Aizkraukle is a town in
VidzemeVidzeme is one of the cultural and historical regions of Latvia. Literally meaning "the Middle Land" it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River...
region in
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
, the administrative centre of
Aizkraukle municipalityAizkraukle municipality is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2001 by merging town Aizkraukle and Aizkraukle parish the administrative centre being Aizkraukle.- References :...
on the right bank of the Daugava River.
History
Aizkraukle before the
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
was formerly known by its
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
name of Ascheraden. The ancient hillfort of Livs was used by the
GermanThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
knights for the building of
Aizkraukle CastleAizkraukle Castle - ruins of a medieval castle, located on the right bank of the river Daugava in Latvia west from the modern town of Aizkraukle, in Aizkraukle region. The castle has been built in second half of 14th century by Livonian Order....
in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
, of which some ruins still remain.
The present town of Aizkraukle was built in the 1960s as a village for the builders of the nearby hydroelectric power plant of
PļaviņasPļaviņas is a town in Latvia.-See also:*List of cities in Latvia...
. It became a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
and the centre of the later
Aizkraukle DistrictAizkraukle District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Vidzeme and Selonia regions, in the country's centre.-References:...
in 1967. It was initially named
Stučka (after a Latvian communist) during the Soviet era. In 1991 it was renamed Aizkraukle, the historical local name.
General industries in the area are: power generation, woodworking, printing and agriculture.
In 2004 Aizkraukle was awarded "The tidiest town in Latvia 2004" in its size group.
See also
List of cities in Latvia