lithuania cross‑border cooperation project “Digital Crafts Tourism” (D-tour) has concluded, resulting in the creation of a new cultural tourism route. The route consists of five digital exhibitions, each highlighting a different field of traditional craftsmanship.

At the beginning of January 2026, the Latgale Planning Region, in cooperation with the Daugavpils City Municipality institution Vienības nams and Krāslava Municipality, invited visitors on a journey through time. Opening celebrations of new, contemporary digital exhibitions took place in Daugavpils and Krāslava, offering an opportunity to explore ancient craft skills, traditional ways of life, and the values of wooden architecture through a modern, interactive digital format.

On 7 January, the doors of the Craftsmanship and Life Wisdom Exhibition opened to visitors at the Traditions House of Daugavpils Unity House. The exhibition is dedicated to the world of the Latgalian farmstead – a place where everyday life, work, and family traditions unfolded through the changing seasons. It offers a contemporary interpretation of ancient crafts, allowing visitors to discover them through visual imagery, sound, hands-on activities, and interactive storytelling.

From early morning, children and young people visited the Traditions House to take part in creative activities together with local historian Evija Maļkeviča-Grundele, bathhouse master Dzintra Abarone, splint basket-weaving craftsman Andris Kačkāns, and blacksmith Edgars Vronskis. Together with the head of the Traditions House, Baiba Pankjāne, children explored the new exhibition and, under the guidance of the masters, learned how threads were made in the past, the significance of the traditional bathhouse, and how splint baskets and metal jewellery were crafted.

In the evening, the celebration was enriched by songs performed by the folklore group Svātra of Daugavpils Unity House. Guests were addressed by Līvija Jankovska, Member of the Daugavpils City Council and Chair of the Committee on Education, Culture and Social Affairs; Iveta Maļina-Tabūne, Head of the Administration of the Latgale Planning Region and Manager of the Latgale Special Economic Zone; Ints Bērziņš, Head of the smart technologies company SIA Solavi; Director of Unity House Diāna Soldāne; and senior expert of the Latvia–Lithuania Programme, Līga Upeniece.

On 8 January, the multimedia exhibition “THE CODE OF WOOD. The Values of Krāslava’s Wooden Architecture” was opened in Krāslava. The exhibition tells the story of the importance of wood in Latgale’s cultural environment and craftsmanship. Visitors can explore the development of Krāslava’s wooden buildings, view traditional craftsmen’s tools and decorative elements, and take part in creative activities that reveal the construction principles and aesthetic qualities of wooden architecture.

On the opening day, workshops for children and young people were led by woodcraft master Aivars Andžāns. Musician and instrument maker Aleksandrs Maijers introduced visitors to the world of wooden musical instruments. Many attendees gathered for a discussion with architect Ģertrūde Rasnača on the distinctive features of single-farmstead wooden architecture in South Latgale.

The opening event was moderated by Sarmīte Teivāne, Project Manager of Digital Crafts Tourism. Welcoming speeches were delivered by Inese Vorslova, Deputy Executive Director of Krāslava Municipality for Financial Affairs; Alla Lomanovska, Acting Director of the Krāslava Regional Museum; exhibition creator Didzis Jaunzems; and senior expert of the Latvia–Lithuania Programme, Līga Upeniece. A special atmosphere was created by the musical performances of instrument maker and musician Aleksandrs Maijers.

The celebrations were organised by the lead partner of the project Digital Crafts Tourism – the Latgale Planning Region (Latvia), together with all project partners: Daugavpils City Municipality institution Vienības nams (Latvia), Krāslava Municipality (Latvia), Anykščiai Art Incubator – Art Gallery (Lithuania), and the Administration of Panevėžys District Municipality (Lithuania).

Iveta Maļina-Tabūne, Head of the Administration of the Latgale Planning Region and Manager of the Latgale Special Economic Zone, emphasises that in order to preserve and promote traditional cultural values more effectively and to pass on the knowledge and skills of intangible cultural heritage practitioners to future generations, it is essential to diversify approaches and introduce modern methods and tools. Direct, in-person transmission of skills from tradition bearers is not always possible, making digital solutions increasingly important.

Overall, five digital exhibitions have been opened within the project:
– the Latgalian farmstead at the Traditions House in Daugavpils;
– wooden architecture and woodcarving at the Krāslava Palace Complex;
– ceramics at the Anykščiai Art Incubator – Art Gallery;
– flax weaving and traditional folk musical instruments in Upytė village, Panevėžys district.

The newly opened exhibitions demonstrate that cultural heritage can be vibrant, engaging, and contemporary. They not only tell stories of the past but also inspire visitors to reflect on the role of craftsmanship and architecture today.

The Craftsmanship and Life Wisdom Exhibition in Daugavpils and “The Code of Wood” exhibition in Krāslava remain open to visitors – to everyone who wishes to experience the stories of Latgale in a digital, emotional, and deeply personal way.

The project “Digital crafts tourism” (acronym D-tour; No LL-00100) is co-funded by the European Union. The project is implemented within the Interreg VI-A Latvia-Lithuania Programme 2021-2027.

The total project budget is EUR 697 275.  The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund with EUR 557 820.

Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania Programme 2021–2027 aims to enhance the sustainable and cohesive socioeconomic development of its regions by fostering competitiveness and attractiveness for residents, students, workers, and visitors alike, thereby creating environments conducive to living, studying, working, and visiting.

Programme website: http://www.latlit.eu. About the project: latlit.eu/theprojects/d-tour/.

This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Latgale Planning Region and does not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.

The post New cultural tourism route – “Digital Craft Skills” appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Raiņa Centre operates under the Latgale Central Library and offers interactive guided tours and cultural activities. Visitors can explore the history, cultural heritage, and notable personalities of the left bank of the Daugava River in Daugavpils.

The centre’s exhibition is dedicated to three notable personalities connected with this historical school: the Latvian poet, playwright, translator, theatre practitioner, journalist, and politician Jānis Pliekšāns – Rainis; the botanist, mathematician, and philosopher Kārlis Reinholds Kupfers; and the graphic artist Rihards Zariņš, one of the creators of the Latvian national coat of arms and the author of designs for banknotes, securities, and coins. The centre offers guided tours and creative workshops for school groups, families, and adult visitors.

Permanent Exhibition
Raiņa Centre is located in the building of the former Grīva German School and Rainis Secondary School No. 6. Many outstanding personalities studied here, and their achievements in various fields have made a significant contribution to the development of Latvian culture and science.

Guided Tour “Different Times – Different School”
During the tour, participants learn how schools developed in the Daugavpils area, what characterised German schools in the 19th century, and which subjects Rainis studied. Visitors can explore the most interesting historical events and secrets of the school building and its surroundings, and take part in practical activities by tackling tasks from old school subjects such as calligraphy, poetry writing, rhetoric, or natural sciences.

The tour is available in Latvian, Russian, and English.
Group size: 6–30 participants (larger groups are divided into two).
Materials are included in the ticket price.
Duration: 1 hour.

Creative Workshops
In the workshop “Let’s Get Acquainted – GRAPHICS!” participants explore the works of R. Zariņš, the types of seals created by R. Kupfers, the diversity of graphic techniques, and create their own graphic artwork. Each workshop focuses on creative experimentation and discovering materials and techniques, inspired by the unique legacy of Rainis, Kupfers, and Zariņš. Raiņa Centre provides all necessary materials.

Group size: 6–16 participants.
Duration: 1 hour.

PRICE LIST

Address:
Komunālā iela 2, Daugavpils

Opening hours:
Monday–Friday: 11:00–18:00
Saturday–Sunday: closed
It is also possible to visit the centre at a different time arranged individually in advance.

Information:
Latgale Central Library
Phone: +371 29528218
E-mail: raina.centrs@lcb.lv
Facebook: Raiņa centrs

The post The Сentre of the outstanding Latvian writer Rainis continues its work and offers new opportunities for visitors appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Contributing your artwork is simple. Scan the QR code on a sheet and follow the instructions on your device to photograph and upload your coloured drawing. Your creation will appear on the exhibition’s screen in 3D, alongside the contributions of other visitors.

“Clay Pixels” is on view and open to visitor participation on the museum’s top floor throughout 2026.

The exhibition has been realised in collaboration with “We Rock” and with the support of Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Born in Daugavpils on 28 January 1931, Pēteris Martinsons (1931–2013) made history as Latvia’s most internationally celebrated 20th-century ceramicist. His pioneering work transformed Latvian ceramics, establishing it as a vibrant and contemporary artistic medium. The Rothko Museum holds an extensive collection of his works, with hundreds on permanent display in the museum’s ceramic gallery, Martinsons House. Since 2016, the museum has hosted the international Martinsons Award exhibition as part of the Latvia Ceramics Biennale, honouring his legacy and celebrating the enduring vitality of the ceramic medium.

Publicity images: “Clay Pixels” at the Rothko Museum (photographed by Santa Suhanova)

For more information, please contact

Inga Gedžūne, Rothko Museum

+371 26070651

inga.gedzune@daugavpils.lv

The post „Clay Pixels“: An Interactive Digital Exhibition at the Rothko Museum appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils becomes a crossroads of creativity as professional printmakers from Europe, Asia, and North America gather for the 14th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium – a lively creative forum culminating in a group exhibition at the Rothko Museum on 7 March.

From 23 February to 8 March, the Rothko Museum’s studios will pulse with creative energy. For two immersive weeks, nine artists from Italy, Canada, Poland, India, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia will work together, creating new artworks for the museum’s collection and shaping an exhibition that will celebrate their journey through the residency.

Selected from applications representing thirty-three countries, this year’s participants are Alessandro Cugno (Italy), John Graham (Canada), Kamila Bednarska and Katarzyna Tereszkiewicz (Poland), Kateryna Svirgunenko and Valentyna Ariepieva (Ukraine), Kethavath Vijay (India), Nida Shah (Lithuania) and Ināra Garklāva (Latvia).

