Latgale (; ; ; ; ; ; Belarusian Latin: ''Łathalija''; ), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the

Historical Latvian Lands Historical Latvian Lands () or formerly Cultural regions of Latvia () are several areas within Latvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. These are: Kurzeme (Courland), Zemgale (Semigallia), Latgale (Latgalia), Vidzeme, ...

. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the

Daugava River The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

. While most 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 ...

is historically

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, Latgale is predominantly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

: 65.3% according to a 2011 survey. After the Counter-Reformation it was the northernmost predominantly Catholic province or region in Europe. There is a considerable Eastern Orthodox minority (23.8%), of which 13.8% are

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

Christians and 10.0% are

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

. As of 2020, the region's population was 255,968. The region has a large population of

ethnic Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

, especially in

Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

, the largest city in the region and the location of the region's only

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

, the

University of Daugavpils The University of Daugavpils (, DU) is a public university in Daugavpils, Latvia, and the largest regional university in the country. History The university was founded in 1921 as a teachers’ college. Its director between 1923 and 1940 was ...

. Many of the Russians who lived in Latgale before Soviet rule are

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ''Rēzne'' or ''Rēzekne'' , ) is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven ...

, often called the heart of Latgale,

Krāslava Krāslava (; , , , , ) is a town and the administrative centre of Krāslava Municipality. The town lies on the Daugava, upstream and to the east of the city of Daugavpils. Most of the town is situated on the right coast of the Daugava. As defined ...

, and

Ludza Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located near ...

are other large towns in the region, which also has a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian minority. There is also a significant Polish minority. As part of the

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

and

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

guberniyas, the region was part of the

Pale of Settlement The Pale of Settlement was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 1917 (''de facto'' until 1915) in which permanent settlement by Jews was allowed and beyond which the creation of new Jewish settlem ...

and had a very large Jewish population – but many of the Jews were killed in

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

and most of the remainder emigrated. Other than in

, the

Baltic German Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), their resettlement in 1945 after the end ...

presence in Latgale was less sizable than in other regions of Latvia. According to the Latvian Official Statistics portal, Latgale is the only region of Latvia where the number of

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

surpasses the number of ethnic Latvians. Average incomes in the region are lower than in other parts of the country. Latgale also has the highest percentage of people at risk of poverty (32.7% in 2023) in Latvia.

History

Name

Historically, several different forms of the name Latgalia have been used. *Other names for the region include Lettigallia, Latgallia, and Latgola. *The people are called ''latgalieši'' in Latvian (as distinct from ''latgaļi'', which refers to the ancient tribe, though some modern Latgalians prefer ''latgaļi'') – ''latgalīši'' in Latgalian, sometimes ''latgali'' – Latgalians, Latgallians, or Lettigalls in English, and are sometimes referred to as ''čangaļi'' (sometimes derogatory – the reference is to a novel, and Latgalians often call other Latvians "čiuļi"). The term ''latgalieši'' dates only to the early 20th century, and before that

Latgalians Latgalians (, , modern ; variant translations also include Latgallians, Lettigalls or Lettigallians) were an ancient Baltic tribe. They likely spoke a variant of Latvian language, which probably became the ''lingua franca'' in present-day Latvia ...

were long referred to as Latvians or Inflantians (Latgalian: ''latvīši'', ''inflantīši''). Since 2004, use of the Latgalian language has been the subject of a major sociolinguistic/ethnolinguistic poll and study, conducted by the Rēzekne Augstskola and the Centre d'Étude Linguistiques Pour l'Europe. As of 2011 97,600 people in the region spoke

Latgalian language Latgalian (, ) is an East Baltic language. The language law of Latvia classifies it as a "historical variant of the Latvian language". It is mostly spoken in Latgale, the eastern part of Latvia. The 2011 Latvian census established that 164,500 ...

, which is a standardised form of local varieties of High Latvian dialect.

Early history

Originally the territory of what is now Latgale was populated by the

Eastern Baltic The East Baltic languages are a group of languages that along with the extinct West Baltic languages belong to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. The East Baltic branch primarily consists of two extant languages— Latvian and ...

