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Daugavpils () is the second largest city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Latvia
Latvia

Latvia The Latvians are a Baltic peoples culturally related to the Estonians and Lithuanians, with the Latvian language having many similarities with Lithuanian language, but not with the Estonian language....
. It is located approximately 230 km south-east of the Latvian capital, Riga
Riga

Riga the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava River. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states....
, on the banks of the Daugava
Daugava

The Daugava or Western Dvina is a river rising in the Valdai Hills, Russia, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia, draining into the Gulf of Riga in Latvia, an arm of the Baltic Sea....
 River. Daugavpils has a favorable geographical position as it borders Belarus
Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
 and Lithuania
Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest....
 (distances of 33 and 25 km respectively). It is located some 120 km from the Latvian border with Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. Daugavpils is a big railway junction and industry centre.

The city is surrounded by many lakes and nature parks.

avpils has been referred to by several historical names in various languages. Some are still in use today.

Here is a chronology of name changes: Dinaburg (1275—1656) ? Borisoglebsk (1656—1667) ? Dinaburg (1667—1893) ? Dvinsk (1893—1920) ? Daugavpils (1920—today)

f 1 January 2006, the city had a population of 108 260.

town's history began in 1275 when the stone castle Dinaburg (Dünaburg) was built by the Livonian Order
Livonian Order

The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561....
 in the lands nominally controlled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until the 18th century. It was founded by Lithuanians, at the time one of the Lithuanian mythology Baltic tribes, whose initial lands covered Auk?taitija, the eastern part of present day Lithuania....
.






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Daugavpils () is the second largest city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Latvia
Latvia

Latvia The Latvians are a Baltic peoples culturally related to the Estonians and Lithuanians, with the Latvian language having many similarities with Lithuanian language, but not with the Estonian language....
. It is located approximately 230 km south-east of the Latvian capital, Riga
Riga

Riga the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava River. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states....
, on the banks of the Daugava
Daugava

The Daugava or Western Dvina is a river rising in the Valdai Hills, Russia, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia, draining into the Gulf of Riga in Latvia, an arm of the Baltic Sea....
 River. Daugavpils has a favorable geographical position as it borders Belarus
Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
 and Lithuania
Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest....
 (distances of 33 and 25 km respectively). It is located some 120 km from the Latvian border with Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. Daugavpils is a big railway junction and industry centre.

The city is surrounded by many lakes and nature parks.

Names

Daugavpils has been referred to by several historical names in various languages. Some are still in use today.
  • (Dzvinsk)*
  • Latgalian
    Latgalian language

    Latgalian language can mean one of the following:#It was a language spoken by Latgalians in a great part of the area which is now Latvia. Latgalian was a member of the Baltic languages of the Indo-European languages....
    : Daugpils*, Dzwinów, Dzwinsk, with Dyneburg the only name still in use in Polish today
  • , ???????????? (Borisoglebsk 1656–1667), ????c? (Dvinsk)
  • (Dineburg)


Here is a chronology of name changes: Dinaburg (1275—1656) ? Borisoglebsk (1656—1667) ? Dinaburg (1667—1893) ? Dvinsk (1893—1920) ? Daugavpils (1920—today)

Demographics

As of 1 January 2006, the city had a population of 108 260.
  • Russians
    Russians

    The Russian people are an East Slavs ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.The English language term Russians is used to refer to the citizens of Russia, regardless of their ethnicity ; in Russian language, the demonym Russian is translated as Rossiyanin ....
    : 53.96% (58 414)
  • Latvians
    Latvians

    Latvians , the indigenous Balts people of Latvia, occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia....
    : 17.3% (18 725)
  • Poles
    Poles

    The Polish people, or Poles , are a West Slavs ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Poles are sometimes defined as people who share a common Polish culture and are of Polish descent....
    : 14.9% (16 126)
  • Belarusians
    Belarusians

    Belarusians or Belorussians are an East Slavs ethnic group who populate the majority of the Belarus and form minorities in neighboring Poland , Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine....
    : 8.22% (8 897)
  • Ukrainians
    Ukrainians