Beyond the focused studio practice, the symposium opens its doors to the public through meet-the-artist events at the Rothko Museum.

On 27 February, 4 p.m., participating artists will present their creative portfolios.

The symposium exhibition will open on 7 March, 4 p.m., unveiling the results of this dynamic creative fortnight.

Admission to both events is free.

Conceived and produced by SIVIA Association, the symposium is part of the Rothko Museum’s residency programme and runs with support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and the Daugavpils City Council.

Since its inception in 2013, the Latgale Graphic Art Symposium has brought together over a hundred artists from nearly forty countries. Today, it continues to revitalise the graphic medium in Daugavpils and elevate Latgale’s global reputation, attracting artists to this crossroads of cultures to distil their impressions, exchange ideas and experience the contemporary resonance of traditional printmaking techniques.

Publicity image: In the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studio (photo by Pāvels Terentjevs)

Information:
Tatjana Černova
Curator of the symposium
tatjana.cernova@daugavpils.lv

The post Rothko Museum Hosts the 14th Instalment of its International Printmaking Symposium appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

At 4.00 p.m. on Friday, 20 February, the Rothko Museum opens its first exhibition season of the year with six new projects bringing together artistic voices from Italy, Finland, and Latvia. Moving from contemplative and restrained non-figurative painting and installation to photographic narratives that trace experience as it inscribes itself on mind and body, the season echoes silence, light, belonging, memory, and stillness.

Gregorio Botta: “Painting Brings You Home”

Gregorio Botta (Italy) is the first Italian artist to exhibit solo at the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils. The city that gave birth to Mark Rothko and his Abstract Expressionism now represents a “home” for a silent, contemplative form of non-figurative painting – an ideal legacy that has long inspired Botta’s artistic research.

According to the exhibition’s curator Bruno Corà, art historian and critic, although Botta’s practice unfolds through a plurality of media, often in three-dimensional installations and sculptures, it is grounded in painting understood as an originating artistic gesture and continues to be deeply meditative:

“Using natural materials such as wax, rice paper, water, glass, leaves, and stone, the artist creates rarefied works that evoke emptiness and silence through minimal forms.”

Over the years, Botta has exhibited in important museums and institutions in Italy and abroad, establishing himself as one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary Italian art. At the Latvian exhibition, around thirty works are presented, some created specifically for this occasion.

Rose-Mari Torpo: “Strange Light”

Inspired by the fragile threshold moments of dawn and dusk, Finnish abstractionist Rose-Mari Torpo paints shifting, almost illusory spaces where light, colour, and movement generate immersive encounters. Working across canvas, paper, polyester, and found readymade materials, she experiments with spray paint, acrylic, and ink to test the boundaries of painting itself, letting the work extend beyond its frame and become an active spatial element.

Curator Tatjana Černova highlights the artist’s recent engagement with iridescent materials, which refract and reflect light, intensifying the inherent dynamism of her compositions:

“At times her surfaces resemble atmospheric dust; at others they appear liquid, or more solid and congealed. The structural indeterminacy of Torpo’s painting corresponds to an emotional register that remains consciously suspended and mutable, existing beyond figuration.”

Artists from Latgale: “Borderland”

The Rothko Museum’s annual spring exhibition of Latgale artists turns its gaze to the border, both as a line on a map and as a threshold of imagination. Bringing together sixty-four artists across generations and media, it reflects a shared connection to Latgale as a home, muse, crossroads, or point of departure.

Curator Aivars Baranovskis frames Borderland as a mental and physical space between staying and leaving, tradition and modernity, the local and the global:

“Beyond geography, the exhibition reflects on art itself as a practice unfolding at the border between normality and abnormality, between what is accepted and what is condemned. Because art’s very purpose is to test and redefine existing boundaries: illuminate the marginal, challenge the norm, and celebrate the richness of experience and meaning life has to give.”

With this conceptual focus, the show is both a meeting point for artists and an invitation for the viewer to see this complex region not just as lines on a map, but as a source of possibility and inspiration.

RZ Collection: “Ways of Seeing”

“Ways of Seeing” presents selected works from the RZ Collection – the private assemblage of entrepreneur and art patron Raivis Zabis (1973–2023). Guided by intuition and emotional response rather than systematic acquisition, he approached collecting as a deeply personal, almost artistic process. Contemporary art, which he saw as the clearest mirror of its time, formed the core of his engagement.

Curator Dace Dēliņa-Lipska notes that the exhibition’s title reflects the collector’s belief that art must be seen to be fully alive:

“For Zabis, artworks belonged out in the open rather than in storage. Indeed, art truly breathes and comes alive when someone stops to look. This exhibition is an invitation to reflect on ways of seeing – art, time, and our shared humanity.”

Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva: “Habitus”

In “Habitus”, Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva presents a photographic series unfolding as a visual and emotional inquiry into the boundary between appearance and experience, between what is visible and what is lived. Working at the intersection of documentary observation, subtle staging, and directorial control, the artist constructs a finely calibrated narrative that traces how social environment, upbringing, and personal history inscribe themselves in posture, gaze, and silence, shaping how we relate to ourselves and others.

Curator Tatjana Černova observes how in Verbicka-Vasiļjeva’s practice, habitus moves beyond its sociological origins to become a lived imprint – an experience absorbed into the body, behaviour, and emotional memory:

“At the heart of the exhibition lies an understanding of the human being as a process rather than a fixed state, drawing attention to the entanglement of individual stories with collective experience and urging viewers to consider how we all reflect the world around us.”

Pēteris Martinsons: “Reflection”

In 2026, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics partners with the Rothko Museum towards an exhibition series at the Martinsons House gallery to mark the 95th anniversary of the Latvian ceramic artist Pēteris Martinsons (1931–2013). Drawing on works from Latvian and international museum collections, the programme offers a wide-ranging view of the artist’s impressive creative legacy.

The first exhibition in the series presents large-scale ceramic sculptures from the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art. Curator Valentīns Petjko highlights the exhibition’s anchoring diptych “Reflection” – early yet assured figurative abstractions where the human figure is distilled into geometric minimalism and archetypal signs. Meanwhile, the later works articulate Martinsons’s mature visual language, shaped by architectural thinking, sculptural experimentation, and a pronounced engagement with graphic line.

Exhibition Dates and Opening Night

The Rothko Museum’s spring exhibition season runs from 20 February to 24 May 2026.

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

The Rothko Museum’s spring exhibition season was prepared in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics, the Latvian National Museum of Art and Il Cigno Arte, with valued support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Daugavpils City Council, Italian Embassy in Latvia, Nordic Culture Point, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and Caparol.

Publicity images:

• Gregorio Botta “Horizon”. Glass and wax, 20 x 200 x 8 cm, 2024
• Rose-Mari Torpo “Dawn”. Ink, acrylic, and spray paint on polyester and canvas, 180 x 125 cm, 2025. Photo by Janette Holmström
• “Borderland” – the exhibition’s graphic identity. Designed by Irina Bogdanova
• Anna Zholud “The Way Series No. 1”. Oil on cardboard, 75 x 105 cm, 2017. Photo by Valters Pelns
• Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva “Star” (from the Habitus series). Photography, 100 x 70 cm, 2025
• Pēteris Martinsons “Tension”. Chamotte, engoe, drawing, 72 x 34.5 x 33.5 cm, 1980. Latvian National Museum of Art

The post Light at the Threshold of Silence: Rothko Museum Announces Spring Exhibition Season appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

SIA “Daugavpils satiksme” offers a unique opportunity – a ride through Daugavpils on a retro tram built in the mid‑20th century at the Riga Wagon Factory.

The ride can be complemented with a guided tour covering the city’s history as well as its cultural and historical landmarks.

The retro tram is an authentic mid-20th-century vehicle that has been remarkably well-preserved. It is suitable for hosting various events – birthday celebrations, family gatherings, or, for example, excursions for school groups or company teams.

The retro tram route combines two popular Daugavpils tram lines (routes No. 1 and No. 3). The total distance is 16 km, and the ride takes approximately one hour.

Two retro trams are available:
– Tram No. 65, suitable for groups of up to 24 people, equipped with 8 tables;
– Tram No. 61, suitable for groups of up to 36 people, without tables.

The retro tram tour is available by prior arrangement only. To book, please contact SIA „Daugavpils satiksme“ by phone +371 20012140 or e-mail: reklama@dsatiksme.lv.

A retro tram ride can also be booked online by filling out the application form on the “Daugavpils satiksme” website. A reservation calendar is available there, allowing visitors to choose the most convenient day and time for the ride.

Information: SIA “Daugavpils satiksme”
Photos: Sergejs Kuzņecovs

The post Sightseeing tour on a retro tram in Daugavpils appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

As February 14 – Valentine’s Day, the Day of Love – approaches, the Latgale Culinary Heritage Centre “Šmakovka” once again invites everyone to celebrate love in a special way. Throughout the entire month of February, visitors will have the opportunity to take part in the romantic and exciting Valentine’s Day quest “We Met in Šmakovka!”.

During the quest, couples will be able to test their knowledge, intuition, and teamwork skills by completing tasks that lead them through the Šmakovka Centre’s exhibition, revealing the flavours, traditions, and stories of Latgale. It is not only a chance to spend quality time together but also to create new, heartfelt memories.

We invite you to embrace the adventure and let your hearts meet in Šmakovka – a place where love and the spirit of Latgale intertwine in one story.

Advance reservation is required.

