Introducing Daugavpils
Daugavpils, Latvia's second-largest city, dates from 1275 and has a chequered past in which it has, at various times, been called Dünaburg by the Germans, Borisoglebsk by the Russians and Dvinsk by the Poles. Today it's a drab, post-WWII Soviet creation and so depressing to visit it's almost a national joke - a skyline of smoke stacks and the lumbering grey hulk of Daugavpils prison overlook the southern approach. But the city, perched on the northern bank of the Daugava River, 225km upstream from Rīga, does provide a gateway to the decidedly lovelier Latgale Upland. And intrepid travellers looking for a grittier, harder-edged slice of Latvian life just might find the place appealing.
Advertisement
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
Re: Belarus trip report
by lafcadio1 06 September 2011
So to continue, from Gomel, I headed on by bus to Minsk, which I found spectacular but arid. The main district of Stalinist architecture…
-
RE: Train from Poland, through Baltics, to Russia
by mredman 21 August 2011
> From Vilnius take a bus or train to Riga (second border crossing is Kurcums) and then an overnight train to Moscow. If you wanna go…
-
RE: LATVIA: How to get from Daugavpils to Liepaja this weekend?
by martienne 29 June 2011
Thank you very much for explaining this MRedman
Hotels & Hostels
Check out all our reviewed and recommended accommodation and book online.
Advertisement