    Ukrainians are an East Slavs ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly?citizens of Ukraine . Some 200 years ago and times prior to that, Ukrainians were usually referred to and known as Rusyny ....
    : 2.23% (2 417)
  • Lithuanians
    Lithuanians

    Lithuanians are the Balts ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland....
    : 0.96% (1 041)
  • Jew
    Jew

    A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
    s: 0.45% (492)
  • Estonians
    Estonians

    Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. The Estonians speak a Finno-Ugric languages language, known as Estonian....
    : 0.03% (30)
  • Others: 1.96% (2 118).


History

The town's history began in 1275 when the stone castle Dinaburg (Dünaburg) was built by the Livonian Order
Livonian Order

The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561....
 in the lands nominally controlled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until the 18th century. It was founded by Lithuanians, at the time one of the Lithuanian mythology Baltic tribes, whose initial lands covered Auk?taitija, the eastern part of present day Lithuania....
. In 1561 it became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 (see: Duchy of Livonia) and in 1620 became capital of the Inflanty Voivodeship, which existed until the First Partition of Poland
First Partition of Poland

The First Partition of Poland or First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of partitions of Poland that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795....
.

From 1784 onwards, the city had a large and active Jewish population with proeminent personalities.

As part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
 it was called Borisoglebsk (1656-1667) and Dvinsk (1893-1920). The town was renamed Daugavpils in 1920 as part of independent Latvia. The city was the site of the Battle of Daugavpils
Battle of Daugavpils

Battle of Daugavpils was the final battle of the joint Poland and Latvian Operation Winter against the Red Army. It took place in late December 1919 in the area around the city of Daugavpils....
 from 1919 to 1920. Dvinsk was part of the Soviet Union 1940-41 and 1944-1991 and Nazi occupied from 1941-44. The town was the scene of fierce Jewish resistance during those years. During the Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
 it was the site of the Lociki
Lociki

Lociki is a village located 12 km northeast of Daugavpils, Latvia, in Naujene parish, Daugavpils district, Latgale.Lociki originated with a few houses round a small military air base, which today is being redeveloped as Daugavpils International Airport....
 air base, 12 km northeast of the town itself.

Art, architecture, and culture

Daugavpils is an important cultural center in eastern Latvia. There are 22 primary and secondary schools, four vocational schools, and the Saules College of Art. More than 1,000 teachers and engineers graduate from Daugavpils Pedagogical University and the local branch of Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University

Riga Technical University is located in Riga, Latvia....
 annually.

The city theatre was restored a couple of years ago. There is also one cinema as well as other cultural institutions. The city exhibition center offers many cultural activities.

There are also several architectural, historical, and cultural monuments in Daugavpils. The most prominent is the Daugavpils Fortress of the 18th century.

Airport

Daugavpils International Airport
Daugavpils International Airport

The Daugavpils International Airport is located in village of Lociki, Naujene parish, Daugavpils district, Latgale, Latvia. It is also located 12 km northeast of Daugavpils....
 is located 12 km northeast of Daugavpils
Daugavpils

Daugavpils is the second largest city in Latvia. It is located approximately 230 km south-east of the Latvian capital, Riga, on the banks of the Daugava River....
, near the village of Lociki
Lociki

Lociki is a village located 12 km northeast of Daugavpils, Latvia, in Naujene parish, Daugavpils district, Latgale.Lociki originated with a few houses round a small military air base, which today is being redeveloped as Daugavpils International Airport....
. The airport is currently under development to allow both international and domestic passenger traffic, as well as international and domestic cargo transport and charter flights. It is expected to be operational by 2013.

Sports

See also: Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia
Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia

The Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia is a Motorcycle speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series....


