Rēzekne

Rēzekne (Rēzne in Latgalian, Резекне in Russian, Rositten in German) is a 31,216 inhabitants town placed in the Rēzekne river Valley in the region of Latgalia in Latvia, not far from the Russian border (63 km). Its nickname is The Heart of Latgale (Latgolys sirds in Latgalian) and it's an intersection of railways like Ventpils-Moscow and St. Petersbourg-Warsaw. Rēzekne is the 7th most-populated town in Latvia.

 

How do I arrive to Rēzekne?

  Rēzekne is a border town which is pretty well communicated by public transportation. 

• Train: there's an important train route between Riga and Zilupe that stops at Rēzekne. It's 3.5 hours from Riga (7.20€) and 1 hour away from Zilupe (2.35€). You can also reach Rēzekne from Daugavpils changing of train in Krustpils.
• Bus: there are at least 6 daily buses from Rēzekne to Riga (4 hours 15 minutes) and at least 4 to Daugavpils (2 hours). From Rēzekne there are also at least 3 buses from Rēzekne to Ludza (30 min) for 1.70€.
• Car: if the visitor has a car, Rēzekne can be reach from Ludza (aprox. 25 minutes), Rāzna National Park (aprox. 35 minutes), from Daugavpils (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes) or from Riga (aprox. 3 hours). It's a border town with neighbouring Russia so places like Pskov or Ostov (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes to both) can be reached from Rēzekne.

History

The area of Rēzekne was inhabited by Latgalians, tribe who built a hill fort in the current area of the town between the 9th and 13th century. It was destroyed by German crusaders of the Livonian Order and built a stone castle, Rēzekne castle. Having being attacked several times by Lithuanians and Russians, Rēzekne became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the peace of Jam Zapolski (1582) in the Livonian War (being granted Magdemburg rights in the 17th century). In the partition of Poland it fell to the Russian Empire and the town changed from a country town to an important city when the railway St. Petersburg-Warsaw was built. In 1917 Rēzekne hosted the first Latgalian congress (declaring the intention to join an independent Latvia) and after the declaration of independence and the Latvian War of Independence, it became the cultural center of Latgale. The town was hardly damaged during WW2 by both Nazi German and Soviet Army, being rebuilt afterwards under the Soviet domination with an emphasis on industrial development (during this period many Russian inmigrants moved to the town). Unlike the rest of Latvia, Latgale a is mostly Catholic region (65.8% of the population), with important Orthodox minorities (13.8%) and Old Believers (10%). In the past it had a large Jewish population. 

 

What can I visit in Rēzekne?

Rēzekne is a town with low interest but which is a great point to visit Latgale region. The main street in town is Atbrīvošanas aleja and its most beautiful one, Latgales iela. In the town's surroundings hiking may be nice and cultural events can be attended in the spectacular GORS.

These are Rēzekne's main attractions:

• Rēzekne Castle Ruins: ruins of a castle built by ancient Latgalians (between 9th and 13th century) and then ruled by the Livonian Order. The castle was destroyed in the Polish-Swedish war (but a reconstrution of how it was can be found near).
• Sāpju Dievmātes Catholic Church: chuch ruled by the Marian fathers that was built in 1939.
• Vissvētākās Dievdzemdētājas Piedzimšanas Russian Orthodox Church: 19th century church which has been rebuilt several times. It has a glass chapel where General Karaulov (patron of the church) was buried.
  
• Latgales Māra: bronze statue which conmemorates the liberation of Latgale from the Red Army in November 1920 but removed during the Soviet occupations. It's one of the most famous statues in Latvi.
• Latgale Culture and History Museum (10-18 Wed-Sat and 11-17 Sun from Jun to Aug; 10-18 Tue-Sat from Sep to May): museum which shows the history, traditions and culture of this region of Latvia. It also has temporary expositions.
• Green Synagogue (10-15 Wed and Sat): small  synagogue built in 1845, when the train line started to get developed and many people started living in Rēzekne. It shows the history of Jews in Rēzekne and in Latgale.
• Rēzekne Catholic Cathedral: cathedral finished in 1902, first built as a wooden church that got burnt in 1887, is one of the largest Catholic cathedrals and cathedrals in general in Latvia. It's curved wooden altars and stained glasses are interesting to be seen.
• St. Nikolaja Old Believers Church: 19th century complex with a 3-bells belfry (one of them is the biggest in the Baltic countries) and a museum which shows the daily life of Latgalian Old-Believers.

Rēzekne Catholic Cathedral

Latgales Māra

View of Ludza and Ludza Catholic Church

Near Rēzekne, 25 km east, can be found the municipality of Ludza (Lucyn in Polish, Ludsen in German, Лудза in Russian), town located between the lakes Small Ludza Lake and Great Ludza Lake and founded in 1177, considered the oldest in the country. The main interesting points are Ludza Castle Ruins, castle built by the Livonian Order in 1399 and destroyed in the 18th century, and Ludza Craft Center (9-17 Mon-Fri and 9-15 Sun from Jun to Aug; open upon request from Sep to May), ethnographic museum with local crafts like wool cloths, sewing and ceramic. It has other nice places like Ludza Museum (8-17 Tue-Fri and 8-15 Sat-Sun from Jul to Aug; 8-17 Mon-Fri and 10-17 Sat from Sep to Jun; 2€/ 1.5€/ 1€  adults/ retired/ students and kids), exposition which shows the history, nature and traditions of the region, located in General Kulnev's house (hero of war against Napoleon); Ludza Catholic Church, church first built in the 17th century by the Poles; Ludza Lutheran Church, 19th century church which used to be one of the biggest in Latvia but which was partially destroyed during Soviet times;

Lake Lubāns

Ludza Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Classicism style church from the 19th century with a nice inner part; and Ludza Great Synagogue (13-17 Tue-Fri and 10-14 Sat; 2€/ 1€  adults/ students and kids), a wooden synagogue from the year 1800, considered one of the oldest in the Baltic countries.
Not so far from Rēzekne (45 km) can be visited the biggest (although not deep at all) lake in Latvia, Lake Lubāns. It's a great place to practice birdwatching of swans or eagles, fishing and it is surrounded by dark fir forests. There's an information point called Bāka (a former lighthouse) which rents boats and equipment to windsurf.

Where can I eat in Rēzekne?

There are some intereresting places to eat in Rēzekne like Rozalija (Brīvības iela 14/2) and Mols (Latgales iela 22/24) where there are typical Latgalian food. Surprisingly, Ausmeņa Kebabs (Rancāna iela 41) is very popular among locals, specially to have a drink. 

Posted in: Europe,Latvia