Unity Square
Vienības laukums

Vienības laukums is the central square of Daugavpils and one of the largest urban spaces in southeastern Latvia. The square was created in the interwar period as a result of the city’s extensive modernization in the 1930s, when Daugavpils was developed as a regional center for Latgale. The area where the square is located today was previously characterized by low-rise buildings and commercial areas, but in 1935–1937 it was regulated and designed as a central gathering point in accordance with the urban planning principles of the time of an open, symmetrical urban space. The name Vienības laukums, meaning Unity Square, was introduced as a symbol of the unity of the Latvian state after independence in 1918. The square was also used as the city’s official parade ground, and state ceremonies and national holidays took place here. This was especially true during the interwar years, when the Latvian government placed emphasis on national symbols in urban architecture.

A number of public buildings were built along the edges of the square, one of the most striking of which is the Vienības nams, which was built between 1936 and 1937 as one of the largest cultural centers in the Baltics at the time. The building was designed by architect Verners Vitands and uses functionalist features typical of Latvian monumental architecture of the 1930s. The building originally housed a theater, library, concert hall, cinema, and offices for cultural institutions. The facade was made of concrete and plastered with light surfaces, and the main entrance is marked by columned projections. During the Soviet era, the building was used as a palace of culture and retained its original function as the city’s cultural center, while the surrounding square was expanded and equipped with fountains and memorials in honor of Soviet soldiers. After the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, the memorials were removed, and the square once again became a civilian gathering place for the city’s citizens.

Today, Vienības laukums serves as a functional center of Daugavpils. The square is surrounded by buildings from several periods, which together reflect the city’s changing historical layers, from the original functionalist and national romantic interwar architecture to Soviet modernism and more recent changes after 1991. The square is surrounded by both commercial buildings and public institutions, and the area is used for state visits, city festivals and concerts.

Church Hill
Baznīcu kalns

Baznīcu kalns or Church Hill is a unique religious and architectural area in Daugavpils, where four churches of different Christian denominations are located close together on a limited area. The area developed in the late 19th century, when the city’s population grew rapidly due to industrialization and military presence. During this period, the Russian imperial administration allowed the construction of Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and Old Believer churches, reflecting the ethnic and religious diversity of Daugavpils, where Russians, Latvians, Poles, Germans and Jews lived side by side. The name Baznīcu kalns arose in the vernacular when the domes and towers of the churches rose on the high hill east of the city center.

The largest and most architecturally dominant building on the hill is the Orthodox Cathedral of Boris and Gleb/Svēto mocekļu Borisa un Gļeba pareizticīgo katedrāle, which was built between 1904 and 1905 as a garrison church for the Russian army. The cathedral was designed in the neo-Byzantine style with many onion domes. The domes are covered in blue and white hues and gilding. The interior contains a three-row iconostasis made of carved oak, and the walls are decorated with frescoes in the Russian Orthodox tradition.

Nearby is the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary/Jaunavas Marijas bezvainīgās izmēšanas baznīca, which was built in 1905 in the neo-Baroque style according to a project by architect Wilhelm Neumann. It has two tall towers, a stucco-decorated facade and a richly ornamented interior, where the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes is an important pilgrimage site for Catholic believers in the region. In addition, there is the Lutheran Martin Luther Cathedral/Mārtiņa Lutera katedrāle from 1893, which represents the neo-Gothic style with pointed windows, a single tower and an elongated nave. The last church is the Pomors Church of Old Believers/Vecticībnieku Pomoras Baznīca from 1908, which was built more simply in traditional Russian architectural style with icon walls and a low bell tower.

Baznīcu kalns is a clear example of Daugavpils’ role as a religious and cultural gathering point for Latgale. Today, the four church buildings are located within a short walking distance from each other and form a single complex, although there are other buildings between them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, all churches were restored, as several had been damaged during World War II and then used for secular purposes. In 2013, the area was supplemented with a viewing point in the tower of the Martin Luther Church, which today serves as one of Daugavpils’ best panoramas. Baznīcu kalns stands as a rare collection of religious buildings from the same period, where Russian, German and Latvian architecture meet.

Daugavpils Fortress
Daugavpils cietoksnis

Daugavpils cietoksnis is the name of the city’s historical fortress, which is one of the most complete preserved examples of bastion fortresses in Eastern Europe. The complex was founded in 1810 on the initiative of Tsar Alexander I as part of the defense of the western border region of the Russian Empire. The fortress was strategically located on the Daugava River and covered an area of ​​about 150 hectares. It was designed as a polygonal fortress with eight bastions, four ravelins, a system of moats and external defenses such as redoubts and lunettes. The construction was carried out under the leadership of engineers J.H.M. von Oppermann and A. Schilde. During Napoleon’s campaign in 1812, the fortress was attacked while it was still unfinished, but the garrison managed to hold out against a French force of over 20,000 men. After the war, expansion continued, and the fortress was not officially completed until around 1878.