Contacts:
Phone: +371 25666201
smakovka@daugavpils.lv
www.facebook.com/SmakovkasMuzejs
www.smakovka.lv

Address: Rīgas iela 22A, Daugavpils

Illustration by: Guna Gamazina

The post In February, the Latgale Culinary Heritage Centre will host the romantic Valentine’s Day quest “We Met in Šmakovka!” appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Centre of Technics and Industrial Design “Engineering Arsenal” informs about the possibility of renting its historic courtyard for a variety of events. “Engineering Arsenal” offers the only closed yard in Daugavpils Fortress with an area of 4000 square meters, electricity connection, places for food and rest, as well as a small building in case of changing weather conditions.

Celebration at the “Engineering Arsenal” is an ideal option for birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and especially biker/car enthusiast meetings.

The cost of the service is 260 EUR. The time of the event is agreed upon so as not to disturb the visitors of the centre and guests of the event.

Additional information: (+371) 28033133, inzenieruarsenals@daugavpils.lv, or DM on social media platforms.

Centre of Technics and Industrial Design «Engineering arsenal» is the largest exhibition of motorised vehicles in the Latgale region. It is a unique exhibition space of retro technology and applied design, which is located in the historic 19th-century building of the Daugavpils Fortress.

www.facebook.com/Inzenieru.arsenals

www.instagram.com/inzenieru_arsenals

www.youtube.com/@inzenieruarsenals

www.tiktok.com/@inzenieru_arsenals

The post A unique offer from “Engineering Arsenal” – rent a historic courtyard! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, 5 December, the Rothko Museum will open its winter season with five new exhibitions exploring humour, presence, technology, and the shifting nature of contemporary experience. From introspective painting and dreamlike landscapes to porcelain shaped by both hand and machine, the season brings together voices from Lithuania and beyond, offering viewers a contemplative passage through the winter months.

Meda Norbutaitė – Wedge
Lithuanian artist, curator, and educator Meda Norbutaitė uses irony and grotesque to probe the social anxieties of contemporary life – our fears and expectations, jealousies and insecurities, inflated egos and self-doubt. Humour becomes both her language and her lens for exploring the dilemmas of today’s masked and performative self.

Art researcher Dr. Evelina Januškaitė observes: “In an age when social media offers almost endless channels for connection and floods our vision with images, Norbutaitė’s clowning becomes a wedge – a means to prise open the rigid frames that confine us so we can laugh at ourselves and rediscover a sense of freedom. Spanning the full range of emotion, the exhibition invites us to recognise and awaken the clown within – the self that reflects, opens up, critiques, loves, plays, errs, dares, and begins again.”

Solveiga Gutautė – Genius Loci

Lithuanian painter Solveiga Gutautė creates atmospheric spaces where shadow, silence, and quivering light become experiences in themselves. Unfolding on the threshold between day and dusk, dream and awareness, memory and today, her “shadow painting” is influenced by the meditative rhythms of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music and invites viewers into a slower, more intuitive mode of perception.

The project’s curator Māris Čačka calls the exhibition a soft yet powerful reminder that “art does not need to be understood. It is enough to let it happen and to linger, for a while, within its quiet breath.”

Rokas Dovydėnas – Porcelain and the Machine
Doctor of Arts, interdisciplinary artist and curator Rokas Dovydėnas, Lithuania, traces European porcelain’s evolving language across three centuries, focusing on the meeting of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary digital solutions. Drawing on historical vase forms and the inventive spirit of pioneers like Johann Friedrich Böttger, he asks how porcelain’s meaning shifts when the hand yields part of its authority to algorithmic design and robotic fabrication.

“Using Limoges porcelain fired at 1250°C, my works follow the blanc-de-Chine tradition of white vessels with transparent glaze. Yet their creation belongs to a new era: designed with computer modelling and produced by 3D clay printers, they embody the meeting of centuries-old material with robotic precision,” the artist says.

Diana Rudokienė – Dream Topographies
Lithuanian artist Diana Rudokienė explores the fragile boundary between the visible and the unseen, guided by an enduring fascination with memory, transformation, and the subconscious. Using translucent layers of oil and subtle tonal shifts, she creates dreamlike spaces where figures dissolve into atmosphere and light, suggesting inner landscapes shared across human experience.

“In the half-light between sleep and waking, images surface – shifting, dissolving, reappearing. Painting becomes a map of the unseen, tracing the delicate borders between dream and perception. In mapping my dream topographies, I invite viewers to recognise fragments of their own,” the artist notes.

Tensions and Transitions: Navigating the Boundaries of Being
Produced by Pashmin Art Consortia, Germany, the exhibition brings together Zhang Dawo, Peter Backhaus, Horst Wagner, Fant Wenger, Reinhard Hanke, Holger Dempwolff, Sonia Parchet, and Anna van den Hövel – eight artists whose works reflect the emotional and spiritual transitions of our rapidly changing world. Blending abstraction, expressionism, and a sense of the transcendent, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the shifting boundaries of personal and collective identity and to reflect on the struggles of modern existence – alienation, pursuit of meaning, and thirst for connection.

Exhibition Dates and Opening Night
The Rothko Museum’s winter season runs from 5 December 2025 to 8 February 2026. At the same time, until 1 February 2026, visitors can still enjoy two autumn season’s exhibitions – “Martinsons Award 2025” and “Matchstick in the Sand” by Milena Pirštelienė, Lithuania.

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

The Rothko Museum’s winter exhibition season was prepared in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics and Pashmin Art Consortia, with valued support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Daugavpils City Council, Panevėžys City Municipality Cultural and Art Grant, and “Caparol”.

Publicity images:

1. Meda Norbutaitė. Vignette. Pie to the Face. Oil on canvas. 150 x 200 cm. 2022
2. Solveiga Gutautė. Untitled. Oil on canvas. 200 × 286 cm. 2025
3. Rokas Dovydėnas. A Meiping Vase. Porcelain, glaze, 3D printing. 2024
4. Diana Rudokienė. Twilight. Oil and gold foil on canvas. 80 x 160 cm. 2024
5. Holger Dempwolff. Mr Smith Walking on the Seaground. Oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm

The post Where Art Invites to Linger: Rothko Museum Announces Winter Exhibition Season appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Latvia has become one more long-distance hiking route richer – the 1070-kilometre „Ezertaka“ in Latgale is marked out and available for free to anyone who likes to hike on different distances.

For many, Latgale is associated with the country of blue lakes, and for good reason, because there are about 1200 different lakes in the region, as well as other types of water bodies. It is because of these lakes that the name of the long hiking route „Ezertaka“ was chosen, which in Latgalian means „Azaru styga“. The route was developed by the Latgale Tourism Association, but for the initial idea and courage to undertake such an ambitious project, the Latgale Tourism Association would like to thank Iveta Druva-Druvaskalne, a teacher of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, and Amanda Valtere, a student. „Ezertaka“ is also one of three similar routes in Latvia implemented in other regions by the Rural Tourism Association „Lauku ceļotājs“. Hikers now have the opportunity to make shorter and longer hikes on the trails „Jūrtaka“, „Mežtaka“ and „Ezertaka“.

The schematic representation of the route is made in the form of a figure of eight or an infinity sign with an intersection at Lake Razna. A total of 134 lakes and other bodies of water can be found on the route „Ezertaka“. The route includes one of the deepest lakes in Latvia – Geraņimovas-Ildzas (46 m), lakes Lielā Gusena (38 m) and Ormijas (43 m) on the Kraslava side, lakes Riču (39.7 m on the Latvian side) and Sventes (38 m) in the Augšdaugava region. The route also passes Ežezers Lake, the richest lake in Latvia. In summer, lovers of walks will have the opportunity to enjoy some of the cleanest lakes in Latvia – lakes Sventes (transparency 7.5 m) and Medumu (5.2 m) in Augšdaugava region.

The route of the trail can be viewed on a Google maps. For the convenience of hikers, the map also shows the nearest attractions, housing, beaches, grocery stores and pharmacies. A separate layer of the map is a collection of Latgale churches created by the Dagda Tourism Centre. Ezertaka markings in nature are markings on natural objects (trees, rocks) and white-green-white road signs.

At the end of the marking stage, the next stages of development of the „Ezertaka“ are considered, including infrastructure improvements and marketing activities.

If you notice missing or damaged markings on any section of the route, please write to info@latgale.travel and the route will be improved if possible.

The post THE MARKING OF THE LONG HIKING ROUTE „EZERTAKA“ IS COMPLETED appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils offers a wide range of recreation and leisure opportunities, visits to the city museums, cultural institutions and natural sites during the summer tourist season. Daugavpils is a dog friendly city, so residents and guests of Daugavpils can visit sightseeing with their four-legged pets.

The list of the places to visit:

Natural objects:

• Dubrovin Park is a favorite place for walks in the historic centre of the city. Rare trees and shrubs in Latvia grow here. The park has the largest fountain in the city, which is illuminated in summer. The park has a monument devoted to Dubrovin, who was the initiator of the park, former mayor P. Dubrovin, and his dog.
• Central Park is the largest park in the city. The park has walking paths, well-kept greenery, a large playground for children. There is a special „Tree of Love“. You can also take a breath and observe the cityscape in an unusual alley of benches.
• Esplanade Park is a place suitable for a variety of outdoor activities. The park has a bicycle park, a playground, street exercisers, a musical square with street musical instruments and landscaped pedestrian paths. The park has a separate fenced area for walking with a dogs.
• Bruģu Street promenade is a great place for leisurely walks, where you can enjoy the scenery of the Daugava bank and the works of Daugavpils artists on the concrete fence walls of Bruģu Street. Outdoor fitness equipment is available for lovers of active recreation, and benches are convenient for those who like a measured rest. Construction work will be completed soon, and at the beginning of the promenade, citizens and visitors will have access to the observation deck, which offers a magnificent panoramic view of Griva.
• The promenade along the Lielais Stropu Lake is a suitable place for lovers of long walks. A three-kilometre trail connects the 2 beaches of the lake, the promenade is equipped with benches, as well as outdoor exercise equipment and a playground.
• Daugavpils Fortress promenade is the newest promenade of the city, located on the bank of the Daugava, close to the historic Daugavpils Fortress. Great place for walking to enjoy nature, the flow of the Daugava and the historical breath of the city.

