Ludza
- for the river see Ludza River
| Ludza | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
 |
|||
|
|||
 Ludza
|
|||
| Coordinates: 56°33′N 27°43′E / 56.55°N 27.717°ECoordinates: 56°33′N 27°43′E / 56.55°N 27.717°E | |||
| Country |  Latvia |
||
| Town rights | 1777 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Alīna Gendele | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 9,677 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Postal code | LV-570(1-2) | ||
| Calling code | +371 657 | ||
| Number of Municipality council members | 15 | ||
Ludza (
pronunciation (help·info)) is a town in the Latgalia region of eastern Latvia. The population as of 2004 was 10,247.
Until July 1, 2009 Ludza was the administrative centre of Ludza District. On July 1, 2009 due to the introduction of the new administrative division in Latvia it became the centre of Ludza municipality.
Ludza is located on the main Riga - Moscow road, part of European route E22, and only 30 km from the Latvian-Russian border.
Contents |
[edit] History
Ludza, one of the oldest towns in Latvia, was first mentioned in Russian chronicles dating to 1173 or 1177.
In 1399 the Livonian Order built a stone fortress atop an older Latgalian fortress and used Ludza as an eastern outpost in Livonia. Ludza Castle ruins can be visited nowadays.
Ludza received town rights in 1777 from Catherine II of Russia.
[edit] 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
- Orthodox Church
- Old Believers' Church
- Ruins of the medieval Ludza Castle
- Ludza Craftsmen Centre.
Several lakes offer fishing and water tourism possibilities.
[edit] 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
[edit] Notable people
- Yakov Kulnev (1763–1812) - major-general, hero of the Patriotic war with Napoleon
- Anisim Rekashev (1859–1955) - doctor
- Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski (1878—1945) - Polish writer and explorer
- Ilya Chashnik (1902–1929) - Russian suprematist painter
- Leon Tomashitskis (1904–1996) - sculptor
- Anta Rugate (1949) - politician, member of the 8th Saeima
- Sergey Lazovskis (1976) - weightlifter, participant of the Olympic Games in Sidney (18th place)
- Yeseniya Volzhankina (1983) - sportswoman
[edit] Twinning and international cooperation
Ludza municipality has several cooperation partners abroad.
- Bad Bodenteich (Germany)
- Hlybokaye (Belarus)
- Brest (Belarus)
- Nevel (Russia)
Ludza municipality takes part in the Euroregions Pskov, Livonija and Country of Lakes.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
|
|||||
