Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town 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 eastern

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 ...

. 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 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, ...

that is located nearby the

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 ...

n border. The population as of 2020 was 7,667.

History

After

Nikolay Karamzin Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin () was a Russian historian, writer, poet and critic. He is best remembered for his fundamental ''History of the Russian State'', a 12-volume national history. Early life Karamzin was born in the small village of ...

, Ludza was first mentioned as ''Лючин'' in

Hypatian Codex The ''Hypatian Codex'', also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis, is a compendium of three Rus' chronicle, Rus' chronicles: the ''Primary Chronicle'', ''Kievan Chronicle'' and ''Galician-Volhynian Chronicle''. It is the most important sou ...

dating back to 1173 or 1177. In 1399 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 ...

built a stone fortress atop an older Latgalian fortress and used Ludza as an eastern outpost in

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

Ludza Castle Ludza Castle (, ) was a medieval castle built in Gothic style located next to a Catholic church, on the site of a former Latgalian wooden castle in the centre Ludza, Latvia, a small town in eastern Latgale. Its main purpose was to be an eastern o ...

ruins can be visited nowadays.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

After the dissolution of the Livonian Order in 1561, Ludza 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 ...

and became a part of

Wenden Voivodeship Wenden Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was formed in 1598 by King Sigismund III Vasa, out of Wenden Presidency (Province), whi ...

. In January 1626, during the

Polish-Swedish War This is a List of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to ...

, Ludza was captured without a battle by

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

due to the defeat of the forces of Polish-Lithuanian marshal

Jan Stanisław Sapieha Jan Stanisław Sapieha (; 25 October 1589 in Maladziečna – 10 April 1635 in Lyakhavichy) was a Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish–Lithuanian szlachta, noble, starost of Słonim, Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1617, Great Lithuanian M ...

. Later it was recaptured by Polish forces. In 1678, Commonwealth's Sejm appointed a special commission in

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

that had to build

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 ...

churches in Latgale. A year later, the commission visited Ludza and in 1687, building of the church was completed. In 1736, the church was destroyed by fire.

Russian Empire

After the first

partition of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign ...

in 1772, Ludza was taken over 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 ...

and added to

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 ...

. Ludza received town rights in 1777 from

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. During the first part of the 19th century, most of the population of Ludza were

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

(67% in 1815) and there were 7

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s in the town.

Latvia

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 ...

in 1920,

Ludzas apriņķis Ludza county () was a historic county in the Vitebsk Governorate, and in the Republic of Latvia dissolved during the administrative territorial reform of the Latvian SSR in 1949. Its administrative centre was Ludza. History Established in 162 ...

and Ludza as its administrative centre was incorporated into 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 ...

. During

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 ...

, Ludza was under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation from 4 July 1941 until 23 July 1944. It was administered as a part of the

Generalbezirk Lettland ''Generalbezirk Lettland'' (German language, German for "General District Latvia"; ) was an Administrative division, administrative subdivision of the ''Reichskommissariat Ostland'' of Nazi Germany that covered Latvia from 1941 to 1944. It se ...

Reichskommissariat Ostland The (RKO; ) was an Administrative division, administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. It served as the German Civil authority, civilian occupation regime in Lithuania, La ...

. The Jewish population was restricted to a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

. From July 1941 until the spring of 1942, hundreds of Jews were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by

Einsatzgruppen (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the imp ...

. After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, Ludza became the administrative centre of

Ludza district Ludza district () was an administrative division of Latvia, located in Latgale region, in the country's east. Districts were eliminated during the administrative-territorial reform in 2009. Populated places of Ludza district *Kārsava *Ludza ...

. On July 1, 2009, due to the introduction of the new administrative division in Latvia it became the centre of

Tourism

Ludza Museum and Ludza Tourism Information Centre offer excursions around the town. The most visited sights are: * Ludza History Museum and open-air exposition *

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Church * Evangelical Lutheran Church *

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 ...

' Church * Ruins of the medieval

* Ludza Craftsmen Centre Several lakes offer fishing and water tourism possibilities.

Transport

Roads

Ludza is located on the main

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 ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

road, as a part of

European route E22 European route E22 is one of the longest European routes. It has a length of about . Many of the E-roads have been extended into Asia since the year 2000; the E22 was extended on 24 June 2002. Route United Kingdom Port of Holyhead () * ...