Cultural-historical and tourist sites:

• Daugavpils Fortress is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, especially popular among dog owners. Walking through the territory of almost 150 hectares will be a fascinating adventure for both families and their loved ones.
• The Medical Exhibition with an Exposition of Contraceptives is a unique permanent exposition in one of the historical buildings of Daugavpils Fortress. Various exhibits of medical subjects – equipment, photographs, documents, visual materials – are placed in 4 halls. There is also a place for four-legged friends in the spacious rooms. More information about the exposition can be found at visitdaugavpils.lv.
• Shmakovka Museum is a pet-friendly place in the basement of the historic Unity House, where you can learn about the history of Latgale through the lens of the region’s culinary heritage. More about the exposition – smakovka.lv.
• Exhibition of retro cars “Retrogaraž-D” is a unique collection of cars and objects from Soviet times near Daugavpils Fortress. There is the largest collection of „Moskvich“ cars in the Baltic States. More information about the exposition – at visitdaugavpils.lv.
• Daugavpils Lead Shot Factory is the oldest ammunition production plant in Northern Europe with the only active lead casting tower in Europe. Here you can learn more about the process of shot production, look at the production equipment. More information about the tourist offer – dsr.lv.

Before going with your pet to see other tourist attractions, contact each establishment and find out if your four-legged friend will be able to visit the particular establishment together with the owner. The list of Daugavpils tourist attractions is available here.

Recreation near city reservoirs:
Daugavpils City Municipality reminds that according to the requirements of regulations bathing with dogs is prohibited only in places of official bathing. There are three of them in Daugavpils – the beach on the Lielais Stropu Lake „Stropu Vilnis“, the central beach in Lielais Stropu, the beach on the Šuņu Lake (after the former 7th basic school). Other bathing places are not official beaches and there are no restrictions on bathing pets.

Information:

 Daugavpils City Municipality Communication Department

The post PLACES TO VISIT WITH YOUR DOG IN DAUGAVPILS appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils invites you to experience a winter holiday season filled with miracles! From child-friendly performances and musical concerts to creative activities and New Year’s Eve celebrations — the city offers a wide range of events for the whole family.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

December – the Month of Winter Miracles

December 27

• 10:00 – 15:00

Charity fair and concert

Shopping centre “Ditton”

• 10:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 13:00 – 17:00

Closing day of the Christmas residence

Imperatora Street 8, Engineering Arsenal, activities both in the yard and indoors

• 14:30

Interactive performance “The Grinch in the Golden Fairy Tale” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:30

Interactive performance “The Grinch in the Golden Fairy Tale” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 17:00

End-of-year concert “For My City”

Rothko Museum Concert Hall, Mihaila Street 3, Free admission

• 17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 18:00

Musical performance “Nutcracker”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

December 28

• 11:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 11:00

Creative master class “Christmas Tree in 3D” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 12:00

Performance „New Year`s Commotion”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 14:00

Master class „Christmas Tree Decoration“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:00

Concert “Christmas Musical Cocktail”

Unity House Concert Hall, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

December 29

• 11:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 11:00

Creative class “Creative Reading in the Museum” at the Rothko Museum

Mihaila Street 3, Daugavpils

Registration: mairita.folkmane@daugavpils.lv or by phone +371 26564817

• 12:00

Master class „Little Princess“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 14:30

„Golden Fairy Tale“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

December 30

• 11:00

Creative class “Creative Crafts and Where to Store Them?”

Mihaila Street 3, Daugavpils

Registration: mairita.folkmane@daugavpils.lv or by phone +371 26564817

• 14:00

Holiday program “Santa’s Mail” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 15:30

Holiday program “Santa’s Mail” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:00

Performance “Three Baba Yagas and the New Year”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

• 17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 18:00

New Year`s Run

Vienības Square

December 31 – New Year’s Eve

Starting from 11:00 p.m., immerse yourselves in the rhythms of dance music!

Shortly before midnight – New Year’s Message of the President and greetings!

We`ll ring in 2026 with the Latvian anthem and festive fireworks!

The celebrations will continue at the Night Disco until 3:00 a.m.

January – Holiday Season Continues

• January 1 to 4:

Weekdays: 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00

Moments of joy for children with fairy-tale and cartoon characters

Vienības Square

• January 1 to 7:

17:00–20:00

Musical walks in the Christmas spirit

Dubrovin Park, A.Pumpurs Square

• January 5

17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

Lights, music, laughter and the joy of being together – come and experience the magic of winter holidays in Daugavpils!

May every moment be filled with warmth and holiday miracles with your family and friends.

The post Daugavpils Winter Holiday Adventures – Come and Experience the Miracle! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The city has prepared a wide and warm program of events that will delight both children and adults. From the lighting of the Christmas tree and creative workshops to musical events and a Christmas residence – Daugavpils invites you to experience a holiday season filled with miracles.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

November – beginning of the holiday

November 29 at 16:00

Lighting the first candle in the city’s Advent wreath

Square near St. Peter`s in Chains Roman Catholic Church

November 30 at 17:00

Lighting of the city’s main Christmas tree „When the Stars Light up the Christmas Tree…“

Vienības/Unity Square

December – a month of holiday miracles

December 1 to 30 (weekdays 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00)

Moments of joy for children: meetings with fairy-tale and cartoon characters

Vienības/Unity Square

December 1 to January 4 (weekdays 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00)

Miracle workshop “Astra” (“Chucha Chacha” program)

Registration by phone: +371 25144770

December 1 to 20

Rides on The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram (for children aged 4 to 9)

Registration by phone: +371 25144770

December 3 at 17:00 and 18:30

Master class “Porcelain Christmas tree decorations”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 4 at 17:20 

Master class “Crocheted Christmas tree decorations”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 11 at 17:20

Master class “Gingerbread baskets”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 12 at 16:00

Christmas graphics workshop for families “Welcome to the Museum!”

Participation fee: 6 EUR

Registration by phone: 26564817

Rothko Museum, Mihaila Street 3

For families and children

December 5 at 17:30

Family game “In the Footsteps of St. Nicholas”

Free participation

Polish Cultural Centre, Varšavas Street 30

December 13 at 14:00 – 18:00

Opening of the Christmas residence

Engineering Arsenal, Imperatora Street 8

December 16 at 18:00

Christmas concert performance “On the Planet of the Little Prince”

Free admission

Unity House Concert Hall, Rīgas Street 22a

December 19 at 17:00 and December 20 at 11:00

Family event “Christmas Quiz”

Free participation

Registration by phone: 65449090

Latgale Central Library, Rīgas Street 22A

December 20 at 13:00 – 17:00

Christmas residence

Engineering Arsenal, Imperatora Street 8

Second Day of Christmas – December 26

16:00

Free microphone for children with Santa Claus, Snow Maiden and fairy-tale characters

Vienības/Unity Square

17:00

Concert “Feel Christmas” by the band “Eridana”

Vienības/Unity Square

 Go on a holiday adventure with your family to Daugavpils!

Lights, traditions, warmth and the joy of being together – all of this awaits you in our city.

The post Spend the Christmas season with your family in Daugavpils! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The Rīgas Street Festival will take place in Daugavpils on September 13th. The festival will take place for the 12th time. The Rīgas Street Festival is a special story, which comes to life every year along the city’s main pedestrian artery.

Music, light installations, dances, art and craft workshops make a unique atmosphere where everyone will find something interesting for themselves.

During the event, the entire Rīga Street will be divided into several thematic sectors – musical stages; creative art section — graffiti, airbrushing, painting; craft workshops – blacksmithing, ceramics and more; in the auto section will be available for viewing American cars, drift cars and motorcycles, also  live sculptures, puppet theatre and  dances performances.

The Rīgas Street Festival was first held in the early 1990s, in 2014 it was revived and since then has been held annually in September. Nowadays, it’s one of the most awaited events in Daugavpils‘ cultural life. Rigas Street is a special part of the city’s history: street is one of the first pedestrian streets in Latvia, an important cultural and architectural environment, where tradition meets modernity.

Rīgas Street Festival is hosted by Daugavpils City Council institutions „Vienības nams“ Latvian and Latgalian Cultural Centre. Supported by Daugavpils City Council. Creative team of the Festival: Māris Susejs, Līga Čible un Sergejs Vasiļjevs.

Please be advised that photography and filming will be taken at the event for publicity and historical needs of the Daugavpils City Coucil.

Information:
“Vienības nams”
Latvian and Latgalian Cultural Centre
Telephone: +371 20613225
www.vienibasnams.lv

The post On September 13, Daugavpils will host Rīgas Street Festival appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On June 1, on the last day of the City Festival in Daugavpils, a car show hosted by the “Rolling Team” community will take place in the courtyard of the Centre of Technics and Industrial Design «Engineering Arsenal». The event will be held from 10:00 to 17:00. Many cars of different categories from Latvia and Lithuania will take part in the show.

Different contests are planned within the event:

– competition of the most powerful exhaust;

– competition of car audio systems;

– contests for all visitors and other surprises.

Entrance to this event (courtyard) is free of charge.

Let’s celebrate the 750th anniversary of Daugavpils together!

Information: „Rolling Team“

The post Car Show in the courtyard of the Centre of Technics and Industrial Design «Engineering arsenal» appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

From 29 May to 1 June, Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary. This year, the city’s celebrations will expand considerably, offering a varied and rich programme of culture and entertainment.

The celebrations will begin on Thursday, 29 May, at the Daugavpils Fortress, where visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a musical programme in the courtyard of the Rothko Museum – a cabaret concert performance „THIS IS LIFE …“. This musical and theatrical experience will create a special atmosphere where passion, music and the performance of outstanding artists will merge into one breathtaking evening.