Latgalian tribe. During the 10th–12th centuries two principalities,

Jersika The Principality of Jersika (; ; ) was a medieval Latgalian principality in the east of modern-day Latvia, and one of the largest medieval states in Latvia before the Northern Crusades. The capital of Jersika was located on a hill fort southea ...

and Atzele, existed on the territory of modern Latgale and Eastern

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) 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 north-centra ...

. In addition Latgalians inhabited parts of modern

Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Pskov. As of the Russian Census ...

in Russia and Vitebsk Region in Belarus. In the first decade of the 13th century the

Principality of Jersika The Principality of Jersika (; ; ) was a medieval Latgalians, Latgalian principality in the east of modern-day Latvia, and one of the largest medieval states in Latvia before the Northern Crusades. The capital of Jersika was located on a hill fo ...

, also known as ''Lettia'', was allied with the

Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk (obsolete spelling: ''Polock''; ; ), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality. The origin and date of the establishment of the state are uncertain. Chronicles of Kievan Rus' ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n dukes against the Bishopric of Livonia, but was defeated in 1209. Part of it was divided between the Bishopric and the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theode ...

, the remainder became a vassal country. In 1239, after the death of King

Visvaldis Visvaldis was a Latgalian nobleman and the prince of Jersika in the 13th century. In the '' Livonian Chronicle of Henry '', he is called king (''rex''). Biography Visvaldis's date of birth is unknown. His origins, too, are unclear: some sch ...

, the latter was incorporated into the territory of the

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 thei ...

. In 1242, after defeat in the

Battle of the Ice The Battle on the Ice, also known as the Battle of Lake Peipus, took place on 5 April 1242. It was fought on the frozen Lake Peipus when the united forces of the Republic of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, led by Prince Alexander Nevsky, emerged ...

, eastern Latgale (''Lotygola'') temporarily passed to the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...

. In 1263, Livonian knights started to build the Wolkenburg castle as the seat of an order convent near the Rāzna lake (today within the Rāzna National Park). It became the oldest order stronghold of the Latgale region. In 1277, Grand duke

Traidenis Traidenis (; ; died 1282) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from around late 1267 to 1268 until 1282. He is the second most prominent grand duke of Lithuania in the 13th century after Mindaugas. His reign ended a seven-year ...

of Lithuania unsuccessfully besieged the newly built castle of

Latgale as part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Latgalian territories remained a part of

Livonian confederation Terra Mariana (Medieval Latin for 'Land of Mary') was the formal name for Medieval Livonia or Old Livonia. It was formed in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade, and its territories were composed of present-day Estonia and Latvia. It was estab ...

until the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Terra Mariana, Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom ...

. During this war, Latgale was annexed by the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

(1559–1562), which in 1569 was incorporated into the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

Ivan IV of Russia Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. ...

annexed Latgale in 1577, but renounced his claims to Livonia after the successful Livonian campaign of the

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

and

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory (; ; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) as well as Prince of Transylvania, earlier Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576). The son of Stephen VIII Báthory ...

Truce of Yam-Zapolsky The Truce or Treaty of Yam-Zapolsky (Ям-Запольский) or Jam Zapolski, signed on 15 January 1582 between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia, was one of the treaties that ended the Livonian War. It followed t ...

on 15 January 1582.Dariusz Kupisz, ''Psków 1581–1582'', Warszawa, 2006 In 1621 most of the

Duchy of Livonia The Duchy of Livonia, also referred to as Polish Livonia or Livonia, was a territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that existed from 1561 to 1621. It corresponds to the present-day areas of northe ...

was ceded to the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

, but part of the Duchy including Latgale remained under Polish-Lithuanian control. This became known as the

Inflanty Voivodeship The Inflanty Voivodeship (), or Livonian Voivodeship (), also known as Polish Livonia, was an administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in the 1620s out of the Wenden Voivodeship and ...

. The creation of Polish Inflanty is the birth of the region we now know of as Latgale. During this period the Latgalian language was influenced by

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

and developed separately from the Latvian spoken in other parts of Latvia.

