Daugavpils Fortress, also known as Dinaburg Fortress or Dvinsk Fortress, is an early 19th century

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. It is the only early 19th century military fortification of its kind in Northern Europe that has been preserved without significant alterations.
Dinaburga cietoksnis website – website created in 2004 by Latgale Central Library, Daugavpils State District Archive and Daugavpils Ethnographic and Arts Museum. Available in Russian and Latvian languages only. The construction of the fortress began in 1810 by decree of Tsar

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...

, in the atmosphere of increased tension before

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's invasion of the Russian Empire in 1812. Construction of the fortress, due to Napoleon's invasion, lengthy delays, serious floodings and slow construction work, was fully completed only in 1878. The

Mark Rothko Art centre Mark Rothko Art Centre ( lv, Daugavpils Marka Rotko mākslas centrs – DMRAC) is a multi-functional institution of culture, arts and education, located inside the arsenal building of the Daugavpils fortress in Daugavpils, Latvia. It is a uni ...

is located in the former Artillery arsenal.

History

About 10,000 workers built the fortress in two shifts. In 1812, the fortress was attacked by a detachment of the French Army of 24,000 men. The fortress was still under construction and was defended by 3300 men with 200 cannons. The fortress was a significant modern military centre of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, for a long time being a defense base of the western frontier of the Russian Empire. The direct route taken by Russian nobles and Royalty from

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(then capital of the Russian Empire) to Europe led right through the city of Daugavpils (then named Dinaburg), and Daugavpils Fortress was the place of rest for many nobles including tsars Alexander I, Nicolas I, Alexander II, Alexander III and Russia's last tsar Nicolas II.
Valsts nekustamie īpašumi website – general facts and information taken from State Real Estate Agency of Latvia 2004 online presentation titled “Daugavpils fortress – a place where the courage of Napoleon and the Russian emperors is present today”. Available in English language only. Latvian independence was officially recognised by Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia in 1920, and between 1920 and 1940 the fortress became home of the Latvian army. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the camp for Soviet prisoners of war Stalag 340 was set up by German army in the fortress. The fortress'

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

Jesuit church constructed from 1737-1746 was destroyed during the War. In 1948–1993, the fortress was home to the Daugavpils Higher School of Military Aircraft Engineering (DVVAIU). In 1998 the fortress came under the authority of the State Real Estate Agency of Latvia. In 2004 the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia decided to sell the fortress either in parts or as one whole. The fortress's future remains uncertain.

Gallery

File:Николаевские ворота. Наружный фасад.JPG, Nicholas Gate File:Pump house (Daugavpils Fortress).JPG, Pump House File:Komandanta ēkas vidējais rizalīts.JPG, Commandant's House File:Artillery arsenal, Daugavpils fortress, 2014.jpg, Artillery arsenal File:Oficieru nams Daugavpils cietoksnī (Konstantīna iela 8).JPG, Officer's House

References

External links

Urban-travel.org @ The Dinaburg Fortress
{{coord, 55, 53, 11, N, 26, 29, 42, E, region:LV_type:landmark_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Fortifications in Latvia Daugavpils Star forts

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links