Ludza (; pl, Lucyn, german: Ludsen, russian: Лудза, ''Ludza'') is a town in the
Latgale
Latgale ( ltg, Latgola; ; ger, Lettgallen; be, Латгалія, Łathalija; pl, Łatgalia; la, Lettgallia), also known as Latgalia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region and is north of the Daugava River. While m ...
region of eastern
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 ...
.
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 ( lv, Ludzas novads) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by 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 List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n border.
The population as of 2020 was 7,667.
History
After
Nikolay Karamzin
Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin (russian: Николай Михайлович Карамзин, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ kərɐmˈzʲin; ) was a Russian Imperial historian, romantic writer, poet and critic. He is best remembered for ...
, Ludza was first mentioned as ''Лючин'' in
Hypatian Codex The Hypatian Codex (also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis; be, Іпацьеўскі летапіс; russian: Ипатьевская летопись; uk, Іпатіївський літопис) is a ''svod'' (compendium) of three ''l ...
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 the ...
built a stone fortress atop an older Latgalian fortress and used Ludza as an eastern outpost in
Livonia
Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
.
Ludza Castle
Ludza Castle ( lv, Ludzas pils, german: Ordensburg Ludsen) 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 ...
ruins can be visited nowadays.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
After the dissolution of the Livonian Order in 1561, Ludza was incorporated to the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
and became part of
Wenden Voivodeship
Wenden Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wendeńskie) 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 ...
. In January 1626, during the
Polish-Swedish War, Ludza was captured without a battle by
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
due to defeat of the forces of
Polish-Lithuanian marshal Jan Stanisław Sapieha
Jan Stanisław Sapieha ( lt, Jonas Stanislovas Sapiega; 25 October 1589 in Maladziečna - 10 April 1635 in Lyakhavichy) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, starost of Słonim, Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1617, Great Lithuanian Marshal from 16 ...
. Later it was recaptured by Polish forces.
In 1678,
Commonwealth's Sejm appointed a special commission in
Grodno
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
that had to build
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
churches in Latgale. Year later, a commission visited Ludza and in 1687, building of the church was completed. In 1736, 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 toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
in 1772 was taken over by 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. ...
and added to
Vitebsk Governorate
Vitebsk Governorate (russian: Витебская губерния, ) was an administrative unit ( guberniya) of the Russian Empire, with the seat of governorship in Vitebsk. It was established in 1802 by splitting the Byelorussia Governorate and ...
. Ludza received town rights in 1777 from
Catherine II of Russia
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
. During the first part of the 19th century, most of the population of Ludza were
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
(67% in 1815) and there were 7
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
s in 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 treat ...
in 1920,
Ludzas apriņķis and Ludza as its administrative centre was incorporated into the
Republic of 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 ...
.
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 ...
, Ludza was under
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
occupation from 4 July 1941 until 23 July 1944. It was administered as a part of the
Generalbezirk Lettland
Generalbezirk Lettland (General District Latvia) was one of the four administrative subdivisions of '' Reichskommissariat Ostland'', the civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany for the administration of the Baltic States (Estonia, ...
of
Reichskommissariat Ostland
The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initia ...
. The Jewish population was restricted to a
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
. 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 im ...
.
After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, Ludza became the administrative centre of
Ludza District
Ludza District ( lv, Ludzas rajons) 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.
Towns of Ludza District
*Kārsava
...
. On July 1, 2009, due to the introduction of the new administrative division in Latvia it became the centre of
Ludza Municipality
Ludza Municipality ( lv, Ludzas novads) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Briģi Parish, Cirma Parish, Isnauda Parish, Istra Parish, Nirza Parish, Ņukši Parish, Pilda Parish, Pureņi Parish, ...
.
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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
*
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-pa ...
Church
*
Evangelical Lutheran Church
*
Old Believers
Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow bet ...
' Church
* Ruins of the medieval
Ludza Castle
Ludza Castle ( lv, Ludzas pils, german: Ordensburg Ludsen) 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 ...
* Ludza Craftsmen Centre
Several lakes offer fishing and water tourism possibilities.
Transport
Roads
Ludza is located on the main
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
-
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
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-
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n border.