On Friday, 30 May, three stages will be set up in the city centre for concerts offering a varied musical programme. Visitors will be able to enjoy attractions, a wide range of markets and outdoor cafés starting on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, 30 May, the Rothko Museum will open its Summer Exhibition Season and Daugavpils Fortress will host a concert by “PALÚ” and “House of Berries”. The festivities will continue in the city centre – in parks, squares and Rīgas Street, as well as on the main stage at the Unity Square, where the performance of the drum and bagpipe band „AUĻI“, the band „LATGALĪŠU REPS“, the concert programme „ABBORN, „ABBA“ and the musical show „RICO SANCHEZ and „The GIPSIES“ will be held.

On Saturday, 31 May, the city centre will become the epicentre of the festivities. Music, entertainment and various activities will take place throughout the day. There will also be a colourful festive parade, with the participation of both local residents and visitors. At the end of the day, a grand concert will take place in Vienības Square, which promises to be one of the highlights of the festival. “SUDDEN LIGHTS” and “Bi-2” will perform in the Unity Square.

For the second time, the international event „Tourism Street“ will take place during the Daugavpils City Festival. Visitors will be able to get new ideas for their holidays in Daugavpils, other parts of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. During the event, professional advice and recommendations for planning an unforgettable holiday for different target audiences will be available. The „Tourism Street“ will be open in the city centre – on Ģimnāzijas Street from Saules Street to Rīgas Street:
30 May from 15.00 to 19.00;
31 May from 10.00 to 19.00.

On Sunday, 1 June, youth will take over the baton with sports activities in Vienības Square. There will be a variety of events attracting sports enthusiasts, amateurs and others.

This year the Latgalian tradition of singing together turns 100 years old, and the Latgalian Song Festival celebrates its 85th anniversary. In this regard, the Latgalian Song Festival will take place on 1 June at the Stropi open air stage for the first time in the last 10 years. During the festival there will be several concerts. The culmination will be a big festive concert, which will bring together both Latgalian artists and guests from other parts of Latvia. The programme will include Latgalian folk songs and modern compositions.

The post Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary from 29 May to 1 June (VIDEO) appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

From 10 to 22 March, Daugavpils will welcome graphic artists from nine countries for the 13th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium – a vibrant creative forum for professional printmakers that will result in an exhibition at the Rothko Museum.

As the most significant international event in the graphic medium held in the Latgale Region, the symposium has, over the years, brought together more than a hundred printmakers from over forty countries. Its idea and concept belong to Association SIVIA, which has run the symposium since its inception in 2013 as part of the Rothko Museum’s residency programme. Today, the symposium continues to revitalise the graphic medium in Daugavpils and boost the international profile of Latgale by drawing artists to this vibrant region where creativity can truly thrive.

The symposium format gives artists two productive weeks away from the distractions of daily life, enabling them to concentrate on nothing but creation. Settled in the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studios, they distil their impressions of Daugavpils and its historic fortress and translate Latgale’s distinctive scenery into original artworks for the symposium exhibition. Some choose to hone their long-preferred techniques, while others opt for unconventional experiments to capture the creative impulse of the here and now.

Participation in the forum is competition-based. A jury of experts selected eleven artists from nine countries for the symposium’s 13th edition. Thus, the 2025 team of participants includes Ana Vivoda (Croatia), Anatolijs Šandurovs (Latvia), Antonia-Styliani Taralli (Greece), Caterina De Nisco and Michele Bernardini (Italy), Martyna Rzepecka and Łukasz Koniuszy (Poland), Indraagni Ghosh (India), Lilli-Krõõt Repnau (Estonia), Sioban Piercy (Ireland), and Sirkku Ketola (Finland).

The public will have the opportunity to get to know the artists and explore their practices at a meet-the-artist event scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, 14 March, in the Rothko Museum’s video room.

The symposium will close on 21 March, 4 p.m., in the museum’s gallery space with the unveiling of an exhibition that will display the tangible results of the intense creative fortnight.

Admission to both events is free of charge.

The 13th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium is supported by the Daugavpils City Council, Latvia’s State Culture Capital Foundation, Caparol, and Devona.

Publicity image: In the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studio (photo by Pāvels Terentjevs)

Information: Rothko Museum

The post Rothko Museum Hosts the 13th Instalment of its International Printmaking Symposium appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary from 29 May to 1 June. Daugavpils city has already started intensive work on the city’s celebration programme, which highlights not only the city’s significant anniversary, but also the 85th anniversary of the first Latgale Song Festival at the Stropu Stage.

This year, the cultural and entertainment programme of the City Festival will be extensive and diverse. The city’s cultural institutions will offer events with a strong focus on exploring the history of Daugavpils.

The celebrations will start on Thursday, 29 May, at the Daugavpils Fortress, where visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a musical programme in the courtyard of the Rothko Museum.

On Friday, 30 May, three stages will be set up in the city centre for concerts offering a varied musical programme. Visitors will be able to enjoy attractions, a wide range of festive market stalls and outdoor cafés starting on Friday.

On Saturday 31 May, the city centre will become the epicentre of the festivities. Music, entertainment and activities will take place throughout the day. There will also be a colourful parade with the participation of both residents and visitors. At the end of the day, a grand concert will take place at the Unity Square, which promises to be one of the highlights of the festival. For the second time, the Daugavpils City Festival will feature a „Tourism Street“, where representatives of the Baltic tourism industry will offer their best tips and advice for an unforgettable holiday here in Daugavpils and in other places.

There will be a variety of events attracting sports enthusiasts, amateurs and others on Sunday, 1 June.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Latgale tradition of communal singing and 85 years since the first Latgale Song Festival was held in Daugavpils. To celebrate this jubilee, the Latgale Song Festival will take place on 1 June at the Stropu Stage, featuring the most beautiful Latgalian folk songs and contemporary compositions. This festival is an important cultural event that celebrates Latvian singing culture, strengthens the identity of Latgale and promotes the development of local music and folk art. The Latgale Song Festival will include a number of cultural events, culminating in a large concert that will bring together local and regional artists, as well as guests from other parts of Latvia.

The programme of events will follow.

The post Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary from 29 May to 1 June appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Die internationale Busgesellschaft „FlixBus” bietet günstige Fernbusverbindungen zwischen Lettland (einschließlich Daugavpils), Estland und Litauen über Polen und Deutschland an und verbindet so die baltischen Staaten mit dem umfangreichsten Busnetz in Europa.

Direkt- und Anschlussverbindungen nach Daugavpils werden von verschiedenen Zielen aus angeboten: von polnischen Städten wie Warschau, Krakau und Bialystok; von Ljubljana und Maribor (Slowenien); Szekesfehérvár und Siofok (Ungarn), Dolni Kubin (Slowakei) sowie von Riga, Jelgava und Bauska.

Tickets für FlixBus-Flüge in die baltischen Staaten sowie für Direktflüge in verschiedene europäische Länder können online unter www.flixbus.lv  oder über die FlixBus-Mobil-App gekauft werden.

Das Gepäck ist kostenlos und es ist nicht nötig, Tickets auszudrucken – man kann mit seinem Smartphone einchecken, indem man den QR-Code scannt.

„FlixBus” ist eine Marke des deutschen Unternehmens FlixMobility GmbH. „FlixBus” bietet 2.500 Ziele in 29 europäischen Ländern an.

Informationen: www.flixbus.lv

The post „FlixBus” bietet Fahrten von verschiedenen europäischen Städten nach DAUGAVPILI an appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

If you want to learn more about Daugavpils, the best way to do it is to visit a guided city tour, which will take you through the most important sights and their history. Your guide will tell you interesting and fascinating stories about our city.

– The tour starts on 23th December at 12.00 in Unity Square;

– Duration: three to three and a half hours;

– Guide services are FREE, but entrance fees and public transport to the tourist sites are at the expense of the participants.

No matter if you are a local citizen or a visitor, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the history, culture and personalities of Daugavpils.

The post Discover Daugavpils with a free guided tour! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

1. Daugavpils has one of the most beautiful Christmas trees in Latvia
The Christmas season is the most magical and enchanting time of the year. A stately and magnificently decorated Christmas tree in Unity Square complements the festive atmosphere in Daugavpils every year.

This year, the Christmas tree in Daugavpils is decorated with Latvian symbols of strength. The mountain ash brings blessings and protects against bad energy. Red mountain ash is a source of vitamins for people and an excellent source of food for birds in the high season. Red-breasted woodpeckers, or redbreasts as they are popularly called, are winterers and willingly stay and spend the winter in coniferous forests. This year they have flown to Daugavpils to spend the winter. This is a great honour for the city, because redbreasts symbolize family values ​​and resilience. In turn, the “Auseklītis” (Morning star) in the decoration patterns is a sign of protection, symbolizing the struggle of light with darkness and protecting people.

Santa’s’ residence has opened in Daugavpils Fortress

2. From December 14 to 29, you can visit Santa’s’ residence in the yard of the Daugavpils Technical and Industrial Design Centre „Engineering Arsenal“. It hosts various activities and master classes, and Santa’s’ mailbox is also located there.

The yard of the „Engineering Arsenal“ is opened for visitors from Wednesday to Sunday. Participation in activities and entrance to the yard is free.

3. The Rothko Museum has opened its Winter Exhibition Season

This Winter Exhibition Season, the Rothko Museum is hosting six Latvian and foreign exhibition projects. Among the most notable are the exhibition „Beginning and Light“ by Italian artist Ernesto Morales and the emotionally profound message „I am at home“ by Jekaterina Griškjāne.

Foto: Didzis Grodzs

4. You can visit Christmas markets in Daugavpils
December is the right time to capture the Christmas spirit and get gifts for your loved ones. During the pre-holiday period, from December 4th to 29th, charity fairs are held in the House of Unity and the Daugavpils Palace of Culture to support seniors and people with disabilities. At the fairs, you can buy handicrafts made by seniors and people with disabilities. A wide range of textile products are offered at the fairs – knitted and crocheted gloves, as well as socks and hats, costume jewellery and accessories.

