Aizkraukle (german: Ascheraden) is a town
in
Vidzeme
Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', liv, Vidūmō) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in ...
region in
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, the
administrative centre
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of
Aizkraukle Municipality
Aizkraukle Municipality ( lv, Aizkraukles novads) is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2001 by merging town Aizkraukle and Aizkraukle Parish the administrative centre being Aizkraukle. The population in 2020 was ...
on the right bank of the
Daugava River
, be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna
, image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
, image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava
, source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia
, mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic S ...
. The population in 2020 was 7,018.
History
In the second half of the 14th century
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after th ...
built the
Aizkraukle Castle, a few kilometres downstream from the ancient hillfort of
Livs
The Livonians, or Livs ( Livonian: ''līvlizt''; Estonian: ''liivlased''; Latvian: ''līvi'', ''lībieši''), are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to northern and northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian, a Uralic language c ...
. The ruins of the castle still remain today. Before
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the settlement that stood near the site of modern-day Aizkraukle was known by its
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
name of ''Ascheraden''.
The modern town was established in 1961 as a settlement to house the builders of the nearby
hydroelectric power plant of Pļaviņas.
[Pospelov, p. 24] It was originally called Stučka
[''Latvijas PSR Administratīvi Teritoriālais Iedalījums'', p. 47] (or "", ''Stuchka''
[''Latvijas PSR Administratīvi Teritoriālais Iedalījums'', p. 118] and "", ''imeni Petra Stuchki''
in
Russian), for
Pēteris Stučka, a Latvian communist.
Town status was granted to it in 1967,
which is also when it became the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of
Stučkas District. In 1990, it was renamed Aizkraukle, after the
nearest railway station.
The name literally means ''beyond the Kraukle River''.
Economy
General industries in the area include power generation, woodworking, printing, and agriculture.
In 2004 Aizkraukle was awarded "The tidiest town in Latvia 2004" in its size group.
Католическая церковь (4).jpg, Aizkraukle Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus Roman Catholic Church
Aizkraukles universālveikals.jpg, Soviet-era supermarket
See also
*
Aizkraukle Station
Citations and references
Cited sources
*Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary." Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.
*Latvijas PSR Augstakās Padomes Prezidija Padomju Darba Jautājumu Daļa. ''Latvijas PSR Administratīvi Teritoriālais Iedalījums. 1978. gads''. Izdevnieciba "Liesma", Riga 1978.
{{Authority control
Towns in Latvia
Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union
Populated places established in 1967
Kreis Riga
1967 establishments in the Soviet Union
Aizkraukle Municipality