Šembeļi was a village in Preiļi Municipality in the

Latgale Latgale (; ; ; ; ; ; Belarusian Latin alphabet, Belarusian Latin: ''Łathalija''; ), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the Daugava River. Wh ...

region of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. It was home of the famous Latgalian ceramicists, such as Andrejs Paulāns. It is located 219 kilometers from the capital city of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

History

During the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

period, the Saint Petersburg–Warsaw railway line was built nearby the village in 1860. Towards the end of 19th century,

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

craft was common in Šembeļi. In 1896, there was born the famous Latgalian ceramicist Andrejs Paulāns, who was awarded with a Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1937. He continued to work in his workshop in Šembeļi until his death in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sembeli Former villages in Latvia Populated places in Preiļi Municipality