On 21 December, from 10 am to 4 pm, a fair on Rigas Street will take place in Daugavpils. Visitors will be able to buy products from local producers and craftsmen, and other interesting things.

5. Stropi active rest and sports track – a great place for active recreation in winter
Rent skis, put them on your car roof and go enjoy the beautiful nature. Every year, ski slopes are created in the Stropu forest, where you can leisurely glide forward, enjoying the landscapes of the snowy forests.

You can indulge in the joy of cross-country skiing on the Stropi active rest and sports track. The track is fully illuminated, so you can ski during both daylight and dark hours. The track is designed for freestyle skiers, and its length is just under three kilometres.

6. Only in Daugavpils can you take a ride on a tram manufactured at the Riga Wagon Factory at the end of the last century

Dodoties braucienā ar retro tramvaju, ikvienam ir iespēja redzēt ne tikai pilsētas vēsturiskās vietas, bet arī ikdienas dzīvi Daugavpilī. No retro tramvaja logiem pavērsies brīnišķīgi skati uz nozīmīgākajiem pilsētas objektiem, ļaujot izbaudīt pilsētas arhitektūru un kultūru.

The retro tram tour is available by prior arrangement only. To book, please contact SIA “Daugavpils satiksme” by phone +371 20012140 or e-mail: reklama@dsatiksme.lv.

7. Daugavpils is easily accessible by public transport

All roads lead to Daugavpils! When traveling to Daugavpils, you have the opportunity to choose the most convenient form of public transport for yourself:

• With the new Lux Express bus route, Daugavpils is easily accessible even from Liepāja.
• Daugavpils is reachable by Flixbus buses from Vilnius, Warsaw, Tallinn, Prague and other European cities.
• On December 15, 2 new train routs to/from Daugavpils will be introduced, increasing the total number of train services to Daugavpils.

8. In Daugavpils, you can spend an unforgettable New Year’s Eve and enjoy a concert by the band „Citi zēni“

New Year’s Eve in Daugavpils will be bright and exciting. On December 31, from 23:00, a New Year’s Eve event will begin with dance music at Unity Square,
at 24:00 – New Year’s Eve, at 00:15 – a concert by the group „Citi zēni“ and from 01:15 to 03:00 dance music will be played. At the culmination of the festivities, New Year’s fireworks will sparkle joyfully on Daugavpils.

9. At the Daugavpils Ice hall, you can enjoy the joy of skating with your family or friends.

Daugavpils Ice hall offers everyone the opportunity to improve your skating skills. Skating enthusiasts have the opportunity to enjoy skating with the stick.

10. Daugavpils invites you to enjoy an extensive holiday program that will delight both adults and children!

Until January 16, 2025, Daugavpils will mark the time of waiting and celebrating Christmas with various events and activities: from the lighting of the Advent wreath and the main holiday tree to Christmas and New Year, the celebrations of which, in anticipation of the 750th anniversary of Daugavpils, promise to be especially joyful and fun this time.

Information prepared by:
Department of Public Relations and Tourism of Daugavpils City Municipality
Tourist Service Centre
Phone: +371 65422818:
Mobile phone: +371 26444810
E-mail: turisms@daugavpils.lv
Web: www.visitdaugavpils.lv
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.travel
www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.Events
Instagram: www.instagram.com/daugavpils.travel

The post 10 reasons to visit Daugavpils during winter holidays appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, 29 November, the Rothko Museum will launch its winter season, closing the year with six profoundly moving exhibitions. The season’s international dimension comes from “The Beginning and the Light”, a metaphysically oriented solo exhibition by the Italian-Argentine artist Ernesto Morales. Also on show are five domestic projects – the sombre and expressive “Wind Breaker” by Gustavs Filipsons, the enigmatic “Islands” by Mārtiņš Zitmanis, the spiritual and luminous “Eternal Child” by Ruta Štelmahere, the tenderly reminiscent “I’m in the House” by Jekaterina Griškjāne, and the gently comforting “Warm Light” by Inese Margēviča.

“The Beginning and the Light” by Ernesto Morales

The winter season introduces to the local public Ernesto Morales, an Argentinian whose creativity unfolds in Italy since 2006. More recently, Morales has anchored his creative practice in the themes of origin and light. The artist’s interest transcends the purely metaphysical realm. His radiant yet clouded compositions help him trace how space, in dialogue with the viewer’s movement, can alter how the painting is perceived depending on its interaction with the ambient light.

“The exhibition title is about awakening and triumph, a source of strength that fuels growth, renewal, betterment, and new creation. A thinking and perceptive viewer will notice how Morales paints the essence of the universe’s origins, his clouds absorbing and reflecting light in an eternal cycle: spilling into lakes, rivers, and seas before returning, rising up again, reflected in the oceanic mirror, to form new clouds and thereby signal a perpetual rebirth and an interminable new beginning,” comments Māris Čačka, Morales’s curator for the current show.

“Wind Breaker” by Gustavs Filipsons

The latest solo exhibition by Gustavs Filipsons outlines his personal progression through almost fully black and monochrome abstraction. The artist’s famously expressive style draws its dynamic energy from the robust, wind-beaten shores of Kurzeme, the western coastal region of his native Latvia. The vastness that unfolds within the black in Filipsons’s paintings defies all spatial boundaries and dimensions. What happens in the dark is both irrational and mesmerising, and the layered textures seem to be suggesting an experience, a dream, a vision.

“The images appearing in my work are beacons that guide my soul on its unfolding journey through the dark – a voyage that will ultimately bring me home. We all seek inner peace and balance, but without us diving deep into our souls, without profound purification that will cleanse us from our fears, malevolence, and selfish greed, we’ll never find true happiness or freedom. All our experiences are active forces that move us towards freedom and help us to keep changing for the better. But it will only happen if we truly want it,” the artist opens up about what underpins his work.

“Islands” by Mārtiņš Zitmanis

The “islands” that the artist Mārtiņš Zitmanis refers to in his exhibition title are painted objects that appear in almost everything he paints. The exhibition leans towards abstraction, but the “island objects” invariably take centre stage. From realism to abstraction, the viewer is continuously invited to reflect on the specific lens and properties of Zitmanis’s mental archipelago and to consider where we all are drifting in humanity’s vast ocean of ideas.

“For me, an observation sparks association, which, in turn, suggests an image. The latter I develop, discarding anything that feels excessive, into a geometrically structured graphic composition, with its distinctive lines and planes, metallic surface properties, and rhythmic textures. I’m drawn to mediaeval iconography and modern sculpture – their way of representing things that isn’t literal or strictly realistic but can be likened in its impact to an ornamental sign,” the artist says.

For Zitmanis, who spent the first thirteen years of his long, itinerant career in Daugavpils, the exhibition is a homecoming – a return to the earliest in a line of memorable “islands” that have anchored him in his creative voyage.

“Eternal Child” by Ruta Štelmahere

Ruta Štelmahere, Latvian artist, poet and art educator, draws from defining moments of her life – embracing faith in God, the birth of her two children and the passing of her parents. These moments have been her sacred, enigmatic glimpses of eternity when she has brushed the curtain that separates us from the great beyond. This final frontier is where we all come face to face with our eternal child, so vulnerable and genuine.

“A shining image flashes in the cloud of light that is my childhood – my first awareness of eternity and time, infinity and space. Immediately, ageless archetypal questions are storming through my fledgling mind. I’m wondering what existed before I came to be and what will happen once I am gone. What does it mean to be and never end? And how can something have no end? Our inner child is growing and maturing as we live, yet it remains a child, holding the hand of God the Father, our eternal origin and destination,” Štelmahere says.

The artist navigates these timeless questions in her painting with depth and reverence for the sacred, endlessly reaching for the edge of light and bearing faithful witness to its revelations.

“I’m in the House” by Jekaterina Griškjāne

Jekaterina Griškjāne, artist and children’s book illustrator, adds to the winter season with her moving solo exhibition, deeply rooted in a painful loss and journey of acceptance – a young mind trying to make sense of the departure of someone dear. The artist was only nine years old when her secure and happy world was shaken by the passing of her grandfather, who’d been her closest friend. Not fully understanding what exactly death entailed, she felt it had to be a kind of final passage. The exhibition traces such a journey between two worlds and draws from a first-hand experience of facing death and navigating the rugged path towards acceptance.

“My message is that death need not be feared because our loved ones remain within us, living forever in our hearts, their final home,” sums up the artist.

“Warm Light” by Inese Margēviča

On view in the Rothko Museum’s Martinsons House, the latest solo show by Inese Margēviča, a noted Latvian ceramicist, explores the two-way interaction between humans and plants by diving into our reciprocity and energy exchange, which gives us inspiration, solace and support. The exhibits all feature a recurring image – wild cyclamen, seen by the artist in the wild in an abandoned garden in off-season France.

“I wonder what wild cyclamen is doing, cocooned in velvety, protective dark, and if it feels the gardener’s caring hands when gently nestled in a bank of soil. Or maybe it is sound asleep, and the unsightly wood-like bulb is destined to remain forever dormant in its unappealing form? What is this force that changes everything and coaxes from the humble root a tender shoot that starts unfurling, reaching up towards the sun, then grows into a delicate rosette, develops leaves, and ultimately blossoms into soft pink blooms? Slowly, the plant transforms and starts to breathe anew….” the artist opens up about her inspiration.

The Rothko Museum’s winter season runs from 29 November 2024 to 23 February 2025. Still on view from the autumn season through 16 February 2025 is “Disegno Interno: Surrender to Your Obsessions” – a sweeping tribute exhibition celebrating the iconic surrealist filmmaker Jan Švankmajer and Eva Švankmajerová, his wife and co-creator (Czechia).