Railway
Ludza Train Station is a part of the
Rēzekne II -
Zilupe
Zilupe ( Latgalian: ''Sīnuoja'', from ''sīna'' – 'border'; German: ''Rosenau'', russian: Розеново) is a town in Latvia, by the Zilupe River, on the border with Russia. The population in 2020 was 1,343. Zilupe's railway station is the f ...
railway line that was originally built in 1901 as a part of
Ventspils
Ventspils (; german: Windau, ; see other names) 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 ...
-
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
line. The current station building was built after the
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 ...
.
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 ( lv, latvieši) 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 Latvi ...
, 2,661 (34.7%) were ethnic
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, 168 (2.1%) were Belarusians, 93 (1.2%) were
Ukrainians
Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian. The majority ...
, 63 (0.8%) were
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
, 24 (0.3%) were
Lithuanians
Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...
, and 187 (2.4%) belonging to other ethnic groups.
Notable people
Born in Ludza
*
Yakov Kulnev
Yakov Petrovich Kulnev (russian: Яков Петрович Кульнев; 6 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. ...
(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 participated.
...
(1878—1945) – Polish writer and explorer
*
Karol Bohdanowicz
Karol Bohdanowicz (born 29 November 1864 in Lucyn – died 5 June 1947 in Warsaw) was a Polish geologist, an expert in mining geology and physical geography. Bohdanowicz' research contributed to the construction of the Caspian railway line an ...
(1864–1947) – Polish geologist
*
Leonid Dobychin
Leonid Ivanovich Dobychin (russian: Леони́д Ива́нович Добы́чин) (, Ludza, Vitebsk Governorate — March 28, 1936 was a Russian and Soviet writer.
Early life
The author's father was Ivan Andrianovich Dobychin (1855—19 ...
(1894–1936) – Russian writer
*
Ilya Chashnik
Ilya Grigorevich Chashnik (1902, Lucyn, Russian Empire, currently Ludza, Latvia - 1929, Leningrad) was a suprematist artist, a pupil of Kazimir Malevich and a founding member of the UNOVIS school.
Biography
Chashnik was born to a Jewish family ...
(1902–1929) – Russian
suprematist
Suprematism (russian: Супремати́зм) is an early twentieth-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 abstra ...
painter
*
Stanislaus Ladusãns (1912-1993) -
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
priest
Twinning and international cooperation
Ludza municipality
Ludza Municipality ( lv, Ludzas novads) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by 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 ''Samt ...
(Germany)
*
Hlybokaye
Hlybokaye or Glubokoye ( be, Глыбокае, translit=Hłybokaje, russian: Глубокое, translit=Glubokoye, pl, Głębokie, lt, Glubokas, yi, גלובאָק, Glubok) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus, the capital of Hlybokaye Raion ( ...
(Belarus)
*
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
(Belarus)
*
Nevel (Russia)
*
Sebezh
Sebezh (russian: Се́беж) 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 ...
(Russia)
*
Novopolotsk
Novopolotsk ( be, Наваполацк (Cyrillic), Navapołack ( Łacinka), translit=Navapolatsk, ; russian: Новополоцк, translit=Novopolotsk, ) is a city in Vitebsk Oblast, Belarus, with a population (2008 estimate) of 107,458. Founde ...
(Belarus)
See also
*
Ludza Estonians
The Ludza Estonians (in the Ludza dialect: ''Lutsi maarahvas'' – ‘Lutsi Estonians’, in Latvian: ''Ludzas igauņi'') are a group of ethnic Estonians living in and around Ludza, south-eastern Latvia.
History
Most of the Ludza Estonians ...
*
Ludza castle ruins
*
Ludza municipality
Ludza Municipality ( lv, Ludzas novads) is a municipality in Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Briģi Parish, Cirma Parish, Isnauda Parish, Istra Parish, Nirza Parish, Ņukši Parish, Pilda Parish, Pureņi Parish, ...
References
External links
Ludza Municipality portalPortal of Ludza Craftsmen Centre, LV, ENG, DE, RUThe murder of the Jews of Ludzaduring
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 ...
, at the
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
website
{{Authority control
Towns in Latvia
1777 establishments in Europe
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Holocaust locations in Latvia
Ludza Municipality
Lyutsinsky Uyezd
Latgale