, and only 30 km away from the Latvian-

n border.

Railway

Ludza Train Station is a part of the Rēzekne II -

Zilupe Zilupe ( Latgalian: ''Sīnuoja'', from ''sīna'' – 'border'; German: ''Rosenau'', ) is a town in Ludza Municipality, in the Latgale region of Latvia, by the Zilupe River, on the border with Russia. The population in 2020 was 1,343. Zilupe's ra ...

railway line that was originally built in 1901 as a part of

Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...

line. The current station building was built after the

Education

The children of Ludza may attend three pre-school educational institutions - "Rūķītis", "Pasaciņa" and "Namiņš". Elementary and secondary education curricula are provided by Ludza Gymnasium and Ludza Secondary School #2, as well as by Ludza Evening Secondary School. Additional out of school activities are offered at: * Ludza Music Primary School (music school with integrated primary school) * Ludza Art School * Ludza Children and Youth Centre * Ludza Sport School

Demographics

As of 2020, the town had a population of 7,667, of which 4,455 (58.1%) were ethnic

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 ...

, 2,661 (34.7%) were 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 ...

, 168 (2.1%) were Belarusians, 93 (1.2%) were

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, 63 (0.8%) were

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

, 24 (0.3%) were

Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...

, and 187 (2.4%) belonging to other ethnic groups.

Notable people

Born in Ludza

Yakov Kulnev Yakov Petrovich Kulnev (; 5 August 1763 – 1 August 1812) was, along with Pyotr Bagration and Aleksey Yermolov, one of the most popular Russian military leaders at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Count Alexander Suvorov's admirer and particip ...

(1763–1812) – major-general, hero of the Patriotic war with Napoleon *

Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski (; 27 May 1876 – 3 January 1945) was a Polish writer, explorer, university professor, and anticommunist political activist. He is known for his books about Lenin and the Russian Civil War in which he participate ...

(1878—1945) – Polish writer and explorer * Karol Bohdanowicz (1864–1947) – Polish geologist *

Leonid Dobychin Leonid Ivanovich Dobychin () (, Ludza, Vitebsk Governorate — March 28, 1936 was a Russian and Soviet writer. Early life The author's father was Ivan Andrianovich Dobychin (1855—1902), who in 1896 moved the family to Dvinsk (now Daugavp ...

(1894–1936) – Russian writer *

Ilya Chashnik Ilya Grigorevich Chashnik (1902, Lucyn, Russian Empire, currently Ludza, Latvia – 1929, Leningrad) was a suprematism, suprematist artist, a pupil of Kazimir Malevich and a founding member of the UNOVIS school. Biography Chashnik was born to a ...

(1902–1929) – Russian

suprematist Suprematism () is an early 20th-century art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry (circles, squares, rectangles), painted in a limited range of colors. The term ''suprematism'' refers to an abstract art based upon "the supremacy of p ...

painter * Stanislaus Ladusãns (1912-1993) -

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest

Twinning and international cooperation

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, ...

has several cooperation partners abroad. *

Bad Bodenteich Bad Bodenteich ( Eastphalian: ''Bonndiek'') is a municipality in the district of Uelzen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km southeast of Uelzen. Bad Bodenteich was the seat of the former ''Samtgemeinde A (, ; ...

(Germany) *

Hlybokaye Hlybokaye or Glubokoye (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Hlybokaye District. As of 2024, it has a population of 17,746. The town is located on the international road from Polotsk to Vilniu ...

(Belarus) * Brest (Belarus) * Nevel (Russia) *

Sebezh Sebezh () is a town and the administrative center of Sebezhsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in a picturesque setting between Lakes Sebezhskoye and Orono south of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: His ...

(Russia) *

Novopolotsk Novopolotsk or Navapolatsk (, ; , ) is a city in Vitebsk Oblast, Belarus. Founded in 1958, it is located close to the city of Polotsk and the name literally means "New Polotsk". In 2008, its population was 107,458. As of 2025, it has a populatio ...

(Belarus)

References

External links

Ludza Municipality portal

Portal of Ludza Craftsmen Centre, LV, ENG, DE, RU

The murder of the Jews of Ludza
during

, at the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website {{Authority control Cities and towns in Latgale 1777 establishments in Europe Holocaust locations in Latvia Populated places in Ludza Municipality Historic Jewish communities in Latvia