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

Supporters: State Culture Capital Foundation, Daugavpils City Council, Italian Embassy in Latvia, Devona, Caparol.

Information: Rotko muzejs

Publicity photo: Gustavs Filipsons, Wind Breaker, oil on plywood, 120 x 160 cm, 2021

The post Against the Wind and Up into the Light: Rotko Museum announces Winter Exhibition Season appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Christmas season in Daugavpils will begin soon! On November 30th the first candle in the big Advent wreath will be lit, and on December 1st the main Christmas tree will be illuminated with colourful lights on the main square.

Various surprises await those who visit Daugavpils in December. The city will be lit up with Christmas lights! The city’s decorations this year will be dominated by bullfinches, rowan trees, traditional Latvian signs, glowing branches, as well as red, green and gold colour combinations that symbolise comfort, safety, strength and happiness.

On the eve of Advent, on November 30th, at 4 pm near St. Peter’s Catholic Church, a candle-lighting event on the big Advent wreath will take place.

On December 1st at 5 pm on Unity Square, the lights on the city’s main festive tree will be lit and Christmas songs will be played. Also, this year, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy festive attractions, a cityscape on the observation wheel, as well as taste gingerbread and other festive treats offered by local entrepreneurs in Unity Square.

The Christmas and New Year period until January 16th in Daugavpils will be filled with various events – concerts, creative workshops and master classes, thematic excursions, plays, fairs, exhibitions and various events.

Information: Department of Public Relations of Daugavpils City Municipality

The post Lights on the main Christmas tree in Daugavpils will be illuminated on 1st December appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

From 12 October to 3 November, Daugavpils Central Park will become the mysterious „Horror Park“, which promises to be the most ambitious and spectacular event of this autumn. Every evening from 3 pm to 10 pm, the park will open its doors to all those who are willing to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of mysticism and fear.

Last year, the „Horror Park“ in the city of Bauska attracted thousands of tourists from all over Latvia. And this year, the hosts have decided to bring the Horror Park to Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia! In Daugavpils, guests will be greeted by terrifying scenery, scary sculptures and interactive zones. The park will feature more than 200 objects – pumpkin and spider web mazes, „live“ zombies ready to scare even the bravest visitors. Special attention has been paid to the design and lighting to make every corner of the park look even scarier in the evening hours.

What can you expect at the „Horror Park“ in Daugavpils?

– A witch’s house on hen’s legs: children can take part in magic rituals and the witch will give them unusual advice.

-Magic labyrinths: mysterious corridors of spider webs and lanterns where you can test your courage.

-Photo zones: specially designed areas for taking terrifying and colourful photos to remember this event for a lifetime.

Whether you are an adult or a child, whether you like edgy sensations or are simply looking for unusual entertainment, the Horror Park in Daugavpils offers something for everyone.

Entrance fee:
– Adult ticket – 10 euro
– Children’s ticket (6-12 years) – 5 euros
– Senior ticket – 5 euros
– Children under 6 and people with disabilities – free.

The organisers invite everyone to follow the Horror Park’s news and competition announcements on Facebook and TikTok to find out about all the surprises that await visitors to the park.

„The organisers of the Horror Park also invite catering companies to join the event.
Contacts: Facebook or e-mail: shausmu_parks_daugavpils@inbox.lv.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this most exciting autumn event!

Information: Horror Park 

The post „Halloween Horror Park“ – the grand show is coming to Daugavpils! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

If you are planning a holiday in Daugavpils from 9th August to 15th August, take a look at the cultural and sports events on offer.

The post PLAN YOUR VISIT TO DAUGAVPILS appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On 17 August, the first „Beer Festival“ will be held in Daugavpils. From 6 pm to 10:30 pm visitors will be able to taste a variety of beers, enjoy energetic rhythms of music, get an insight into culinary heritage and enjoy being together in A. Pumpura Square.

August is traditionally the month of harvesting grain throughout Latvia. It has long been a tradition for farmers to set aside some of the grain from the harvest to brew beer, which was put on the festive table with great honour. Every region of Latvia has different methods and tools for brewing beer, because beer, like bread, carries centuries-old traditions and unites people.

The programme of the festival:

– from 6 pm – the offer of breweries and cafes;

– from 6 pm to 8 pm – Juris Ostrovskis will perform famous and popular songs;

– from 6 pm – Daugavpils Latvian Society will participate in the festival and will present a variety of events specially prepared for this festival;

– from 6 pm to 9 pm – the Latgalian Culinary Heritage Centre „Šmakovka“ invites everyone to visit its exhibition at a special discounted price, as well as to get an insight into the exhibition of beer glasses;
Visitors will be able to watch demonstrations of making „strong“ drinks and take part in creative masterclasses in A. Pumpur Square.

– From 8 pm to 10:30 pm the group “Dabasu durovys” will present the best dance music.

Breweries from different parts of Latvia will take part in the festival.

Please be informed that drinking alcohol has negative impacts. It is forbidden to sell, buy or pass drinks to the under-age persons.

Information:
Department of Public Relations and Tourism of Daugavpils City Municipality
Phone: +371 65422818, +371 26444810
E-mail: turisms@daugavpils.lv

The post The first „Beer Festival“ will be held in Daugavpils in August appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

With the onset of warm weather, Daugavpils offers trips along the Daugava on the boat “Sikspārnis” and the boat “Dina”. During the trip, you will be pleased with the beautiful views of the Daugava and the opportunity to enjoy views of the city from the water. It is also a great way to spend time with family and friends.

Trips with a boat “Sikspārnis” are organised at certain times from the “Restime pier” (Lielā Street 55, from the Grīva side). During the boat trip, passengers have the opportunity to see the Unity Bridge, the outskirts of Daugavpils, the Daugavpils Fortress and be acquainted with the biological diversity of the river. Passengers can have a picnic on the water, taking food or hot drinks with them, and admire the beauty of the Daugava. The name “Sikspārnis” (“Bat”) is given to the boat in honour of bats that live in the territory of the fortress and are one of the symbols of Daugavpils Fortress. The boat “Sikspārnis” is decorated with various woodcarvings, the bat as a symbol, there are shields on one side of the ship, the inscription “I love Daugavpils” is inside, as well as a Viking is depicted in woodcarving.

Maximum number of passengers on the boat “Sikspārnis” is 13. By prior request, you can book boat trips in groups for celebrations, hen and stag parties. Working time: Monday – Saturday: by request. Individual orders are possible – excursions, parties and wedding trips. Price: adults – 8 euro, children (from 4 to 12 years old) – 5 euro, children under 3 – the trip is free. Price for individual orders – by agreement. Telephone numbers for additional information: +371 29839631, +371 23110001.

In Daugavpils, you can also take trips along the Daugava on the boat “Dina”. The route starts from the “Centrs pier” (the coast of the Daugava next to the arch, located near the beginning of Rīgas Street). During the boat trip, passengers have the opportunity to see the Unity Bridge, the promenade of Bruģu Street, the Daugavpils Fortress, the protective dam, and the outskirts of the city and admire beautiful views of nature. Those who are interested can take a trip on the “Dina” boat according to the water transport schedule.

Maximum number of passengers on the boat „Dina“ is 15, the trip will bring joy to both children and adults. The duration of the trip and the route can be changed depending on wishes of the passengers. Working time: Monday-Friday: 4pm to 8pm or by prior agreement; Saturday/Sunday: 12pm to 8pm or by prior agreement. Price: 1 h trip: 8 EUR for adults, 5 EUR for children; 30 min. trip: 5 EUR for adults, 3 EUR for children. Phone numbers for additional information: +371 26920349, +371 26833538, +371 29493121.

Photo: Daugavpils City Municipality

Information prepared by:

Department of Public Relations and Tourism of Daugavpils City Municipality

Tourist Service Centre

Phone: +371 65422818:

Mobile phone: +371 26444810

E-mail: turisms@daugavpils.lv

The post Embark on an exciting adventure along the Daugava River! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

This year, Latvia’s second largest city – Daugavpils – celebrates its 749th anniversary. To celebrate this event and to offer a varied programme of festivities to the citizens and visitors of Daugavpils, the Daugavpils State Municipality has started work on the development of the City Festival programme. The main events of the Daugavpils City Festival will take place from 31 May to 2 June.

As usual, residents and visitors will enjoy a varied programme of festivities with concerts by different artists, as well as performances by local collectives and artists. The Family Park will invite young visitors to enjoy unforgettable adventures and thrilling attractions. Outdoor cafés and the Festive Market on Rigas Street will delight you with special tastes. Sports enthusiasts will be able to watch athletes in action and take part in various activities.

For the first time in the history of Daugavpils City Festival “Tūrisma iela” (Tourism street) will take place. In this event, everyone will be able to get new ideas for vacation right here in Daugavpils, elsewhere in Latvia, as well as in Lithuania and Estonia. For two days- on May 31 and June 1, representatives of the tourism industry of the Baltic States will gather at Gimnazijas Street to give the best advices and recommendations for your vacation.

On June 1, in celebration of International Children’s Day, activities for children, youth and families will take place in Dubrovin Park.

One of the biggest and most magnificent events of City’s Festival celebration is traditional march of Daugavpils companies, organizations, educational institutions and other collectives that will take place on June 1, at 13.00 from the Rail Station.

Special music surprises are expected on the evenings of May 31 and June 1, when the biggest musical guests of the Festival will take the big festive stage in Unity Square.

Special thought has also been given to sports activities. On June 1 in the Esplanade Park, little champions will be able to test their athletic straight at the “Get to know athletics”. On June 2, the Youth and Sports Festival will take place near to the Daugavpils Olympic Centre.

The Daugavpils City Festival will end on June 2 with historical atmosphere of Daugavpils Fortress. Visitors of the Festival will be able to rediscover pages of the history of the Fortress and participate in the ceremonial opening of the Nicholas Gate, and raising of the Fortress flag.