The football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 clubs Dinaburg FC
Dinaburg FC

Dinaburg FC is a Latvian football club, playing in the city of Daugavpils. The club plays at the Celtnieks Stadium ....
 and FK Daugava Daugavpils
FK Daugava Daugavpils

FC Daugava is a Latvian football club, playing in the top division of Latvian football. The are from the city of Daugavpils. In 2007 they renamed from FC Ditton to FC Daugava....
 play at Celtnieks Stadium
Celtnieks Stadium

Celtnieks Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Daugavpils, Latvia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Dinaburg FC. The stadium holds 4,070 people....
 in Daugavpils. There is also a hockey team called DHK Latgale
DHK Latgale

DHK Latgale is a Latvian hockey league team based in Daugavpils, Latvia.References...
, which currently plays in Belarusian Extraliga
Belarusian Extraliga

The Belarusian Extraliga, officially formed in 2006, is the top ice hockey league in Belarus. In its past it has switched several times between being and not being an open league , but for the 2008-2009 season, the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation has decided to open the Extraliga, the Belarusian Vysshaya Liga, and the Belarusian Junior Leagues...
.

Notable residents


  • Grzegorz Fitelberg
    Grzegorz Fitelberg

    Grzegorz Fitelberg was a Polish conductor, violinist and composer. He was a member of the Mloda Polska group, together with artists such as Karol Szymanowski, Ludomir R?zycki and Mieczyslaw Karlowicz....
     (1879-1953), composer and conductor
  • Isser Harel
    Isser Harel

    Isser Harel was spymaster of the intelligence and the security services of Israel and the Director of the Mossad .Childhood and Youth ...
  • Gotthard Kettler
    Gotthard Kettler

    Gotthard von Kettler was the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.Kettler was of an old Westphalian noble family and the ninth child of the Germany knight Gotthard Kettler zu Melrich and his wife Sophie of Nesselrode....
     (1571-1587), last Master of the Livonian Order
    Livonian Order

    The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561....
     and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia
    Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

    The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is the name of a duchy in the Baltic states that existed from 1562 to 1791 as a vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth....
  • Abraham Isaac Kook
    Abraham Isaac Kook

    File:Abraham Isaac Kook 1924.jpgAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi Jews chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionism Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halacha, Kabbalah and a renowned Torah scholar....
     (1864–1935), rabbi, thinker, diplomat, mediator, scholar
  • Solomon Mikhoels
    Solomon Mikhoels

    Solomon Mikhoels ; was a Soviet Union Jewish actor and the artistic director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater. Mikhoels served as the chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee during the World War II....
     (1890-1948), actor and director
  • the Rogatchover Gaon
    Rogatchover Gaon

    The Rogatchover Gaon, Yosef Rosen , also known by the name of his main work Tzafnath Paneach, was a Rabbi and one of the prominent Talmudic scholars of the early 20th century, known as a "Gaon" because of his photographic memory and razor-sharp mind....
     (1858-1936), rabbi
  • Mark Rothko
    Mark Rothko

    Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Latvian-born United States painter and printmaker. He is classified as an abstract expressionism, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted the classification as an "abstract painter"....
     (1903-1970), abstract expressionist painter
  • Wladyslaw Raginis
    Wladyslaw Raginis

    Wladyslaw Raginis was a Poland military commander during the Invasion of Poland of 1939. He commanded the defence of Polish fortified positions in the Battle of Wizna....
     (1908-1939), officer
  • Ulyana Semenova (born 1952), basketball player
  • Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
    Meir Simcha of Dvinsk

    Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk was a rabbi and prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. He was a kohen, and is therefore often referred to as Meir Simcha ha-Kohen ....
     (1843-1926), rabbi
  • Stanislaw Swianiewicz
    Stanislaw Swianiewicz

    Stanislaw Swianiewicz was a Poland economist and historian. A veteran of the Polish-Bolshevik War, during World War II he was one of the few survivors of the Katyn Massacre and an eye witness of the transport of Polish prisoners of war to the forests outside Smolensk by the NKVD....
     (1899-1997), economist and historian


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Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
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Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
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Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara.It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north....
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is a sub-provincial city and the Capital of the Heilongjiang in Northeast China. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River. Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications center of Northeastern China....
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Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest....


External links