Latgale as part of Russian Empire

In 1772, Latgale was annexed by 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 ...

after the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

. Latgale was incorporated into the

Vitebsk Governorate Vitebsk Governorate (, ) was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with the seat of governorship in Vitebsk. It was established in 1802 by splitting Belarusian Governorate and existed until 1924. Today most ...

. In 1860,

and

became a part of the

Saint Petersburg–Warsaw railway In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

route. In 1865, as part of Russia's anti-Polish policies, a period of

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

was begun, during which the Latgalian language (written in Latin script) was forbidden. This ban was lifted in 1904, and a period of Latgalian reawakening began. Two years later, Latgalian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Francis Trasuns was elected as a member of the

State Duma The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...

of the

Latgale as part of independent Latvia

After the First Latgale Latvians Congress in 1917, it was decided that Dvinsky, Lyutsinsky and Rezhitsky Uyezds, populated mostly by

Latvians Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...

should be transferred to

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

. It became a part of the Latvian Soviet autonomy of

Iskolat Iskolat (, ), or formally the Executive Committee of the Soviet of Workers, Soldiers, and the Landless in Latvia, was the governing body in the territory of Latvia that was under control of the pro-Communist Red Latvian Riflemen in 1917–1918. ...

and a part of the

Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic The Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic (, LSPR) was a short-lived socialist republic formed during the Latvian War of Independence. It was proclaimed on 17 December 1918 with the political, economic, and military backing of Vladimir Lenin and ...

on 17 December 1918. 5 pp w Dyneburgu 1920

In January 1920, a joint force of Latvian and Polish armies defeated the Soviet 15th Army in the

battle of Daugavpils The Battle of Daugavpils, or Battle of Dyneburg, or Operation Winter was the final battle during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919. A joint Polish and Latvian force, operating under Polish Staff orders known as "Operation Winter", attacked the Re ...

Davies, N., 1972, White Eagle, Red Star, London: Orbis Books, which lead to the resignation of the government of Soviet Latvia on 13 January and Latvian-Russian cease-fire on 1 February 1920. After signing of the

Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Riga, was signed on 11 August 1920 by representatives of the Republic of Latvia and Soviet Russia. It officially ended the Latvian War of Independence. In Article II of the ...

, parts of the

and

Pskov Governorate Pskov Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed in 1772–1777 and 1796–1927. Its seat was located in Opochka b ...

were incorporated into the new Republic of Latvia. United with other ethnic Latvian territories, as claimed by the declaration of independence (ethnic borders as national borders), they formed the districts of

and Jaunlatgale, later Abrene district.

Latgale during and after World War II

During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Latgale was first occupied by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1940 and by the

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1941. In 1944, at the beginning of the second

occupation of Latvia Latvia has been occupied by military forces from other nations from time to time. Military occupations of Latvia have included: * Livonian Crusade (13th century) * Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 * Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941� ...

by the Soviet Union, the eastern municipalities of the Abrene district including Abrene were incorporated into the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. Following the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

and the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991, Latgale regained its status of one of the cultural regions of the

Republic 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 ...

Geography

The land size of Latgale is 14,547 km² and it is bigger than some of the

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

countries, such as

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. Latgale is the easternmost region of Latvia and is located north of the

. It is a landlocked region that has no access to sea or ocean. It shares international borders with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

. The most populated cities in Latgale are

(82,046) and

(31,216). The

municipalities of Latvia The current administrative division of Latvia came into force on 1 July 2021. On 10 June 2020, the Saeima approved a municipal reform that would reduce the 110 municipalities and nine republic cities to 43 local government units consisting of 36 ...

that are a part of Latgale are

Balvi Municipality Balvi Municipality (, ) is a municipality in northern Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 from parts of the Balvi district, by merging Balvi parish, Bērzkalne parish, Bērzpils parish, Briežuciems parish, Krišjāņi par ...

, the city of

Ludza Municipality Ludza Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Briģi Parish, Cirma Parish, Isnauda Parish, Istra Parish, Nirza Parish, Ņukši Parish, Pilda Parish, Pureņi Parish, ...

Līvāni Municipality Līvāni Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 1999 by merging Rožupe Parish, Turki Parish and Līvāni town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but sma ...

