Latgale, Latvia: Towns to Explore on Foot

Latgale is Latvia’s easternmost historical region, known for its layered borderland history, Catholic heritage and distinctive cultural mix. The best things to do in Latgale include visiting its historic towns, exploring Daugavpils, Ludza and Rēzekne, and discovering the religious traditions that set the region apart. Neywo offers free audio guides for 3 cities in Latgale, with 33 narrated places in total and 4 walking tours.

What to see and do in Latgale

Explore Daugavpils

Daugavpils is the largest city covered by Neywo in Latgale, with 21 narrated places. Its attractions reflect the city’s industrial, artistic and cultural history.

The Daugavpils skrošu rūpnīca is among the city’s notable sites. The Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre connects the region with the work of the artist Mark Rothko. Daugavpils teātris adds a performing-arts landmark, while the Daugavpils Local History and Art Museum offers another way to understand the city and its surroundings.

Daugavpils is also home to large Russian communities, part of the region’s wider mix of Russian, Belarusian and Polish influences. That diversity is one of the features that gives Latgale its particular character.

Discover Ludza Castle and the old town

Ludza has 4 narrated places on Neywo. Its main sights include Ludza Castle, Ludza synagogue, the Church of the Assumption in Ludza and the Lutheran church in Ludza.

Together, these places show the different religious traditions present in Latgale. Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Orthodox and Old Believer communities have all contributed to the region’s cultural identity. Ludza is therefore a useful stop for travellers interested in the relationship between architecture, faith and local history.

Visit Rēzekne

Rezekne has 8 narrated places. The Rēzekne Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Cathedral is one of its key landmarks, alongside Rēzekne Castle, the monument Vienoti Latvijai and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Rēzekne.

The city’s religious buildings reflect Latgale’s predominantly Catholic character. Elsewhere in Latvia, Lutheranism has historically been more common, while Latgale’s Catholic tradition was strongly shaped by the region’s former connection with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Experience Aglona’s Catholic heritage

Aglona is one of Latvia’s most important Catholic spiritual centres. Its Basilica of the Assumption was built in 1780 and is one of eight international shrines recognized by the Holy See.

The basilica is also associated with the annual feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when thousands of pilgrims from Latvia and abroad gather in Aglona on 15 August. Roman pontiffs have visited the site twice, including Pope John Paul the Second and Pope Francis.

Understand Latgale’s layered history

Latgale’s identity has been shaped by centuries of changing borders and rulers. The region’s earliest inhabitants included the Eastern Baltic Latgalian tribe. In medieval times, the lands of modern Latgale included the principalities of Jersika and Atzele.

Jersika, also known as Lettia, allied with Polotsk and Lithuanian dukes against the Bishopric of Livonia but was defeated. Latgale later passed through the Livonian Confederation, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The region was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1772 and placed within the Vitebsk Governorate. Under Russian rule, a railway connected Daugavpils and Rēzekne with the route between Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. The Latgalian language, when written in Latin script, was also banned for a time. When the ban was lifted, a Latgalian reawakening followed.

The twentieth century brought occupation by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and then the Soviet Union again. When Latvian independence was restored in 1991, Latgale regained its place as one of Latvia’s cultural regions. This succession of rulers, borders and political systems helps explain why the region feels different from other parts of Latvia.

Latgale travel guide: explore with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guides cover 3 cities in Latgale: Daugavpils, Ludza and Rezekne. Across the region, they include 33 narrated places and 4 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Download Neywo and explore at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, so you can walk without a group or a schedule and discover Latgale through the landmarks around you.