This year’s City Festival promises to be especially colorful and unforgettable!

DAUGAVPILS CITY FESTIVAL 2024 PROGRAMME

The post DAUGAVPILS CITY FESTIVAL 2024 (programme) appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Winter has arrived! It’s the perfect time to warm up, relax and unwind your body with warming spa treatments.

Daugavpils will have something to offer on cold winter evenings!

The “SanMari” SPA Centre is an oasis of peace and relaxation in the heart of Daugavpils. It is a modern SPA centre that offers a wide range of relaxation options, making you forget about everyday worries. The spa area is equipped with a swimming pool, sauna and Turkish steam bath. The spa centre offers a spa body massage.

Spa opening hours are daily from 12 pm to 10 pm.
Visits must be booked by phone: +371 27072727, +371 27757873.
Address: Stacijas iela 46, Daugavpils.
www.sanmari.lv
https://www.facebook.com/SanMariDaugavpils 

The Daugavpils Olympic Centre offers a large 25-metre pool with 6 lanes and a small pool for children. You can also combine a visit to the pool with a visit to the Turkish bath or sauna. The Olympic Centre also offers a salt room. Its walls are covered with Iranian blue and red salt and it maintains the required temperature and humidity percentage. During the session, visitors sit in the salt room for 45 minutes, sit in armchairs and breathe in the ionised salt air.

The sports complex is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm.
You must book a visit to the salt room in advance by phone +371 65475140.
Address: Stacijas iela 1, Daugavpils.
www.daugavpilsoc.lv
https://www.facebook.com/ocdaugavpils

The “Olimpija” Sports Complex offers a relaxing holiday in a pleasant atmosphere. The swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam baths, sauna, infrared cabin, salt and ice bath – all this will give you an unforgettable experience.

The sports complex is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm.
Address: Valkas iela 2u, Daugavpils.
Phone for additional information: +371 26800108.
https://www.facebook.com/OlimpijaSpaHotel

After a busy day, “Park Hotel Latgola” offers you the chance to relax in the sauna and the bubbling jacuzzi. The lounge is designed for groups of up to 20 people and can be used for birthday parties and other less formal events. The view of Daugavpils from the 10th floor of the hotel will complement the relaxed atmosphere of the evening.

Reservations are required by phone: +371 65404900.
Address: Ģimnāzijas iela 46, Daugavpils.
www.hotellatgola.lv
https://www.facebook.com/hotellatgola.lv

A visit to the SPA complex of “Dinaburg SPA Hotel” will be a great gift for those looking for a relaxing holiday! After a long day at work, you can enjoy a relaxing break in the leisure complex with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish bath.

Phone for reservations: +371 22484329.
Address: Dobeles iela 39, Daugavpils.
https://www.facebook.com/HotelDinaburg

Sauna with swimming pool „Erfolg“ – a great place for a party or celebration with family, friends or colleagues. The sauna, swimming pool, party room, changing rooms and free internet are available. Groups of up to 15 people are accepted. Additional services: bathrobes, sauna accessories.

Phone for reservations: +371 25912250.
Address: Mihoelsa iela 7, Daugavpils.

Guest house „Real Paradīze“ offers a sauna and a lounge. Visits can be booked by individuals or groups of up to 15 people.

Phone for reservations: +371 28106463.
Address: 18. novembra iela 193c, Daugavpils.

The post Finest spa and wellness experiences in Daugavpils appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Less than a month short of Christmas, the year’s most beautiful holiday season, we are looking for special gifts for our most special people. The Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art offers an excellent opportunity to purchase an annual admission ticket in the form of an ANNUAL CARD – for private use or as a gift to colleagues, family or friends.

The ANNUAL CARD of the Rothko Centre gives unlimited access to all its permanent and temporary exhibitions throughout one calendar year. In any given year, visitors are offered up to fifty exhibition projects by prominent Latvian and international artists. The annual card grants unlimited access to all exhibitions at the centre and entitles cardholders to several special offers, which they will be notified of individually.

The annual card can be purchased at the centre or online (on the art centre’s website) after filling out an application form. The full cost of the card is EUR 36.00. Pupils, students and seniors can purchase it at a discount for EUR 18.00, presenting a valid ID that confirms their status. The card is available in two versions – Latvian and English.

For more information, please visit www.rothkocenter.com, send your questions via email gadakarte@rothkocenter.com or call the centre’s landline +371 654 30250.

The ANNUAL CARD means unlimited access to art, inspiration and discovery throughout the year!

Contacts
Žanna Jemeļjanova
zanna.jemeljanova@daugavpils.lv
+371 654 30250

The post ANNUAL CARD of the Rothko Centre – a special gift for your special someone appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On August 13, the beach for people with disabilities was opened at the Lielais Stropu Lake. For several years, many Daugavpils residents with limited mobility and visual impairments have been waiting for this moment: now they can enjoy summer swimming in a well-equipped and safe environment.

The idea of ​​creating such a place for swimming in our city was born more than 5 years ago, and thanks to the attraction of funding from the local government, it has finally came to life. As part of the construction project, a changing booth for people with mobility problems, an automated elevator for people with mobility problems to get into and out of the water, as well as a slope with handrails for the visually impaired and the blind were installed near the building of the former lifeguard station. This is especially important because near the Central Beach there is a neighborhood „Society for the Blind“, where many people with visual impairments live.

Currently there are more than 8,000 people with disabilities in Daugavpils. Those who have had first-hand experience of all the hardships of life for people with disabilities appreciate the social value of this project.

Improvement of Stropi recreation area and adaptation of the beach infrastructure for the needs of different categories of vacationers this year was highly appreciated by the committee for the awarding of the „Blue Flag“ mark of quality. The bathroom adapted to the needs of people in wheelchairs was opened in the building of the former lifeguard station this season. The beach created for them will continue to be improved with new elements.

Summer continues to pamper the hot weather, and Daugavpils kindly invites both locals and residents of all Latvia to enjoy outdoor recreation.

Information was prepared by the Communication Department of  Daugavpils City Municipality.
https://www.daugavpils.lv/

The post The Beach for People with Disabilities is Officially Opened in Daugavpils appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Many people love autumn for the changing colours of leaves. Trees that were once green explode into beautiful hues of gold, red, and orange. Autumn is a great time for walks and new experiences. While enjoying autumn walks in Daugavpils, it is not necessary to leave your four-legged friend at home or with neighbours. Daugavpils is a dog-friendly city. Daugavpils Tourist Information Centre invites you to combine a walk with a dog with a visit to the city’s sightseeing places. There is a list of the places presented where you can go for a walk together.

Daugavpils Fortress
Probably one of the most iconic sights in Latvia – but has your dog been there? Daugavpils Fortress (19th century monument) covers an area of almost 150 ha. To this day, 80 historical buildings have been preserved in the fortress, which are placed on 10 streets that has historical names. This place is already popular for many dog owners; dozens of friendly paws go for a walk on the streets of the fortress every day.

Dam promenade along the bank of the Daugava River
Not far away, near Daugavpils Fortress, you can go for a walk with your dog alongside the new dam promenade on the right bank of the Daugava River. The total length of the promenade is almost one kilometre.

Lielas Stropu Lake promenade
This route is for those who like longer walks. The illuminated promenade in the evenings is 3 km long; it is located in a pine forest and connects two large sandy beaches. If you feel tired, there are benches along the entire footpath where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake and pine forest. However, maybe the walk will seem too short and will inspire you to go even further? Then we suggest taking a walk through the Stropu Forest near the Stropu stage, where there are many paths suitable for walking with a dog.

Esplanade Rest Park
This park has a large bike park for those who prefer active recreation, a children’s playground, a music square and well-maintained walking trails. There is also a special dog walking area. Here your dog can run around, train, jump over the barrier or jump through the tube, make friends with other dogs and have a great time.

Dubrovin Park
Although there is no dog-specific area in Dubrovin Park, it is a favourite place for four-legged friends to walk. This park was established in 1882 on the initiative of the mayor Pavel Dubrovin. Rare trees and shrubs were planted in the park. The park is named after Pavel Dubrovin and has a monument devoted to him and his dog – a bronze figure about two meters high is installed in a specially designed area near the fountain. Since the end of the 19th century, this park has been a popular gathering place for Daugavpils residents, as well as recreation place and place where public events are held.

The promenade on Bruģu Street
Another place to walk in Daugavpils is the promenade, which is located on the right bank of the Daugava River on Bruģu Street. It will be a great place for a leisurely autumn walk with the dog. There are drawings of the historical motifs of Gajoka district on the wall of the promenade.

Central Park
Central Park is a good choice for leg and scent training. The Alley of Benches and the Tree of Love can be seen in the park.

Shared bike ride
It is not easy to ride your bike and keep your dog on a leash at the same time, so practice a little before embarking on this adventure. Small dogs prefer to sit in a basket rather than run behind a bike. You can ride on a bicycle alongside regional cycling route No. 35 „Daugavas loki“ in Daugavpils. You will see the historical centre of the city, parks, squares and art objects by passing this part of the route through the territory of Daugavpils.

Special places for a photo session
An Art Nouveau building, an environmental object, a famous statue or a quiet park bench. Capture the beautiful moments of your vacation in Daugavpils that will remain in your memory for a long time and will steal the hearts of social media users.

We remind you that dog must be led on a leash when walking in public places. The dog can only run in fenced dog parks and training areas without a leash.

Find more inspiration for autumn walks on the website www.visitdaugavpils.lv. If you have any questions, please contact:
Daugavpils Tourist Information Centre
Phone: +371 65422818; +371 26444810
E-mail: turisms@daugavpils.lv
Website: www.visitdaugavpils.lv
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.travel

Photo: pexels.com

The post Recreation places in Daugavpils, where you can go for a walk with your dog appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.