Preiļi Municipality Preiļi Municipality () is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2000 by merging Aizkalne Parish, Preiļi Parish and Preiļi town. In 2009 it absorbed Pelēči Parish and Sauna Parish, too the administrative centre ...

Rēzekne Municipality Rēzekne Municipality () is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Audriņi parish, Bērzgale parish, Čornaja parish, Dricāni parish, Feimaņi parish, Gaigalava parish, Griškāni par ...

and

Varakļāni Municipality Varakļāni Municipality () was a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Varakļāni town, Murmastiene Parish and Varakļāni Parish of the former Madona district. The administrative centre was Varakļā ...

, as well as parts of

Alūksne Municipality Alūksne () is a town on the shores of Lake Alūksne in the Vidzeme region of Latvia near the borders with Estonia and Russia. It is the seat of the Alūksne municipality. Alūksne is the highest elevated Latvian city, located in East Vidzeme ...

(

Liepna Parish Liepna Parish () is an administrative unit of Alūksne Municipality in the Latgale 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, alon ...

Augšdaugava Municipality Augšdaugava Municipality (, "upper Daugava municipality") is one of the 35 municipalities established in Latvia in 2021. It surrounds the independent city of Daugavpils and its municipal headquarters are located there. Its first elected municipa ...

Jēkabpils Municipality Jēkabpils Municipality () is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Ābeļi Parish, Dignāja Parish, Dunava Parish, Kalna Parish, Leimaņi Parish, Rubene Parish and Zasa Parish. During the Adm ...

(parts on the right bank of the Daugava),

Krāslava Municipality Krāslava Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2001 by Merger (politics), merging Krāslava Parish and Krāslava town. In 2009 it absorbed Auleja Parish, Indra Parish, Izvalta Parish, Kalnieši Par ...

(excluding

Kaplava Parish Kaplava Parish (, ) is an administrative unit of Krāslava Municipality, in the Selonia region of Latvia. The parish is located on the left bank of the Daugava River The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a la ...

Madona Municipality Madona Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The administrative center is Madona. The total area of the municipality is , and the population in January 2013 was 26,953.Madona municipality Population Register Of these, economically ...

( Barkava Parish and lower portion of

Ošupe Parish Ošupe Parish () is an administrative unit of Madona Municipality, 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 nort ...

) and half of

Aiviekste Parish Aiviekste Parish () is an administrative unit of Aizkraukle Municipality, Latvia. The administrative center is . As of 2024, the population of Aiviekste Parish is 539. Before 2021, the parish had been a part of Daugavpils county, Jēkabpils co ...

(on the left bank of Aizmata River) and the Gostiņi neighbourhood of

Pļaviņas Pļaviņas (; ) is a town in Aizkraukle Municipality in Latvia. The town is located on the Daugava river. The population in 2020 was 2,974. Latvian law defines the town of Pļaviņas as belonging partly to the Vidzeme region and partly to Latgale ...

Aizkraukle Municipality Aizkraukle Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. Its center is the town of Aizkraukle. The municipality was first formed in 2001 by merging Aizkraukle and Aizkraukle Parish. The population in 2020 was 8,024. As a part of the Admin ...

. Latgale is known as ''The land of lakes'' due to large number of lakes in the region. The biggest lake in Latgale and second biggest in Latvia is Lake Rāzna in

. Its area is 57.81 km².

Lake Drīdzis Lake Drīdzis (Dreidzs in local dialect) is the deepest lake in 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 a ...

, located in the

is the deepest lake in Latvia with a maximum depth of 65.1 meters.

Dubna Dubna ( rus, Дубна́, p=dʊbˈna) is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of '' naukograd'' (i.e. town of science), being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research center and o ...

is the longest river in Latgale and 8th longest river in Latvia with a length of 120 kilometres. Other major rivers of the region are

(116 km) and

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

(105 km). The highest point of Latgale is Lielais Liepukalns, 289.8 meters high.

Culture

Latgale region historically had its cultural differences in comparison to the rest of Latvia, such as religion, traditions, and language.

