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Sēlpils Parish () is a large rural administrative unit within
Jēkabpils Municipality Jēkabpils Municipality () is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Ābeļi Parish, Dignāja Parish, Dunava Parish, Kalna Parish, Leimaņi Parish, Rubene Parish and Zasa Parish. During the Adm ...
in the
Selonia Selonia (; ), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is one of the Historical Latvian Lands encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia () as well as a portion of northeastern Lithuania. Its main city and cultural ce ...
region of south-eastern Latvia. Before the 2009 territorial reform, it belonged to the now-defunct Jēkabpils District. The parish seat is located in the village of
Sēlija Selonia (; ), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is one of the Historical Latvian Lands encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia () as well as a portion of northeastern Lithuania. Its main city and cultural cen ...
, while Sēlpils, the historically significant site on the
Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
river, gives the parish its name. According to the 2024 national register, Sēlpils Parish had a permanent population of 705 spread over 225 km2, yielding a
density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...
of barely 3.1 inhabitants per km2. The parish occupies a
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
between the Daugava and Dienvidsusēja rivers, with rolling terrain shaped by
glacial till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
, forest–field mosaics, and
bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
remnants, particularly the protected
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
Kalna zāļu purvs, included in Latvia's
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
network. Near the Daugava River, Sēlpils village preserves the earthworks of a major Livonian Order castle, sacked by Swedish troops in 1704 during the
Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...
. Archaeological excavations led by Elvīra Šnore and Anna Zariņa (1963–1965) uncovered cultural layers ranging from Late Stone-Age
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
points to a 10th–12th-century
hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
rampart directly beneath the crusader
masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...
, and subsequent surveys, synthesised in Juris Urtāns' 1993
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
on Daugava hillforts, confirm an unbroken sequence from Iron-Age settlement to
crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...
stronghold. Modern Sēlpils Parish supports low-intensity mixed
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
,
peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
extraction, and small-scale
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
processing. Ongoing rural-development initiatives, part-funded by the Latvian Rural Support Service, aim to preserve natural values while improving access to roads and water
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...
across scattered villages such as Vecsēlpils, Plāteri and Puļpāni.


Towns, villages and settlements of Sēlpils Parish

* Arbidāni * Bisenieki * Bitānkalns * Buivāni * Ezerciems * Gretes * Īlenāni * Ķipu kalns * Kleberkalns * Līkumi * Naudīdzāni * Pāvuli * Plāteri * Plītes * Priekšāni * Puļpāni * Riesti * Sēlija * Sēlpils * Spietiņi * Ūdrāni *
Vecsēlpils Vecsēlpils ("old Sēlpils", formerly Sēlpils; ) is a village in Sēlpils Parish, Jēkabpils Municipality in the Selonia region of Latvia, on the location of the ancient Selonia Selonia (; ), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is one o ...
* Zaķēni


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selpils Parish Parishes in Jēkabpils Municipality Selonia