The architecture of the Daugavpils Fortress combines military functionality with classicist style. The interior buildings, such as the commandant’s house, the barracks, and the arsenal, were built of brick and plaster. The main gates, such as the Nicholas Gate and the Constantine Gate, have decorative pediments, inscriptions, and coats of arms, emphasizing the fortress’s status as an imperial work. In the center of the fortress was the parade ground, surrounded by administrative buildings and artillery magazines. A special part of the complex was the military hospital and a large powder magazine with vaulted ceilings. During the 19th century, the fortress gradually became less strategically important, but it retained its military function until the 1920s, when it was taken over by the Latvian Army. During World War II, the area was used by both German and Soviet forces, and several buildings were destroyed or damaged, but the basic structure remained intact.

After 1991, Daugavpils cietoksnis was gradually restored and transformed into a cultural and museum area. Today, it houses, among other things, the Mark Rothko Art Centre, which opened in 2013 in the former artillery barracks. The fortress stands as a unique testimony to 19th-century European military architecture and represents a complete bastion plan. The original moats, bastions and barracks have been preserved in their original form, and the area is used today for exhibitions, concerts and historical reenactments. Daugavpils cietoksnis is not only an architectural entity, but also a central element in the development of the city, as it was the starting point for Daugavpils’ urbanization in the 19th century, when the city grew outside the fortress walls and then developed into the modern city we see today.

Mark Rotko Art Centre
Marka Rotko mākslas centrs

Marka Rotko mākslas centrs is Latvia’s largest institution for modern art and one of the most important cultural projects in the country after 1991. The centre opened in 2013 and is housed in the former artillery barracks of Daugavpils cietoksnis. The building is part of the fortress’s historical building complex from the early 19th century. The building was originally built around 1830 as part of the complex’s internal structure and served as a military barracks and later as a warehouse for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Restoration work began in 2007 as a collaboration between the Latvian state, the city of Daugavpils and international foundations. The aim was to create a multifunctional art and cultural centre that would house exhibitions, archives and research facilities.

The center houses both permanent and temporary exhibitions, and the permanent collection includes a section dedicated to Mark Rothko, who was born in Daugavpils in 1903, when the city was called Dvinsk during the Russian Empire. The museum contains reproductions of Rothko’s major works as well as original works on loan from international collections. In addition to the Rothko Hall, the center houses galleries for contemporary art, conference halls, artist residencies, and a research archive on 20th-century abstract expressionism.

Dubrovin Park
Dubrovina parks

Dubrovina parks is Daugavpils’ oldest public park, located in the city center between Rīgas iela and Vienības laukums. The park was established in 1882 and named after the mayor Pavel Dubrovin, who was one of the most influential local administrators in the city’s development during the Russian Empire. Before the establishment of the park, the area was a marshy terrain, which was drained and developed as a recreational facility by a city council decision in 1876. The facility was planned in a classic city park style with a symmetrical path system, a central fountain and decorative flower beds. Already at the opening, over 3,000 trees and shrubs were planted, including linden, maple, spruce and chestnut, and the park quickly became a popular promenade for the city’s bourgeoisie and officials.

In 1902, a monument to Pavel Dubrovin was erected in the center of the park, made of bronze and erected on a granite pedestal with an inscription in Russian. The monument was removed in 1919 after Latvia’s independence, but was re-erected in 1947, when Dubrovin was again officially recognized as the founder of the city’s modern infrastructure. The park was thoroughly transformed during the Soviet period in the 1950s, when the paths were expanded and several small squares were created for cultural activities and memorial ceremonies. A bandstand was added in 1963, and parts of the park’s tree population had to be replaced in the 1970s due to disease. Despite the changes, the park retained its original character of a central green urban space with clear geometric lines and balanced planting.

Today, Dubrovina Park covers an area of ​​about 3.2 hectares and constitutes an important recreational and historical area in the city center of Daugavpils. The park is surrounded by important public buildings, including the Vienības nams and Daugavpils teātris, making it part of the urban cultural axis connecting the city’s most important institutions. At the main entrance to the park, the Dubrovin monument still stands. The original pond and fountain axis have been preserved and serve as the visual centerpiece of the park. Today, the park is one of the best-preserved green spaces in Latvia from the late 19th century and continues to play a central role in the city’s spatial structure and identity.