Religion

Due to the influence of

, the population of Latgale has remained predominantly a

(65.8% of the population in 2011), while

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

has been more common in other regions of

. One of the most important Catholic spiritual centers in

is located in

Aglona Aglona (, , , hist. ) is a village in the Aglona Parish of Preiļi Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia. It is located northeast of the city of Daugavpils. Located on the narrow strip of land between the lakes Cirišs and Egles, ...

. Built in 1780, Basilica of the Assumption of Aglona that is one of the eight international shrines recognized by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, historically has been a popular destination for the pilgrims. Thousands of pilgrims from Latvia and abroad visit Aglona every year on 15 August, to attend the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Aglona has been twice visited by a

Roman pontiff Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Aglona in 1993 and

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

in 2018.

Latgalian pottery

The region of Latgale historically has been the most prolific producer of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

wares.Pujāts, Jānis. Latgales keramika. Rēzekne:Latgales kultūras centra izdevniecība, 2002, pages 20-26 Archeological investigations have shown that

were well acquitted with the pottery craft in the period of

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

state of

. Most of the types of wares of Latgalian ceramics, such as ''vuoraunīks'' (a pot for cooking), ''madaunīks'' (a pot for

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

storage), ''sloinīks'' (a pot for storing

fruit preserves Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

), ''stuodiņs'' (a pot for storing

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

), ''ļaks'' (a vessel for storage of oil), ''pīna pūds'' (a pot for storing cow's

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

), ''kazeļnīks'' (a pot for

goat milk Goat milk is the milk of domestic goats. Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply. Some goats are bred specifically for milk. Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream will stay ...

storage), ''puorūss'' (lit. "over-handle", a vessel for bringing food to the field), ''bļūda'' (bowl) and ''kryuze'', were used in the local households for everyday use for several centuries. In 20th century, Latgalian ceramicists started to create decorative wares, such as

candlesticks A candlestick is a device used to hold a candle in place. Candlesticks have a cup or a spike ("pricket") or both to keep the candle in place. Candlesticks are sometimes called "candleholders". Before the proliferation of electricity, candles wer ...

and decorative plates.

Latgalian ceramics Latgalian pottery (, ) or Latgalian ceramics (''Latgolys keramika'', ''Latgales keramika''), also known as Silajāņi Parish, Silajāņi ceramics is the best-known subset of Latvian pottery. The region of Latgale historically has been the most prol ...

rose to the international prominence, when

Andrejs Paulāns Andrejs Paulāns-Kraskevičs ( Latgalian: Andrivs Povulāns-Kraskevičs, 30 November 1896 – 29 November 1973) was a Latvian and Latgalian ceramicist. He is regarded as one of the greatest Latgalian ceramicists. In 1937, Paulāns was awarded ...

and

Polikarps Vilcāns Polikarps Vilcāns (26 January 1894 – 8 May 1969) was a Latvian and Latgale, Latgalian Ceramic art, ceramicist. One of the most renowned Latgalian ceramics, Latgalian ceramicists. In 1937, Vilcāns was awarded with a Gold Medal at the Exposition ...

works were awarded with a Gold Medal at the 1937

Paris Exhibition Paris Exposition or Paris Exhibition can refer to * French Industrial Exposition of 1844 * Exposition des produits de l'industrie française, held intermittently from 1798 to 1849 * Exposition Universelle (1855), the Paris Exposition of 1855 * Expos ...

. In early

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period, Latgalian ceramicists struggled because of high taxes and being forced to join the kolkhoz's. Since 50's, ceramicists became more respected thanks to the enthusiasm of Gaigalava-born art historian

Jānis Pujāts Jānis is a Latvian masculine given name, the equivalent of the English John. The first written use of the name Jānis dates back to 1290. It may refer to: * Jānis Ādamsons (born 1956), Latvian politician *Jānis Akuraters (1876–1937), Latv ...

, who organized

exhibitions An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

and outside its borders that showcased the works of several Latgalian ceramicists. In 1958, Andrejs Paulāns and Polikarps Vilcāns became first Latgalian ceramicists to be recognized as the People's Artists of the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation of the Bal ...

