The Commandant’s Garden is located at the heart of the Daugavpils Fortress, forming one of the most atmospheric spaces within this nationally protected architectural and urban heritage site. Historically, this area served both as a parade ground and a recreation space for fortress’s soldiers, while today it is a historic park that unites military heritage with a scenic, carefully restored environment.
Following its restoration completed in 2026, the garden has regained its historical charm and become an inviting place for walks, relaxation, and exploring the history of the fortress. Several significant heritage sites can be found here, including the fountain‑monument, the wooden gazebo, and the Monument to the Fallen Soldiers of the 10th Aizpute Infantry Regiment of the Latvian Army’s Zemgale Division (1924).
A fountain‑monument forms the centrepiece of the garden, operating daily from 10:30 to 23:00 and bringing a distinctive atmosphere to the space throughout the day and into the evening. For visitors’ convenience, the garden also features a drinking water fountain.
History
The Daugavpils Fortress Garden has been developing since the early 19th century, when a parade ground stood in its place. Over time, it gradually transformed into a green, landscaped park featuring a fountain, a network of pathways, a wooden gazebo, and decorative plantings. In the early 20th century, several monuments were installed, and during the interwar period the garden became a popular gathering place, hosting military orchestra concerts and even a winter skating rink.
Despite the changes brought by the post‑war years, the garden preserved its historical character. In 2024–2025, it underwent a comprehensive restoration, reviving its original layout and landscape.
In 1924, a monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the 10th Aizpute Infantry Regiment and the 1st Latvian Riflemen Battalion was solemnly unveiled. Designed by architect Vilhelms Rīmers, it stood as a tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the battles for Latvia’s freedom. After the Second World War, the monument was destroyed and significantly altered, but in 2017 it was fully restored, returning it to its historical appearance.
A fountain has stood at the centre of the Fortress Garden since the mid‑19th century. The original structure was richly adorned with sculptures, lion heads and angel figures. In 1912, it was replaced by a monument‑fountain dedicated to the Russian Empire’s victory over Napoleon I’s French Empire in the War of 1812. Its composition features a granite pedestal, three cast‑iron cannons and a water basin enclosed by a chain fence. Over the decades, the fountain suffered damage and various alterations, but during the 2024–2025 restoration it regained both its historical appearance and its original operating system.
The wooden gazebo of the Daugavpils Fortress was most likely built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Designed in an eclectic style and adorned with rich woodcarvings, it originally served as a place for leisure and social gatherings. During the interwar period, the pavilion regularly hosted performances by the Zemgale Division’s military orchestras. Over the course of the 20th century, the structure underwent several alterations, losing part of its original decorative elements. In 2023, a restoration project was developed to return the pavilion to its historical appearance.
The Daugavpils Fortress Garden is home to more than 200 trees, with the most common species being Dutch linden, small‑leaved linden and Norway maple. One of the garden’s most valuable features is the well‑preserved alley of Dutch lindens along its perimeter, where the trees reach an impressive age of 120–140 years. Around the central square, several old horse chestnut trees also continue to grow, adding to the garden’s historical character.
The restoration of the Commandant’s Garden was carried out by the Daugavpils City Municipality as part of a European Union–funded project to preserve and revitalise one of the fortress’s most significant historical sites.
Photo: Archive of the Daugavpils Fortress Visitor Centre