. Ceramics remains one of the trademarks of Latgale and has a great legacy in the region. Established in 1976, Latgale Ceramics Studio in

was renamed to Andrejs Paulāns Folk Applied Art Studio in 1986. One of the streets in the Latgalian town of

Preiļi Preiļi (; Polish: ''Prele''; ; , previously also ''Прели'') is a town in Preiļi Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia. It is also the administrative center of Preiļi Municipality. History Preiļi is one of the oldest settlements i ...

is named in honor of him. In

Rainis Jānis Pliekšāns (11 September 1865 – 11 September 1929), known by his pseudonym Rainis, was a Latvian Poetry, poet, playwright, Translation, translator, and politics, politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' ('' ...

Museum in Jasmuiža are located the relocated workshop and kiln of

, and a unique tile stove made by ceramicist

Ādams Kāpostiņš Ādams Kāpostiņš (Latgalian: Odumeņš Kopusteņš, 27 July 1905 – 7 February 1987) was a Latvian and Latgalian ceramicist. Biography Ādams Kāpostiņš was born at Puša village in Puša Parish, Russian Empire in 1905. He became a ce ...

. In

there is a

house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

, dedicated to the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

recipient - ceramicist

Polikarps Čerņavskis Polikarps Čerņavskis (8 May 1923 – 25 January 1997) was a Latgale, Latgalian Ceramic art, ceramicist. In 1996, he was awarded with the Order of the Three Stars.Bank of Latvia The Bank of Latvia (,) is the national central bank for Latvia within the Eurosystem. It was the Latvian central bank from 1922 to 2013, albeit with a long suspension between 1940 and 1992. It issued the Latvian lats (1922-1940), then a Latvian r ...

issued a commemorative ''Latgalian Ceramics'' 2

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

coin that features a candelabra on it.

Notable people

Famous people who have been born or lived in present-day Latgale: * Ceramicists:

* Painters: Staņislavs Kreics,

Jāzeps Pīgoznis Jāzeps Pīgoznis (15 September 1934 – 28 May 2014) was a Latvian and Latgale, Latgalian painter, landscape artist and professor of drawing at the Art Academy of Latvia from 1972 until 1986. He was awarded the Order of the Three Stars in 2011. ...

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko ( ; Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903February 25, 1970) was an American abstract art, abstract painter. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular reg ...

* Film directors:

Jānis Streičs Jānis Streičs (born 26 September 1936) is a Soviet/Latvian film director. Streičs' 1991 comedy film ''The Child of Man'' was runner-up for the Chicago International Children's Film Festival Rights of the Child Award in 1994. It had previously b ...

Rolands Kalniņš Rolands Kalniņš (9 May 1922 – 17 May 2022) was a Latvian film director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Rolands Kalniņš was born on 9 May 1922 in Vecslabada, Istra Parish, Latvia to a post worker family. From 1937 to 1940, he s ...

* Classical musicians:

Jānis Ivanovs Jānis Ivanovs (27 March 1983) was a Latvian composer whose later career took place in the Soviet Union. In 1931, he graduated from the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga. In 1944, he joined the conservatory's faculty, becoming a full professo ...

Iveta Apkalna Iveta Apkalna (born 30 November 1976, Rēzekne, Latvia) is a Latvian organist and pianist. Biography Iveta Apkalna studied piano and organ at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, graduating in both instruments with distinction in 199 ...

Nikolai Zaremba Nikolai or Nicolaus Ivanovich von Zaremba (; ) was a Russian musical theorist, teacher and composer. His most famous student was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who became his pupil in 1861. Others included Fyodor Dostoevsky's nephews, the children of hi ...

* Writers:

Yury Tynyanov Yury Nikolaevich Tynyanov ( rus, Ю́рий Никола́евич Тыня́нов, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ tɨˈnʲænəf; October 18, 1894 – December 20, 1943) was a Soviet writer, literary critic, translator, scholar and scre ...

Władysław Studnicki Władysław Gizbert-Studnicki (15 November 1867 – 10 January 1953) was a Polish politician and publicist. Throughout his life, Studnicki was famous for his strongly pro-German stance, and in the Polish People's Republic all his books were b ...

* Opera singers:

Kristine Opolais Kristīne Opolais (born 12 November 1979) is a Latvian operatic soprano. Biography Opolais was born in Rēzekne, Latvia, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Music. Opolais started her career as a member of the chorus with Latvian National Ope ...

* Bishops:

Jānis Bulis Jānis Bulis (born 17 August 1950 in Briģi Parish, Ludza Municipality) is a Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Rēzekne-Aglona in Latvia. Biography Jānis Bulis was born on 17 August 1950 in Briģi Parish, Ludza Municipality, Latvia. After his ...

, Jānis Pujats, Julijans Vaivods,

Antonijs Springovičs Antonijs Springovičs (1 November 1876 – 1 October 1958) was a Latvian Roman Catholic prelate who became the first Archbishop of Riga in 1923. Early years Springovičs was born on 31 October 1876 in Rēzekne. In 1897, he joined the seminary i ...

* Politicians: Francis Trasuns,

Yakov Pliner Jakovs Pliners (; born 27 December 1946 in Rēzekne) is a Latvian politician and teacher of Jews, Jewish origin. He was a Member of Parliament, MP of the Saeima of the 7th, 8th and 9th convocations for the For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTV ...

Ilze Viņķele Ilze Viņķele (born Ilze Vidiņa on 27 November 1971 in Rēzekne) is a Latvian politician, and the former Minister for Welfare and Minister for Health of Latvia. Currently, she is a member of the political party Movement For!, formerly a part of ...

, Jānis Tutins * Football players:

Artjoms Rudņevs Artjoms Rudņevs (born 13 January 1988) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a striker for Daugava Daugavpils in his home country, for Zalaegerszegi TE in Hungary, for Lech Poznań in Poland, and for Bundesliga clubs Ha ...

Edgars Gauračs Edgars Gauračs (born 10 March 1988) is a retired Latvian footballer who played as a striker. Club career Ascoli Until summer 2006 he played for Blāzma Rēzekne, but after training in Italy with teams like Milan, Sampdoria and Lazio, he sig ...

Aleksandrs Isakovs Aleksandrs Isakovs (born 16 September 1973 in Daugavpils) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He made 58 appearances for the Latvia national team. He debuted in 1997, and played at the Euro 2004. He started hi ...

, Vladislavs Kozlovs,

Aleksandrs Cauņa Aleksandrs Cauņa (; born 19 January 1988) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Club Born in Daugavpils, at youth level Cauņa played for Dinaburg, being brought to Skonto Riga system at the age of 14 ...

, Vadims Logins,

Ivans Lukjanovs Ivans Lukjanovs (born 24 January 1987) is a Latvian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. Club career Lukjanovs was born in Daugavpils, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union. As a youth p ...

Māris Smirnovs Māris Smirnovs (born 2 June 1976) is a Latvian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender, and is currently the fitness coach of the Latvia national football team, Latvia nation ...

Mihails Ziziļevs Mihails Ziziļevs (born 27 December 1973) is a Latvian football midfielder who currently plays for FK Klaipėdos Granitas in the Lithuanian A Lyga. Playing career Ziziļevs started his career at his local club DJSS Daugavpils in the early 1990 ...

Antonijs Černomordijs Antonijs Černomordijs (born 26 September 1996 in Daugavpils, Latvia) is a Latvian professional footballer who plays as a defender for and captains both Virslīga club Riga and the Latvia national team. Club career He made his Cypriot First ...

Jurģis Pučinskis Jurģis Pučinsks (born 3 January 1973 in Daugavpils) is a former Latvian football (soccer), soccer player who played as a midfielder and is now an assistant in Latvia national football team, Latvia. He signed with Luch-Energia Vladivostok fo ...

References

External links

* :lt:Latgala overview in Lithuanian
Online Latgalian–Latvian dictionary.

Latgalian folk song "Nadūd Dīvs veitūlam"

Latgalian folk song "Seika, moza mæityneite"

Latgalian folk song "Īšu, īšu, tæ nabyušu"
*
News from Latgale
*
Radio station "Latgales radio"64_aac64_mp3
{{authority control Historical regions in Latvia